WOW ~ Davao!

nothing beats a great vacation...

va·ca·tion n.

• A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one with pay granted to an employee.
• A holiday.
• A fixed period of holidays, especially one during which a school, court, or business suspends activities.
• Archaic. The act or an instance of vacating.

my friends and i waited for a month to finally fly to DAVAO for our long weekend vacay...

finally ~ october 29 - 31 ~ our davao escape

day 1: Manila ~ Davao International Airpot

time of departure: 0430 hours... arrival: 0630am ~ proceed to Waterfront Davao for the 45 minute boatride to The Barcelo Pearl Farm Resort ~ Samal

day 2: Davao City Tour

rented a van that will bring us around the city ~ to see what ought to be seen (supposedly) ~ which turned out to be practically a waste of our time. Got the chance to go around Aldevinco Mall though, and got our supply of malongs. We were also able to visit Colasas for a taste of their old favorite ~ bbq! *yum!

we also dropped by Jack's Ridge ~ a bar/resto/cafe set atop a hill with a beautiful view below. story has it that ages ago, the area below Jack's Ridge was completely underwater... they even had leftover giant clam shells and corals there to prove it! ~ it is best visited during sunset or at night when the city below glows with the sparkle of the lights...

day 3: Davao ~ Manila Domestic Airpot

we had the chance to savor what was left of the vacay at Samal, go about buying last minute pasalubongs for friends and family, and juz have that peace and quiet before coming back to the reality of the bustling life in the city

:: a diary of experiences ::

• spectacular view of nature ~ Davao is super clean, it has the slight hint of that (in)famous smell of Durian once you go outside the beautiful airport, it does have that country-side feel

• arriving at the pearl farm, we were welcomed with the freshest pineapple juice i've ever had and the view of a magazine-esque landscape

• the water was teaming with marine life... corals, starfishes, fishes of different sizes ~ and with more colors than the rainbow

• we got there in time for brunch and we were starving! grabbed our plates to head for the buffet tables! reg was the only one with her head still straight to juz order a la carte... the rest of us were so hungry we didn't mind paying extra... *food was hella' expensive there!

• rested in our hilltop suites to get ready for our first swim in the renowned fuego pools and also took a short&mini 'snorkeling' session with reg and chie in the beach. swam after our 'bora' fishes with our butts swaying here and there! hahaha!Ü ~ remember this seth?

• swimming relieved me of all the tension... it was a relaxing moment for all of usÜ and it gave us 2 good nights' rests...

• the pearl farm is a sight to behold and every angle is worth a snapshot... words and yes, even the pictures are not enough to capture the beauty of the place!

• bottomline: davao is a beautiful city, worth visiting a second time around. the experience is a memory that will always be present in our hearts.