Last Day in Davao City

Boss Mon, Rhoda and Che took the 7:30 am PAL flight to Manila, so they left the Marco Polo Hotel at daybreak since they should be at the airport around 5:30 am.  I was therefore alone in the room when I woke up around 6:30am.

Ted texted me at 7am to ask if I was going down for breakfast.  I replied that I would be down in 30 minutes.  He told me that he and Boss Dan were taking a short tour of the city.

I was at the Cafe Marco around 7:36.  Didn't see anyone from PNB there so I started texting Ted, Milette and Rey.  Boss Dan and Ted were still on their way back to the hotel, Milette was just leaving her room, and Rey had just woken up.

Sign that the ACI convention is over:

I walked around the lobby, then went back to Cafe Marco waiting for any of the guys show up.

The staircase landing:

Finally saw Boss Dan and Ted at the lobby and we went to Cafe Marco together for breakfast.  Milette, Dennis, Mr. Ayes and his family eventually showed up and joined us. 

There was talk of how the "No smoking" rule in Davao City has ruined the trip for most delegates who were smokers.  The curfew didn't help either.  It only heightened the difference between Davao City and Boracay - ACI's favorite convention place where the ambience is more relaxed vs. the formality of holding the convention in a hotel within a city, like Davao.  I have a feeling that it will take a loong time before ACI reconsiders returning to Davao City.

Was back in my hotel room around 9:30.  Having nothing to do, I decided to take pictures of the room:

 

 

According to the hotel's website, the Guest Room "average room size is 340 square feet / 32 square meters, and all rooms are designed to the requirements of today's corporate travelers."

Those requirements would be met by a television set with cable channels, a memo pad with pen, a wake up call service, a safe, lots of drawers, slippers, towels changed daily, a hair dryer, and about 10 hangers - half of them big enough for coats, the other half is the kind that has clips for trousers or skirts.  No iron and ironing board though.

There is a Business center near the lobby. Which reminds me of something that happened yesterday morning while we were waiting for the bus to take us to Eden Park. Rhoda, Neil, Cezar, Steve, Henry and I were hanging around near the center of the lobby where there is a table with a computer. Cezar sat on the chair in front of the computer, grabbed the mouse, and started clicking the computer desktop. A hotel staff approached him and asked if he wanted to use the internet, since the service is available at the Business Center. Cezar replied in the negative, after which the staff politely told him that he is sitting in the hotel's Assistant Manager's desk, and could he please vacate the chair. It was so funny that I jokingly asked the staff to please repeat it so that I could capture the moment on my camera. He did not ofcourse, and we all left the desk.

Like most 5-star hotels, Marco Polo provide its guests daily with 2 sets of shampoo, lotion, bath foam, shower caps, toothbrush with toothpaste, small soap, big soap, tissue roll, and boxed tissue in the bathroom.  You also get 2 sets of coffee mix along with packets of sugar, 2 bags of Lipton tea, and 2 bottles of water.

Although Rhoda and I should have a room with two beds, the hotel ran out of double occupancy rooms and we got a single occupancy room with one bed and one cot.  I slept on the cot (see picture above with bed - the cot is on the right).  Makes me wonder if we should get some refund for that.

The Deck looking like there was no party last night that ended early this morning with people jumping into the pool:

The view of Davao City from the hotel window:

Davao City is not attached to any province like most cities in the Philippines are.  Apart from being the Philippines' largest city, it is also one of the largest cities in the world in terms of land area.

Under Mayor Duterte, Davao City has morphed into probably one of the cleanest and safest cities in the Philippines.  You could say you can feel safe walking the streets at night, as long as you don't break the curfew.  The threat from communist or Muslim insurgents is there ofcourse, but they tend to be active in other Mindanao cities, leaving Davao City relatively peaceful. 

One thing I like here is that on every corner, you could see a pair of trash bins.  It contrasts so much with Manila where one would be lucky to even find a real trash bin ... when Jon and I went to Bambang last month, I couldn't find any trash can, even in the LRT stations, that I was able to throw my trash only when we got back to Pacita.  Laugh all you want.  I am a Scholastican and was taught not to litter.

