Philippine Travel Notes

Onward with my walk walk walk around Davao’s downtown area. There was another Penong, there was a call center, there was the beautiful DepEd offices, there were hotels and voila, I stumbled upon this place called People’s Park. So, I skirted the perimeter wall to find its entrance. Oh, it is just across the famous Pards 2 – the eatery serving rice all you can! So I said I have been to this place, but probably just did not notice that across is the People’s Park. Hmm… And I excitedly walked forth to the entrance. Argh! CLOSED! At 10:03AM on a Sunday? Gosh! I asked a park attendant and he told me it opens at 1PM still. Ah! then I saw this signage that tell about the complicated schedule of the park’s opening and closing times hehe. Now now… I learned that I was both very late and very early! How’s that? Well, they’re open from 5 to 8AM – so I was very late for that. Then they re-open from 1 to 10PM – so at 10AM, I was waaaay too early hahaha! Okay folks, at least you now know those sched...

Yep, still about #davao #philippines and I loved this cute little thing! This parol was part of those being sold at that row of stalls as mentioned in the previous story . It looked kinda’ catchy to me. Much like a poodle hehe! And cute too, as this is just about two feet or three from top to the bottom tip of the two “ruffles” whatever they are called. Plus, made of 100% indigenous materials. I really loved this thing! I was even contemplating of bringing one or two home. But I was not sure if those can be hand-carried or needed to be checked-in. Whatever the case, I could have brought them home at no extra cost. Now am thinking (with a little bit of blaming me, myself and I)… why did I not get at least one to bring home? Hmm, maybe it’s because I hate handcarries other than the backpack. Even the gadgets go in the backpack! So if I did get one of these or two or three, they wouldn’t have been able to enter the backpack since they’re just about exactly as big hehe! And I don’t imagine...

This is still my #davao #philippines series as I walked around. From afar, at first I thought “how boring”! But as I walked for a closer look at all of them stalls and their Christmas decors for sale, I realized whoah, this was different! I ogled at many of them and there seemed to be a common denominator, all were just the plain “parol”. Yep, the lanterns without the many bling blings or neon and whatever lights like we see everywhere in this country during the holidays. Then again, it was just about 9AM. But I asked one manong saying “walang mga ilaw?” and he nodded! Hmm, without the lights… I think they look more attractive. Energy efficient too! And I was like a little child ogling at each one and thinking… dreaming,,, even talking to myself! “Or maybe we could put some candles inside those. Ah no no no, that would be quite dangerous! Or maybe put some glow-in-the-dark things like those toys (even crucifixes) that can be bought from Divisoria. Ah, that would be unnatural and won’t ...

On with my walk about… I saw an activity at some otherwise quiet row of establishments (almost all still closed or closed for the weekend). I thought it must have been a local film company doing a location shoot – due to the number of gays standing around who I think were either handlers, alalays, yayas, makeup artists, directors choreographers, etc! But come to think of it, the thing that really attracted me to this “shoot” was the fact that there were only two cameras both handheld but no tripods or boom mics etc – well, the big ones like what they use for weddings and other such events! So, i told myself “probably an indie”! But the ‘subjects’ of the shoot were these pack of boys and girls. Hmm, I thought some pep squad or perhaps a choir or dance troupe. So I inched nearer and asked one of the well-dressed “titas” what it was. And s/he told me Mr & Miss Davao SOMETHING! Oh okay then hehe. The take, I realized was that these kids were as if trooping to the offices of one of thei...

Still in Davao, I was into my second dinner on this latest weekend visit to the city. Remember the choices offered by the Pinnacle Front Desk Crew? Well, I was bound to follow what we agreed was best for me. Last night it was Penong’s , so I told myself tonight it should be Ahfat! But a business contact invited me to dine with her and another of their associates from Manila that attended our activity. Thus, I thought Ahfat was therefore out of my itineraries. Lo and behold… the business contact asked if we were fine with Chinese food as she intended on bringing us to the best Chinese Restaurant in the city called Ahfat. I managed to keep my excitement clipped a bit to maintain a business-like rapport and said “yes, I am fine with that”. But in my brain I was truly silently screaming “yes, yes, YES. LET’S GO”! Hehehe, business… sometimes you have to ridiculously fake things for the sake of a reputation - whatever! And so we went! Along the way, business contact was kind of priming me an...

