Today I wondered what to check out first. I came to Davao with two main activity highlights: 1) Go sky cycling at Eden Nature Park, 2) Get a shot of Mount Apo. But despite residing at a dormitel situated on Mt. Apo street, the famed mountain — the largest in Philippines — was nowhere near me. Heck, Mount Apo, wasn’t even visible from Davao City! It seems Mount Apo is so huge that most people just go there as part of a multi-day trek.
I couldn’t do that since I only had two more days in Davao so I figured I’ll go check out Eden Nature Park. I followed the instructions on their website on how to get to Eden Nature Park and boarded a jeepney going to Toril (₱20). The landmark given to get down at was a Mercury Drug Store in Toril.
I sat up front beside the driverSaw where the SM Davao mall is located. We were driving down McArthur HighwayIt was a looooong ride to TorilNearly an hour later, I got down at a junction at Toril where you have a Chowking to your leftThis was taken while I was standing on the left side. Across the road is the Mercury Drug Store. From here there were many bike taxis offering to take you to Eden Nature ParkOn Eden Nature Park’s website, they mentioned bike taxis would charge ₱80 for the ride from the junction at Toril to the entrance of the park. But the bike taxis guys here were pushing for ₱200! I told them about ₱80 and they scoffed claiming that was more than a year ago. I bargained as much as I could but eventually settled for ₱150. I couldn’t delay myself anymore.It was a 20 minute bike ride up to the park’s entranceThe good roads for much of the journey gave way to a bad, pot-holed stretchBut the park was close now
It was along this road I saw signs pointing to Mount Apo. Excited about seeing Mt. Apo after my time at Eden Nature Park, I asked the bike taxi driver if he could take me to Mt. Apo National Park so that I could just take a photo of the mountain. But the driver told me it’s still many kilometres further from Eden Nature Park. Continue reading “Philippines: Sky Cycle at Eden Nature Park, Davao” »
Every year, during the holy month of Ramadan, Mosque Road in Frazer Town converts into a major hub for food lovers. Several stalls are set up selling a variety of Iftar treats by the road side, and every year, the number of stalls just keep getting bigger and bigger.
Now, you don’t have to go to Frazer Town for Iftar treats as stalls are set up outside every major mosque in Bangalore during the holy month of Ramadan. But Mosque Road being what it is attracts are a larger number of people. I have been Mosque Road with friends in previous years, but this year I wanted to capture some photos for my blog.
After meeting up with a friend, we rode down to Frazer Town, parked my bike near Savoury Restaurant and walked up to Mosque Road.
Stalls were set up away from Mosque Road tooHeads up: a lot of meat in this blog postMutton kheema and stir fried egg next to itThis was an organization handing out free copies of the Quran (in English). I asked for a copy as I have always wanted to read for myself what was myth and what is actually quoted in the Holy Book.I moved to Mosque Road where sheek kebabs were being cooked over charcoal. Beef, chicken, and of course mutton were on offer.This stall was selling Brazilian beef. When I asked the guy why he wasn’t selling Indian beef, the owner just shrugged and said this “tastes better”. Oh well, I know why. None the less, I packed some.Beef and colourful chicken kebabs beside it. Really put off by the use of food colour in meat.Idiyappams and chicken kebabs?Beef sukka. Sampled some and it tasted okay.We then crossed over to the other side where much of the big stalls on Mosque Road wereThat’s mutton being cooked on a huge slab or stone over a charcoal fire 🙂 They call it pathar gosht (pathar = stone; gosht = mutton)There were many of these food tents set up beside Mosque RoadIt was crowded!Mutton haleem. Haleem, for the uninitiated, is a thick gravy like dish made using wheat, barley, lentils and meat (plus spices).I don’t think I could have even stood here and ate something. Too stuffy and way too many people passing through.Lots of sweets on offer!There wasn’t a whole lot of sea food available and given the ‘Bangalore premium’ for seafood, whatever that was on offer was kinda expensive.There were many more stalls alongside Mosque RoadWe went in here nextChicken samosas, chicken fry, chicken kebabs, chicken this, chicken that…More beef and mutton grilled on stonePacked up some firny (sweet)And picked up some chocolate cupcakesI had some pudding next, which was yum!Even though much of the activity was on the right side, I crossed the road to check out what was on offer on the other lane on Mosque RoadMuch of the same, albeit far less glamourous that’s allThere weren’t too many different varieties of food on offer this side
After packing up some more food, I left Mosque Road. It’s obvious the annual Ramadan treats have grown into a big business opportunity for vendors over these past few years. It wasn’t this crowded when I visited 2 years ago. People of all faiths turn up to try out the food. Of course there were a few ignorant people. One guy was silly enough to ask if pork was available! 😛
Also, the prices this year weren’t low by any street food means. A plate of pathar gosht was sold for Rs. 200, and the quantity was only good enough for just one person. A stick of just three chicken-cheese balls cost Rs. 50. Don’t even ask about the sea food prices.
Still, if you have an opportunity to check out the fare on Mosque Road, do so if you have never visited the stretch during Ramzan before. And do it before Eid. Happy feasting!
