Davao City and Samal ~ Day 1 ~ Orchid Farm

Continued from:

• Davao City and Samal ~ Day 1

Thursday, 20 August 2009

After checking in at Sampaguita, I had a quick breakfast at the lobby diner while waiting to meet some of my flickr friends Rodel, Christy and Mawie, who arrived the day before and who had planned to join me to visit some places in Davao that morning.

Our itinerary included a visit to the Malagos Garden Resort and the Philippine Eagle Center, both of which are in Barangay Malagos, some 30 km or about a 45-minute drive from the Poblacion.


Sampaguita Inn ~ Malagos
After some haggling with cab drivers queued outside the hotel, we finally settled for one who agreed to take us to and fro for Php1,200. Not so bad, as we were four in the group anyway.

So off we went to Malagos, that turned out to be an amusing scenic ride across the Davao countryside.


umbrella trikes, a unique form of transport in Davao
T’was about a quarter past 9 a.m. when we reached our first stop, the Garden Resort. At the reception desk, however, we were told that some areas of the facility were closed for renovation, including the butterfly sanctuary and the indigenous birds park, the places we would have wanted to see.

I really find that annoying and quite unfair. I think the management should at least post something like that in their website, so as not to waste people’s time, effort and money.

They still offered a shuttle tour of the place, though, for Php100 per person. I would have wanted to see the adjacent integrated farm which I heard sells a variety of organic products, but my friends didn’t seem to like the idea.

So what next? It was too early for the eagle center, as we were planning to get there before the birds’ feeding time at around 11 a.m.

Anyway, we saw this orchid farm just across the resort. It wasn’t really part of our schedule, but since there was nothing else to do, we decided to give it a shot.


A white-spathed Flamingo Lily (Anthurium andraeanum) with a yellow gold spadix, found at the Puentespina Orchid Farm in Malagos

A hybrid cross-bred from several species of Waling-Waling (Vanda sanderiana), a product of the tissue culture laboratory at the Puentespina Orchid Farm

a not so common variety of violets found at Puentespina

Inside one of the greenhouses at Puentespina
Though it wasn’t what I expected, at least the first part of our journey didn’t turn out so bad after all.

To be continued ...

Continue to:

• Davao City and Samal ~ Day 1 ~ Eagle Center

Davao City and Samal ~ Day 1

Continued from:

• Davao City and Samal ~ Intro

Thursday, 20 August 2009

I took the 4:20 a.m. Manila~Davao flight and fell asleep as we left. About an hour later, I woke up to this scene.


Manila~Davao flight, Philippines
The window was a little hazy, as it was a cold morning. Not sure, but I think that is Mount Apo in the background.

I actually arrived a bit late at the airport, so I wasn’t able to get a window seat. Luckily, the lady who sat by the window was very kind and offered her seat. Lesson learned: if you intend to shoot some aerials, reserve a window seat online or just check in early.


Sunrise as seen from the plane, somewhere on my way to Davao
A few minutes later, we were hovering over the city.


aerial view of the city, as we approached the airport


another aerial of the city, as we approached the airport

aerial view of the city along the Davao Gulf coastline, as we approached the airport

another aerial of the city along the coastline, as we approached the airport

aerial view of the city, just before touch down


another aerial of the city, just before touch down

shortly after arrival

the passenger queue just outside Davao airport

Davao airport exterior, just before I left for the hotel
T’was about 6:45 a.m. by the time I got out of the terminal. From the airport, I took a cab to Sampaguita Inn somewhere around the Poblacion (town proper), where my flickr friend Caroline had arranged a reservation.


Davao Airport ~ Sampaguita Inn
Davao is such a huge city, and the airport is situated quite a distance from the Poblacion. It was early morning with minimal traffic, but still it took us about thirty minutes to get to the hotel. Taxi fare from the airport to the Poblacion costs about Php130.

NOTE: The term Davao can generally refer to any place within the entire Davao Region, which includes the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and Compostela Valley, as well as Davao City. Davao as I shall be using it in this series, though, specifically refers to the city, to simplify our discussions.

Continue to:

• Davao City and Samal ~ Day 1 ~ Orchid Farm

Overnight in Subic ~ Day 1 ~ Herbie’s Mansion

Continued from:

• Overnight in Subic ~ Day 1 ~ Sibit Sibit

Saturday, 23 May 2009

After making several stops to catch some awesome views along the hillsides in Barrio Barreto, we headed straight to Waterfront Road at the Subic Bay Freeport to check in and confirm our reservation at Herbie’s Mansion, where we would be staying for the night.