I thought we were supposed to leave the hotel for the airport at 10:45, which seemed ages away, so I decided to step out to take more pictures.

The Marco Polo Hotel facade:

The Marco Polo is a landmark in Davao City apart from being considered the best hotel there by most people.

The hotel is located at the corner of C.M. Recto Street and M. Roxas Avenue.  There is a 24 hour police station in front along M. Roxas.

Aldevinco Shopping Center is across the hotel on the C.M. Recto side.  This commercial center is well known for Davao souvenirs, especially ethnic ones, and has been around since the 1960s.

Since Aldevinco attracts foreign and local tourists, you will find hawkers outside the building selling fake sunglasses, watches, and the like. There is also the occasional beggar.  The beggars won't bother you.  It's the hawkers that won't leave you alone, especially if they noticed that you came from the Marco Polo. 

Near Aldevinco, and also along C.M. Recto, is the Ateneo de Davao University. The school opened in 1948 initially offering grade school and high school education.  It started offering college courses in 1951.  It became a university in 1977.

Typical of Jesuit run schools in the Philippines, ADDU offers excellent education and graduates from its College of Law have been landing in the top ten of the bar exams.

I was outside taking the above pictures when I got a text message from Boss Mon around 9:54.  He had forgotten to take home his two boxes of pomelo and requested if we could bring them to Manila.  He added that we don't have to bring them if it would mean being charged for excess luggage.  At about the same time, Boss Dan and Milette were looking for me, since the shuttle to the airport was leaving earlier than expected.  As I was rushing back to the hotel (at this point, it's starting to sound like the Hong Kong trip), I texted to them Boss Mon's request, including the number of the pomelo boxes' claim tags.  The two of them got the boxes from the concierge and told me they would bring them since they each have only one luggage.  Texted that to Boss Mon who then asked what time we would be arriving at the Manila airport so he could meet us and get the boxes.  All these was going on while I was going up to my hotel room, bringing down my luggage, and checking out of the hotel.  I was finished by the time the shuttle showed up.

We were at the Davao airport just before 12:00 noon.  After checking in our luggage, Dan and Milette decided to browse through the souvenir shops since they didn't have time to buy enough "pasalubongs" for their families.

We saw Philippine actor Gabby Concepcion and took some pictures:

 

The kid is not his ofcourse, nor Milette's. Another fan was having her photo taken with him and asked him to hold her baby.

We resumed browsing through the shops after that.  I ended up buying some dried seafood like squid, danggit and the little fish (fingerlings) called palad.  Also bought pork chicharon.  What really got my interest were the fish chicharon.  Bought two just so me and my folk could taste them.

Danny and Milette were hungry and went into a small restaurant to order lunch.  I was still full so I just bought a bottle of juice.  A trader from another bank joined them and they talked about Boss Mon instigating the jumping in the pool early that morning.

I checked my cellphone and realized I got a text message from Julpha which she sent at 11:28.  It was already 12:31.  She told me that the pomelos were newly harvested and would be good to eat only after 3 to 5 days.

After eating, the four of us got into the airport proper where the three of them immediately headed to the smoking lounge.  I waited for them at gate 6, where we would board our 1:45 PAL flight to Manila.

We boarded the plane on time.  We were on the same row, but Dan and Milette took the seats near the window, I was seated in the middle column but near the aisle.  Thought I had no seatmate but he showed up just before the plane closed its doors and prepared for flight.

He was fair with sandy blonde hair that Milette thought he was a foreigner and wouldn't understand Tagalog.  I had my doubts since he wasn't tall ... I thought he looked more like a Spanish mestizo.  He made the sign of the cross when the plane started to move, and I was 50% sure he was Filipino.  I was right.  When we landed at NAIA and waiting for the plane to stop, he started talking to me in Tagalog with a heavy Davao accent.  He asked me if we were in a group of people Davao for some sort of convention because the plane was noisy.  I first thought he meant the people were noisy, then I realized he meant that the space underneath the plane where the checked in luggage were was unusually noisy because of too many baggages.  He then launched into stories of airplane accidents and the reason he was nervous of the rattling noise.  I think he has a phobia of plane flights.  When he excused himself and headed to the restroom, I told Milette he was Filipino. If I made a bet, I would have won.