That’s at Fat Bobby’s in Davao City! We have seen elegant, stylish, profound, clever, native, modernistic, colorful and many other ways a menu card or list is presented, right? Some look like wedding invitations, some like ancient scrolls, some folded into three, some are fan-like, some are outsized with pop-up pages, some printed on banana-paper, some like photobooks, etc., etc.! But this heavy weight gigantic menu at Fat Bobby’s in Davao caught me big! It comes in a picture frame of real wood frame and real glass panel! Don’t anyone drop it or even just bang it on the table or chair as the thing would scandalizingly shatter into pieces! And mind you, it is “back-to-back” – meaning the glass face of the food list is the same and continued on the other side. No wonder the waiter won’t give the whole thing to me. He just stood there holding it up for me to read and choose whatever I wanted! I think I was not really that eager to hold it too. It is just really delicately heavy! Delicado!...

A cool cloudy Sunday morning with no fixed itinerary, I opted to roam around the city center (at least to those that I could walk to from my hotel). Another of those “come what may” times! Can’t do anything else “significant” since I had to cancel my IGaCoS morning tour as it kept raining intermittently. Had to go be at the airport after lunch too. So, killing time? Well yes, we could say that, but I still saw and encountered many things worth my while! Like what? Let’s see… Do it on a Sunday If you are like me who wants to amble around to see more of a place without so many distractions, in Davao, yes, do it on a Sunday Morning. You will love it! The streets that would otherwise be busy on a weekday or Saturday are clearer and you have time to ogle or marvel at just about everything. Take the case of this photo here. Have you seen a Chinatown anywhere on earth that is as “barren” as that place? Well, only on a Sunday Morning! Yesterday, I passed by this place amidst a very busy vehic...

To wind my first night into bed time, I headed to this place in the Obrero District of Davao City. This was per plan as discussed with the helpful front staff at The Pinnacle. Why Fat Bobby’s? Am not really sure why. All I said to the front staff was that I would like a place with live band music that is not of the noisy head banger types and not the high school or early college kid crowds where there is shouting and running around. They suggested this, so I went forth! I think I do not regret this choice! I found something interesting! But let’s do that in the next story! As for now, let me describe my Fat Bobby’s experience. It’s probably not the buzz of the town these days. But it does have a lot of following. Fact is, when I arrived at 9:43PM, it was already rather full. Perhaps a lucky streak or blessing in disguise? Being full inside, I opted to sit at one of 3 outside round tables that was still vacant. Yep, outside, as in the open area front of their entrance that looks like an...

So I strolled to Penong’s, thanks to the helpful front desk staff at The Pinnacle. They can actually be as crazy as I am – if you engage them in a banter! Hey, before Penong’s, there is even another eatery with live singers. Well crowded with a lot of Red Horse bottles I saw on almost all tables! And I thought I may not have to go to Obrero after dinner hehe. But reaching Penong’s, I stood a while, a bit hesitant, and almost backed away. Why? Because it was so full many were even standing by the entrance waiting to be seated. Argh! My lowly brain was saying “where the hell is Ahfat, why did I not ask the front desk staff about its location?” but an alert waiter called out to ask me how many we were! This is that other thing that made me hesitant, yet I still replied with “ako lang”. Waiter motioned for me to follow him and apologized to the ‘folks-in-waiting’ telling them there was no ‘good for 12’ table available yet! Awk, and the table offered to me was at very center of everything! ...

“I have been to Jack’s Ridge, MTS, Marco Polo, Apo View, Insular, Kolasa’s, the San Pedro Barbecue “Square”, and other usual places offered to tourists, so now I want to go to some place I have not been to, not necessarily a fine dining or luxurious restaurant, it can be a turo-turo or a tapsilogan or a bulalohan or a palengke, as long as it is where many Davaoeños go to for dinner and there is no branch in Metro Manila or Metro Cebu”! That’s what I told the cheerful helpful front desk staff at The Pinnacle. Demanding? Well, nah, I was bantering with them. The girl was a bit busy with some of her front desk things, though still responding to my pesky queries even if she was doing this and that. But the guy stood up for the challenge to address queries an obnoxious guest (that’s me) was throwing in! The mood was jolly and informal (I made sure of that) so they were quite at ease answering my questions in search of a place to have dinner! After a while of discussions, I even armed with t...

