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Going to Davao City was quite a special summer trip. Mainly because this was the very first time I set foot to the Land of Promise that is Mindanao. I immediately caught that pungent odor of Durian the minute I stepped out of the plane, and it followed me the whole time I was on vacation.

Although I did not find it to be very offensive. A local farmer told us two days later that they have found a way to grow hybrid durian fruit that isn’t as hard to breathe in as it should be, which I thought was really cool. Ang galing talaga ng Pinoy!

So what can I say about Davao City? Well, it’s a city. There’s not much to do but hit the malls and check out the grill restaurants abundant here. But unlike Metro Manila the place isn’t as crowded and the air clean. You can even find non-aircon taxis and you wouldn’t mind boarding them because there’s no irritating smog to combat.

Having said that you will have to get out of the city to explore Davao’s beauty. First thing we did was visit the Philippine Monkey Eating Eagle Center because we’re excited to see those huge birds of prey. The Philippine Eagle is the largest and most powerful bird in the world. America’s bald eagle is a chick compared to this beauty.

The Center houses different eagle and bird species plus other animals like deers, wart hogs, and yes, monkeys. We wanted to see Pag-Asa who was the first eagle to be bred in captivity. But she was not in the mood to entertain audiences that day, we barely saw her feathered behind fluttering up and down inside her giant cage. It was fine though as there are many of her kind to see, they kinda look the same from my untrained eyes anyway.

Our next stop was Eden Nature Park. A vast area of private land situated in the midst of an untouched forest and converted into a flower garden, vegetable farm, fruit-bearing trees plantation, and family resort rolled into one.

The park offers hourly guided tours inside the facility so you can drop by anytime. They have rooms and cottages for visitors wanting to spend the night. Eden Nature Park also has a jungle trail if you feel like taking a little hike.

The next day, it was time to see the beach. The beach fronts of hotels in Davao City are unswimmable so you have to take a trip to the nearby Samal Island for the white beaches.

Now here’s a travel tip: travel guides will offer you a trip to the beach going to the famed Pearl Farm Resort for around Php1,500 per person. That includes a buffet lunch.

But if you don’t have the budget just take a cab and ask the driver to drop you off at the Paradise Island wharf. The short banca ride going to the resort is only Php10, with an entrance fee of Php75. Food is no problem as Paradise Island Resort serves all kinds of barbecues and dishes, for a reasonable price. Ergo, you could end up spending only around Php300 and enjoy a full day at the beach.

In between the trips and mall hopping, my friends and I happily gorged on Davao’s harvest. It’s true that you can find the sweetest tasting fruits here like banana, mangosteen, papaya, watermelon, mango, pomelo and pineapple. I wasn’t able to sample a durian, though, as I didn’t really see any served at the hotel or in the restos we’ve been to.

Maybe those durian candies I hoarded will make up for it.

And of course there’s my favorite part of every trip, the shopping. You can buy a lot batik stuff here from shirts, pants, bags, and other accessories. Mindanao is also the land of tubao, those intricately hand-woven scarves, malong and sarong. You can purchase them really cheap and there are so many choices.

A couple of street peddlers were trying to sell us smuggled Ray-Bans, “galing sa barko” they would tell you. They look authentic enough, but I don’t know, I’m really not into stolen goods. I don’t even buy pirated CDs or DVDs.

Life in Davao City is easy, as our guide told us. You can live by even with very little income. Of course I wouldn’t know that, but I gather that it’s a place I can live at in case I decide to leave life in the metro.

One thing I would have wanted to do was climb Mt. Apo, the Philippines’ highest peak, which by the way I barely caught a glimpse of. Unlike Mt. Mayon towering over Albay’s every corner, Mt. Apo is but a silhouette from a distance. Although you can tell it’s a really huge mass of earth.

At least there’s one good reason to go back to Davao.

Tags: Davao City Philippines, Philippine Eagle, Mount Apo, Philippine Travel Tips