I was at the NAIA luggage carousel at 3:30pm, which meant we landed ahead of time.  Jon was already outside waiting for me to come out (I texted him yesterday requesting him to fetch me at the airport today). Taxis are not allowed at the arrival area so we had to walk towards the departure area to get a taxi.

I had wanted to stop by the Ayala Mall and watch Iron Man, but with 3 bags and a box of pomelos, entering the cinema or eating at a restaurant would be bothersome, so we just headed to the BBL station and rode the bus for home.

ACI Phils. Fun Night (2008)

The hotel staff probably placed this note in every room this morning, especially those situated near the pool:

The private function being referred to would be ACI's Fun Night.

Although The Deck was reserved from 6pm to 12 midnight, dinner was scheduled at 7pm. With about an hour to spare, I hung around the hotel room watching cable TV while Julpha and Rhoda ate Halo-halo at the hotel's Lobby Lounge.

Julpha and Rhoda returned to the hotel room and we went down to the Deck at the 4th floor together around 7pm. It was Dennis who told us to come early so we could choose a table that is in the airconditioned room, since most of the tables woule be in the open air. Nice idea, and even if we didn't care about air-conditioning, at least there would be a roof on our heads just in case it rains.

The food was still being brought out to the buffet tables when we got there, so we went around taking pictures:

Near the pool:

Near the buffet tables:

By 7:30 we were already eating though the other delegates were only arriving. A band played while we were eating and in between sets, raffle prizes were being given away. The smaller prizes where giveaways from Reuters. No wonder we didn't get a Reuters item in our goodie bags yesterday. Reuters opted to give out raffle prizes. He he.

Around 8pm, we went to the hotel entrance since our order of pomelos from Winkool Fruit Mart had arrived. Since there were a lot of boxes, the concierge suggested that the hotel keep them in storage rather than deliver them to our rooms. It was fine with the others but Rhoda insisted on bringing her boxes of pomelo to our room even if she had to bring them up herself - which she did. The rest of us kept the claim stubs the concierge gave me.

Around 9:30, we got tired of listening to the band, so Rhoda, Julpha and I walked towards the poolside. We saw a group of Marlboro promo girls enter and they started giving freebies to anyone who smoked (the poolside is a smoking area). The eventually guards realized they had crashed in on the party and told them to leave. ICAP gave free drinks to clients in one corner of the Deck, but delegates thought it was an open bar care of ACI so everyone flocked there (even other brokers, I heard).

By 10:30pm, a lot of the raffle winners were from Eastwest that Dennis, who was on the stage calling out the winners, had to explain to the audience that Eastwest sent a huge number of delegates, therefore increasing the chances that winners will be from that bank.

The raffle was over around 11pm, and Rhoda and I decided to leave the party and go to our rooms. Rhoda will be taking the first flight to Manila tomorrow and had to leave the hotel early in the morning (make that dawn). She wanted to start packing her things tonight rather than do it tomorrow.

The view of the Deck from our hotel room:

A closer look at the place where the stage is:

The pool. The bar is on the left side:

----- May 4 ------

I heard that the guards had to request the remaining delegates to leave the area around 3am this morning. By then, Boss Mon had dared a lot of people to jump into the pool. Once he took off his shoes and shirt and jumped in, the others reportedly followed.

Linda's Special Durian Candy

Matina probably has the largest concentration when it comes to shops selling durian candies.

The most popular is Lola Abon's Durian Candy located at 23 San Miguel Village. Thanks to this shop's popularity, a number of other durian candy makers have set up shop in San Miguel.

Julpha did not bring us there, however. She brought us instead to Linda's Special Durian Candy at 26 San Antonio Village.

Linda's is popular among Davaoenos, and some swear her candies are better than Lola Abon's. The durian bar in particular has chewy durian bits. If you love the durian fruit, you'll love the durian bar. The shop is not easy to find, however. If people you ask don't know the place, just ask where the basketball court is in San Antonio Village. You'll find Linda's nearby. It is only a couple of blocks from the main road if you take public transportation.