With that name, you were probably expecting something fancy or a fantabulous destination, right? Well, it is just the “new” top floor of the “G-Mall” in Davao City. Yep, G-Mall as in Gaisano Mall! And “The Peak” is nothing but a conglomeration of some eating places at some kind of a mini-sky-garden. Nothing so special about those eating places situated at The Peak. Except that they’re gathered around a central space with water fountains and a view of the city, the mountains yonder, even Mount Apo on a clear day. Nice enough breather than the usual scenes we see at malls. This place is in fact just outside the mall’s old and usual food court. The Peak is probably Gaisano;s attempt to emulate or imitate the look and feel at the eastern section of Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. Well, since there is nothing like this in Davao (yet), it’s a welcome enough destination. especially for those who don’t like tagging along with their wives or companions walking back and fort around the mall’s many ...

Come to think of it folks, of the many times I have been to Davao since late 1980s, it was only a few days ago that I took notice of their pedicabs. Yep, the foot driven tricycles. Theirs are covered with big customized umbrellas like you see in this picture. Similar to those in Malabon and Bulacan? Nah, not really! Those in CaMaNaVa use the colorful umbrellas you can buy from Divisoria. And the flimsy material of those off-the-shelf parasols are very light and can even be penetrated by the sun’s heat or heavier rain drops! On contrast, the customized “roofs” of these trikes in Davao are made of that heavy canvass material commonly used for industrial tents. Similar to those in Cotabato? Almost but not very much so! Why? Because these that we see in Davao are pedal powered while those in Cotbato’s ORG area have motorbikes to propel the cabs . Plus, the roofs in the Davao City pedicabs are flatter! A design anomaly? Probably, but they serve the purpose just the same! These Davao pedicab...

That’s how they appeared to me and I had fun watching them. They now stick to my brain as the most ideal of families. Working together, if we view it from the point of view of the parents, but definitely playing together if we consider the view from those two kids! I loved watching this family and they did not really mind if I was at their backs… and throwing questions! The parents are (of course, and obviously) Pomelo vendors, and on a Friday afternoon, this activity seemed to be such a fantastic playtime for the girl and the boy. Yeah yeah, I am always drawn, with gusto, to what kids do nowadays that are not computer-related! The story: I still walked, amidst the intermittent drizzles, around Davao. The nearby blocks of The Pinnacle, at least. Keeping myself in a hotel room, even on a gloomy showery afternoon is just not my kind of thing. Even if BBC and CNN were bannering interesting enticing intriguing November 9 headlines! I thought I’d go a bit further down towards the seafront (...

As friend and I talked, I saw some birds hopping from branch to branch and leaf to leaf. I already heard them the moment we stepped into the gazebo with a swing. There were at least 3 kinds of birds, the chirpy tiny black shiny ones with reddish beaks and yellowish chests, some brownish blackish greenish ones, and earth-brown birds bigger than my fists. these latter ‘bigger’ birds were mostly feeding on things scattered on the grass. Were those fruits? I went nearer to investigate… they indeed were fruits… hundreds of them all fallen from the trees and in various stages of decomposition. I picked a newly fallen fruit from the ground and immediately realized it was Balimbing! Yeah, the “star fuit”! Wow, like how many decades ago have I last tasted one? Many! So I looked up to see where these fruits were falling from. Wohoa! Too many of them already ripe for the birds to peck at (reason why they fall) and too many more just waiting to become ripe. A few were hanging not even a foot up fr...

Many friends have shared good stories about this place. Many a Tacloban visitor has bragged about their wonderful experiences. Yet, they were not ‘push' enough for me to include Rafael’s Farm in my itineraries It was probably due to the fact that there is really nothing much to see or do there, except what they told me about the good food a-la first class hotel or restaurant. Most of these friends would tell me the landscaping is good, food is fine-dining caliber but expensive (of course), ample parking space, nice little lake or waterscape whatever. Yun lang? Judging from stories, pictures and videos, I silently said, I have been to definitely better landscaped places with definitely more high-end type of food (and yes of course, expensive too), so why bother! Nothing seemed to even connect anything at Rafael’s Farm to the land, the region, its culture, people or traditions. Thus I was thinking, as far as I was concerned, there was NOTHING MUCH to go aligaga about seeing this plac...