Yesterday was an eventful day of sightseeing. I began early morning swimming with Oslob’s famed whale sharks and later enjoyed the beauty of Tumalog Falls. I was tired by the time I got back to Cebu from Oslob yesterday, so when I woke up in the morning, I decided to take it easy today.
I had breakfast from the hostel’s roof top ‘cafe’The hills weren’t too far away from here
I worked for much of the day (ironic, considering it was May Day), only stepping out at 2pm to go to Ayala Center.
A very nice mall not too far from the hostel. (Had to take two short jeepney rides to get here)I sat down at Persian Palate and had a spinach felalfel sandwich, a chicken shawarma rice meal and coconut water. Bill came to ₱242.
Since it was May Day, many shops were closed and the streets were far from buzzing.
The next day (May 2), I stepped out to do some shopping. I took a jeepney and went all the way down to the end of Osmeña Blvd. No fancy malls out here. Just a lot of street markets, shops and some much older shopping centres and department stores. I stepped into one and ended up buying some sandals for really cheap.
Much of down town Cebu looks like thisSaw a bit of ‘anti-America’… for a change
I then took a jeepney to SM City, where I decided to have lunch.
I had an bacon-wrapped hot dog from Monster Franks. And yes, that’s all the onion rings you get (plus a drink) for ₱130
After some window shopping and purchasing some souvenirs, I headed back to the hostel.
For dinner I ate at a small Italian eatery near Tr3ats Guesthouse. That’s fettucine pasta with meat sauce (₱140). This would be my final dinner in Cebu.
Date: May 3rd, 2014
I took a taxi to the airport as today I was leaving Cebu for Davao.
It was bright and sunny today, so I hoped the flight would leave on time
After checking in, we got word that the flight was slightly delayed. *Shocker* -_-
In the departures lounge, the famed Zubuchon had an outletZubichon got really famous after Antony Bourdain called their lechon “the best he’s ever eaten”. So I too packed a lechon and rice meal (₱190) to have on the plane as my in-flight meal.Goodbye Cebu!The lechon was really well done and the meat was obviously good quality pork. I guess Zubuchon really is worth trying when in Cebu.The flight from Cebu to Davao takes just over an hourLanded in Davao — for the first timeI hired a taxi to take me to the hostel I was going to be staying at for the next few daysThis building with green tinted windows is the FTC Tower. It houses Green Windows Dormitel on the 4th, 5th and 6th floors (Oh, the taxi fare came to ₱166)I chose Green Windows Dormitel because they have dorm beds for ₱188 all inclusive, and the rooms looked very nice and clean in the photosGreen Windows Dormitel has everything from dorm rooms to full service suitesThis was the ₱188 dorm room, and I chose bed E, by the window. I was quite impressed! Wooden floors, functioning air conditioner, and comfy beds. The wi-fi was spotty inside the room, but whenever it worked, it was good.I would sometimes have to sit out on the couch to get a better connectionThis is the TV room, attached to the cafeteriaThe cafeteria has a (pay) buffet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (mostly Filipino cuisine) and the prices for coffee/tea and other items seem fairly reasonableThere’s even a store selling more groceries in the reception areaThe street Green Windows Dormitel is situated at is called Mt. Apo street. With a name like that, you would assume Mt. Apo is close by. Nope, Mt. Apo is no where near it!Green Windows Dormitel wasn’t too far away from the main city center
I walked about to scan the area and was happy to find enough eateries (KFC, McDonalds, Jollibee, etc.), pizzerias and bakeries galore all within walking distance from the dormitel.
To the left is Daylight Inn, a place I was initially going to stay at because it was the only listing available for Davao City on Hostels.comTimes Square Mall to the left and more shopping centers all aroundI just roamed around town to see what else Davao City had to offerCity Hall of DavaoDurian is abundant in Davao and there they honour the fruitA statue honouring Philippine hero Jose Rizal
Davao is home to the country’s national bird — the Philippines Eagle. I would be visiting the Philippines Eagle Center the day after.I walked towards the San Pedro Cathedral, a Davao landmarkThis statue is the Commemorative Monument of Peace and UnitySan Pedro Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in Davao and renowned for its odd boat-like designI checked out the interiorsTook a panoramaAnd then I leftNear by was Osmena ParkAnd inside were scores of masseurs offering foot and shoulder massages 🙂I walked around a bit more before heading backBilliards seemed to be a popular pass timeA lot of nice bakeries in Davao City, and it was cheap!
I’ll be honest. When I read Davao City was the biggest city in the world (in terms of area), I still assumed Davao City would have its areas of world-class skylines. Far from it. It feels more like a very big town. It’s big in size, sure, but far from fancy. I saw so many pawn shops — a sign that the populace are looking to sell their wares (hopefully not stolen) in exchange for cash. Electronics stores hardly stocked the latest models and even the malls lacked any of the usual fancy brands. Definitely far more low key compared to Manila and Cebu.
Anyway, I wasn’t in Davao to hang out at malls. Tomorrow I would visit Eden Nature Park and attempt to visit Mt. Apo (which I realized only after landing here that the mountain is no where near the city)
FTC Tower, at night
(All the above photos were taken using my phone camera, Sony Xperia Z1)