The shop is owned by Erlinda Y. Ibanez, and it is a quaint one. The living room serves as the store, with the candies at one corner and the cashier's booth near the front door. A pile of baskets are near the candy shelves for use of the candy shopper. The cashier's booth has some jewelry displayed under the glass, and the rest of the living room is piled up with bags and giant stuffed tigers that you wonder if she sells them as well. The only free space would probably be the sofa. On the wall near the door, you'll find photos of celebrities/actors having their pictures taken at the shop ... which means that the place is popular among non-Davaoenos as well.

The candies here sell fast, and we had to wait for a newly made batch to be packed. For candies, you'll find durian yemas and durian sticks apart from the durian bars. They also have langka yemas. If I didn't worry about packing the stuff for the trip back to Manila, I would have bought durian tarts or even the pies as well. I bought PHP900 worth of candies since Boss Dan asked me to buy our desk's "pasalubong" to the dealing room. He promised to pay his share when we meet later at the hotel. I had no intention of letting him pay though since buying the candies is nothing compared to the group's paying for more than half my hotel and plane fare to Davao City (I wasn't an official PNB delegate so I have to pay for my trip).

Another shop that sells good candies is Anobei Sweets Enterprises whose address is 258 GSIS, Matina. This is where Teddy buys the candies he brings back to Manila whenever he visits his family in Davao City. I think the owner of this shop is related to Linda as the durian bars taste the same and the contact person according to the Department of Agriculture website has the Ibanez last name.

We had already left the shop and walking towards the main road when Rhoda suggested that I ask Boss Mon what pasalubong he wants to buy. We actually stopped on the street and I called him from my cellphone. He said "pomelos", which meant we didn't have to walk back to Linda's. Julpha took care of his request by adding two more boxes to our order of pomelos.

As it was already 4:30 pm, we directed the taxi we flagged down to bring us back to the Marco Polo hotel.

Victoria Plaza, Davao City

Back at the Marco Polo hotel, Julpha met Rhoda and me at the lobby. She gave us the amount we would pay once the boxes of pomelos we ordered arrive. There was an issue when Rhoda found out that Dennis ordered PHP2,000 worth of pomelos. Rhoda had agreed to advance payment for Dennis' order thinking she would only pay PHP1,000. Through text, I told Dennis/Rey that Rhoda would not shoulder the additional PHP1,000. The three of us then got into a taxi and headed to Victoria Plaza. I tagged along because I had nothing else better to do.

Rhoda had planned on shopping for pearls which a friend in the US requested her to buy and bring with her when she goes to that country later this month. Although Aldevinco Shopping Center is near Marco Polo Hotel (you only cross a street to get there), we went to Victoria Plaza in Bajada because Julpha said the pearls are much cheaper there compared to the "tourist prices" in Aldevinco.

The two-level Victoria Plaza was built in the 1990s and was the first mall in Davao City. Like Harrison Plaza in Manila and Metropolis in Alabang, the place has a lot of booths, most of them selling jewelry, usually cultured pearls - namely freshwater pearls, south sea pearls, and mikimoto pearls. As I said, prices for the pearls here are much lower than in Aldevinco, and you can also barter for an even lower price. In some stalls, you can ask them to customize jewelry for you by picking the pearl/s then the style of earring/necklace/bracelet. They do this while you wait.

The plaza has seen better days and the newer malls look better. However, the compound itself has some good restaurants. This is where Cynthia's Lechon House and Restaurant, as well as Ahfat Seafood Restaurant could be found. It is said that Ahfat is one of Lucio Tan's favorite restaurants.

For the computer geek, Basti's Brew is a WiFi hotspot. After a few stalls of pearl shopping, I got thirsty and Julpha told me there are coffee shops outside. I didn't go very far because Basti's is housed within the plaza with an entrance from both inside and outside the building. I ordered a coffee shake to go, but I would have lingered on to surf the net from my phone if I had not promised to rejoin Julpha and Rhoda as soon as possible.