Some ten minutes from the SBFZ gate at Kalaklan, we finally arrived at the place, a nice simple two storey lodge a short walk away from the bay. Herbie’s offers standard rooms with either a queen bed or two single beds that are good enough for two adults plus a small child.


They also have slightly bigger family rooms that can accommodate at most up to five persons. Herbie’s also features a small al frésco café bar and parking space for guests.


Nothing really fancy here, though the lodge and its surroundings are quite clean and looks well maintained. The bayside location is probably its main attraction, being close as well to the central business district where the duty-free shops are.


With a standard room rate of Php1,900 per night, it is one of the least expensive in the waterfront area, though there are cheaper accommodations elsewhere in the freeport.


The room rate includes breakfast for two, but don’t expect a buffet, as the breakfast is more like tapsilog servings, with a choice of either fried tapa (local beef), longganisa (native sausage) or bangus (milkfish), served with sinangag (fried garlic rice), egg and coffee.


Guests can also arrange to have meals of their choice cooked in the lodge’s kitchen, a cost-effective alternative especially for larger groups.


T’was already 10:45 a.m. when we got to Herbie’s. So after dropping our stuff and freshening up a bit, off we left for our next stop which would be at one of the freeport’s most visited destinations, the Zoobic Safari.

Continue to:

• Overnight in Subic ~ Day 1 ~ Zoobic Safari

Overnight in Subic ~ Day 1 ~ Sibit Sibit

Continued from:

• Overnight in Subic ~ Intro

Saturday, 23 May 2009

Because the Sibit Sibit boat races were scheduled to start by 9am, we decided to take off from our home in Mandaluyong shortly before 7am.

The drive took just a little over an hour and forty-five minutes, via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) then on to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). This route goes all the way to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ), but in our case, we went a little farther out northwest via the scenic hilly road leading to Barrio Barreto in Olongapo, where the races are going to be held.

Barrio Barreto is one cool seaside village surrounded by gently rolling hills, just about a ten-minute drive from the SBFZ’s Kalaklan gate.


Subic Bay, as seen from atop a hill in Barrio Barreto, looking northward

Subic Bay, as seen from atop a hill in Barrio Barreto, looking westward

another view of Subic Bay from atop a hill in Barrio Barreto, looking northward
A favorite hang-out of locals and visitors just off the freeport area, Barreto’s extensive shoreline faces Subic Bay, a vast haven for beach buffs and aqua sports enthusiasts. Along its coast particularly at Baloy Beach lie several resorts that offer alternative accommodation for those who prefer to stay by the sea, yet still be near the freeport.


the row of beach houses and resorts lining up the Baloy waterfront in Barrio Barreto
We arrived just in time at Driftwood Resort, a nice public beach facility where the bancas were all getting geared up for the event.


bancas queue along the shores at Driftwood Resort to compete in Sibit Sibit
During olden days, fishermen held banca races using traditional sibit sibit driven by paddles. Today though the races are done using motorized bancas. In a little while, the action ensued, amidst the awesome backdrop of the mountains of Zambales.





The competitions lasted for about an hour or so, after which we decided to get back to the freeport as we had a lot more things on our ‘to do’ list that day.

So off we headed to Herbie’s Mansion by the waterfront at SBFZ to check in and freshen up a bit as we still had a long day ahead.

Several times along the way, I stopped by the hillsides to at least catch a glimpse of the amazing views below. The photos of Subic Bay as seen from atop the hills were actually taken on our way back.

Continue to:

• Overnight in Subic ~ Day 1 ~ Herbie’s Mansion

Overnight in Subic ~ Intro

The Olongapo City~Subic Bay Freeport area is perhaps one of the more exciting places for a weekend get-away that is not too far from Manila.

Less than a two-hour drive from the national capital, this former United States naval base, in fact the largest U.S. military installation outside of the American mainland, was ceded back to the Philippine government in 1992 after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension of a mutual defense treaty with the United States.

Then Olongapo City Mayor Richard Gordon lobbied for the turnover of the facility and its conversion into a freeport.


Aerial view of former Subic Naval Base, with Olongapo City in the background (USDOD photo)
Today the freeport as well as the surrounding city by the bay offers a variety of recreational attractions suited for family and friends alike.

Strictly speaking, the place called Subic actually refers to the town in Zambales that lies just across the northwestern edge of Olongapo City, comprising the eastern shore of the Zambales cove that faces Subic Bay.


View Subic on Larger Map
But nowadays when people talk of Subic, the term almost always refers to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ), the former U.S. naval station that is actually an independent geographical entity covering a very large area, the main portion of which lies south and southeast of Olongapo City, extending all the way to Morong in the province of Bataan.


