Maayong Buntag, Davao!

For the first time in my life, I have traveled to the farthest place away from my home within the boundaries of my homeland - Davao. The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) couldn't have held their 30th National Anniversary Celebration in a better place because Davao is associated with pearls (among many things) and that is just one of the many reasons why I think Davao is a great choice. :)

Davao is such an amazing place. To me, it's more like a province than a city really. When I arrived at the airport after an hour and forty five minutes of airplane travel, I quickly fell in love with it. It felt as if I have always been there although it was actually the first time I ever stepped foot on its land. Davao was familiar at the same time unknown to me.

For this trip, I was with my mom, my sister, my younger brother and one of my girl cousins together with the other delegates of the BCBP Lipa City Chapter. We went to three of the most popular places to visit there namely Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Eden Nature Park and Resort, and Jack's Ridge Resort and Restaurant. The group also toured around the city to see famous landmarks.

The actual National Anniversary Celebration was held at the extremely spacious Sports Complex of the Ateneo de Davao High School, where a college friend of mine, Jake, spent his four years of secondary education. We even met at SM Davao because he was home for the summer break. He drove us through the city to the markets where we can buy some pomelo and the famous durian fruit, which is said to "smell like hell but taste like heaven". Most people can't stand it but my family and I love it. Anyway, I jokingly told Jake that he looked more like the tourist than I am because he was wearing a cool Davao shirt when we saw each other. It was truly amazing to meet him there many miles away from the Metro Manila area. It's always good to see a familiar face.

There is so much I can say about Davao: the city is clean, the beaches are pristine, the food are simply mouthwatering, and the people very hospitable. I would love to go back; I will go back soon. Four days just wasn't enough to 'know Davao'.

Below are some of the photos I've taken during the trip from Pearl Farm and Eden Nature Park. You can hover on the pictures to see little captions I've written. :)

Davao definitely did not let me down. :)