If you want Durian coffee, you have to go to Blu Gre Cafe though, which is in Landco building, situated across from the Plaza.

Around this time, Dennis is looking for Julpha, Rhoda and even me just to settle the pomelo issue. He first suggested that Rhoda borrow the extra PHP1,000 from me which I refused to agree to, so Dennis found another way to pay for the fruits, but he couldn't get hold of Julpha or Rhoda - simply because they ignored his phone calls as they were busy looking at pearls. Actually, they conveniently left out the part that we left the hotel. Rey texted me to ask where I was, and I admitted the three of us were in Victoria Plaza. He he he.

Julpha and Rhoda have gone through the pearl shops on the ground floor when I rejoined them, so we went to the upper level. There were fewer shops selling pearls there but we found one that had the lowest prices. Rhoda even bought a necklace/bracelet set for herself.

When we left the shop, our next stop was Matina where we bought Durian candies.

Eden Nature Park Mountain Resort

3,000 feet above sea level.  That's how high Eden Nature Park Mountain Resort is.  Which is why the walk from the parking area to the Activity Center where one registers may have you panting, because although it is a short distance, it means going UP.

GUIDED SHUTTLE TOUR

At the Activity Center, there were cabs waiting to take us on a guided shuttle tour around the 40 hectare property.  If you do the math, a 45-minute tour of a 40 hectare place would mean doing it at a FAST PACE.  Since my camera isn't exactly top of the line, I quit trying to take still pictures from the vehicle after my initial shots ended up as blurry figures.  I just turned on the video function and hoped I get something.  Another reason I had problems taking pictures or videos was that I was seated in the middle.  The people seated at the sides were blocking any clear shot I could have gotten.  Anyway, I did manage to get some nice pictures and videos.

The Shuttle Tour wasn't supposed to make any stops, but since we were ahead of schedule, the drivers decided to stop at Lola's Garden, where finally we were able to get some decent pictures.  The Shuttle Tour, therefore, isn't the best way to go if you are in Eden Nature Park to get some pictures.

There are many photo opportunities in the park, and the owners (the Ayalas of the south, and not related to the Spanish Ayalas) did a good job of bringing back to life a deforested area. 

Yup, it was a sadly deforested area when the Ayalas took over the place in the 1970s.  They took it upon themselves to replant trees.

 

They also planted flowers, vegetables and herbs.  Some of the flowers were actually brought down from the higher levels of Mt. Apo.  The vegetables and herbs are used as ingredients in the Resort's restaurants.

The place offers a lot of other activities to those who have time, like fishing, horseback riding, hiking and swimming.  It has cottages for anyone or any group of people who want to take a retreat, or maybe hold a seminar.  The place is even accepting reservations for wedding receptions.

Apart from fish and horses, deer and birds could be found in the resort.  The peafowl more or less wander around freely.  One peacock was even sounding out its mating call while the Shuttle Tour was still in progress.  If you thought a rooster's crow is painful to the ears, wait till you hear a peacock's mating call.

The shuttle brought us back to the Activity Center.  Nearby is a flight of stone steps going down to the Vista Kiosk and Restaurant.  Took some picture while waiting for lunch to be served.

VISTA KIOSK/RESTAURANT/PARK

At least four peafowl were wandering through the Vista Kiosk, though none were allowed inside the restaurant.  We realized it was their mating season when a peacock began dancing with its feathers upon seeing a peahen.

Near the restaurant was the Vista Park, which is a playground.  This is where you would also find the "Indiana Jones" rope ride.

Lunch was finally served around 11:30 am.  It was buffet style and the salad greens tasted good.  Unfortunately the main meals did not.  I think the restaurant did not have enought time to prepare as the beef was still a bit hard and the fish fillet tasted as if it was not fully defrosted when it was cooked.

Took more pictures after lunch:

 

ACTIVITY CENTER

Going down from the Activity Center to where the buses are parked proved to be harder than going up the slope ... go too fast and you will find yourself rolling down.  That would hurt and will be messy since the ground is still muddy from the rain. 

This diorama of a Bogobo family is found at the foot of the slope.  Bogobos are natives of Mindanao.  The influx of settlers from Visayas and Luzon forced to move inland and up the mountains.  There are few Bogobos left, and those who remain rarely wear their native dresses in their daily lives.  Soon, their culture will also start to disappear as they assimilate the culture of the settlers.

The Trip to Eden Nature Park

   
By jingfrey73, shot with SONY ERICSSON P1i

Took a "nap" and woke up at 6:00 am to a rainy Davao City morning.

Watched the news on cable while waiting for my turn at the bathroom but nothing was really registering in my brain.

When Rhoda and I were both finished, we went down to Cafe Marco where breakfast is served. We saw Cezar and Neil and ate with them.

We were almost finished when the rest of the PNB gang came down, which also meant that although assembly time for the Eden Nature Park Tour was 8:00 am, only Rhoda and I from PNB were there.

While waiting for the bus, Gidget was distributing stubs which would serve as our bus tickets. We learned that there will be two buses. Rhoda and I decided to board the first one instead of waiting for the rest of the PNB crew and board the second bus. Once inside the bus, someone from the tour company began collecting the stubs and replacing them with stickers which would serve as our lunch stubs at the resort. Rey texted me that he wasn't feeling well and that only Tryke would join the tour - and would I also please look after the kid. Tryke boarded the bus with Dennis' son in tow. Apparently, Dennis had also decided to stay at the hotel.

We were on the road by 8:40. The trip would take about an hour. The tour guide would point out interesting places as we passed by them. In between, he would say trivia like:

• there are a number of people in Davao with Japanese ancestry, some of them descending from the Japanese the Americans brought in before the war to build infrastructure ... the same Japanese that built Kenon Road in Baguio City
• Davao City has the largest brewery in Asia
• the city's top export is the banana
• Davao's top export used to be abaca, but demand for it waned after nylon became the choice material for making cords and ropes
• 40% of the flowers exported by the Philippines come from Davao

He also instructed us a bit on Philippine Eagles:

• they are blue eyed, making them unique among raptors
• they are diurnal - another way of saying that they hunt during daytime
• the females are larger than the males
• courtship usually takes three months
• they are monogamous

For most of the trip, the scenery was like that of Manila, only with a lower skyline. It was only upon reaching the foot of Mount Apo that we saw a lot of greenery and colorful flowers outside the window.

Urban Club, Davao City

May 2, 2008

At around 10:00 pm, delegates assembled at the Marco Polo hotel lobby to wait for the vans that will take us to Urban club.

Urban Club is located within the Wheels and More Drive compound, J.P. Laurel Ave. cor. T. Palma Gil St., Bajada. The Wheels and More compound (sometimes referred to as "Autoshop") actually has a lot of restaurants/bars to choose from, and each has its own crowd.

Urban Club is a popular, "happening" place among the young ones, and is sometimes considered Davao City's equivalent of Club Embassy - a popular hang-out of rich kids, celebrities, and social climbers in Metro Manila. Actually, DJs from Club Embassy would sometimes pop in at Urban Club.

I think the entrance fee to the club is PHP 100.00, which includes two free drinks. No one cares about the rate tonight though since the tab will be picked up by ACI. All the delegates just had the doorman stamp us with the Urban Club logo on the wrist and got in. We (PNB) placed 3 tables side by side and ordered food and drinks.

We were able to get tables since we were among the first to get there. In a few minutes the place was SRO. The waiters had a hard time remembering who ordered what that we had to actually watch each waiter going out of the kitchen just in case they have our order but delivering it to the wrong table.

Teddy ordered at least 4 dishes, but the only ones I liked were Crispy Pata and Crispy Tenga. One dish was cooked in a different way than we imagined, and one dish had beef that was hard to chew.

Left the place around midnight because the others in the (PNB) group wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep ... their decision was a bit abrupt - I had just poured out some wine into my glass when Che told me they were leaving. Not wanting to be left alone, I left with them.

May 3, 2008

I still ended up sleeping at around 4AM ... Rhoda and I spent the rest of the "night" talking. We weren't sleepy.