View Subic Bay Freeport on Larger Map
So strictly speaking, the title of this entry should have been Overnight in SBFZ ...

Anyway, after the usual travel planning, my wife and I decided to do Subic on the weekend just before my birthday. And though we didn’t really plan it, it just so happened that it falls on the same weekend when the annual Sibit Sibit boat races in Olongapo were to be held.

Sibit Sibit is an annual festival held in Barrio Barreto that depicts Olongapo’s rich and colorful heritage. Sibit Sibit refers to the small banca (native paddle boat) used in the ancient fishing villages from which Olongapo was ultimately born.

So after drafting out our itinerary, which I will be sharing at the end of this series, we also decided on where we would be staying once we get there ~ at Herbie’s Mansion, which is conveniently located along the Subic waterfront, near the central business district.

Although there are cheaper places to stay around the freeport and in Barrio Barreto, we decided on Herbie’s mainly because I wanted to catch the sunset and some action at night by the waterfront, without having to drive around unfamiliar territory at night.

The entire freeport area is such a huge place where one can easily get lost especially in the dark. Trust me, I already did ... get lost, even as I was driving with the aid of a GPS unit.

Continue to:

• Overnight in Subic ~ Day 1 ~ Sibit Sibit

Banaue ~ The Road to Bangaan / Batad

Continued from:

• Banaue, Bontoc, Sagada and Baguio in 5 days ~ Day 1

Friday, 24 October 2008

Our first stop was in Poitan, the first village that is passed by along the road to Batad. We really had to stop here anyway. Brutus had to fix our gear.


Although the more popular of Banaue’s rice terraces can be found in Batad, as well as those that can be seen along the Banaue-Bontoc road in Barangay Viewpoint, all the other villages have land allotted for rice culture.


This is how the paddies in the rice terraces look like when viewed closer. This cluster is just off the road in Poitan.


Our next stop was at Guihob, a place where locals and visitors go for picnics and for a cool refreshing swim (especially during summer) in natural spring water coming from a small waterfall.


Waterfalls are a precious resource in the Cordilleras. It is amazing to know how the natives have been harnessing the power of the falls to irrigate their farmlands since ancient times.


A dam is usually built to constrain the water flow, and the spillover, ingeniously regulated by some primitive but effective form of a flood gate, is diverted into dikes and ditches that feed water to the crops.


Our next stop was in Kinakin, another of the villages along the road to Batad. Notice that most of the farmland are built along or near the banks of a river.


A church atop a hill in Kinakin, reminiscent of the Anglican mission churches established at or near the villages of the Cordilleras in the early 1900s. Although the Spaniards were able to Christianize most of lowland Luzon during colonial times, they met stiff resistance and so had limited presence in the mountains of the north.


After Kinakin, we encountered portions of the road under construction that time. If you are planning to bring your own wheels, make sure it will be ready for something like these.


Our next stop was at this curio shop perched atop the edge of a hill. Not sure which area this is. The sign says Dalican view deck, but on further research, there is no barangay or village named Dalican in Banaue.


And this is the view deck, overlooking the valley below.


Now this is one case where having your own wheels is a big plus. I wanted to buy some awesome wood-carved panels I found at the shop, but how am I going to carry all that stuff along?

Anyway, after about an hour and a half on the road, we finally reached Bangaan. This heritage site is an alternative for those who cannot make the two hour trek to Batad.


A 20-minute hike takes you down to the village, which showcases a typical Ifugao community with livelihood activities within the surroundings, such as weaving and woodcarving.




I figured it would take me about an hour or so if I trekked down to the village and back. By this time, it was getting a bit uncomfortable having other people, like the Osmonds, seemingly growing impatient, understandably eager to reach their own destination early. (Hello, I’m paying part of the rent, remember?)

Anyway, I was a bit tired, having had little sleep the night before, I felt I wouldn’t be able to hack the hike in a hurry as they might expect me to, and I didn’t really want any more discussions so I just dropped the idea.

But if you have the time and the energy, I suggest you take the hike. Everyone I met in town who’s been there tells me it’s all worth it.

LESSON: If you will be sharing a ride with others, choose the people you will be sharing with wisely. As much as possible, share a ride only with people who will be going to the same destinations as yours. If not, better make sure everyone understands what everyone is entitled to at the onset.

So away we went to drop the Osmonds off at Batad. Along the way, we passed by this truck full of kids going home from school. Trucks and jeeps overloaded with passengers are a common sight not only in Banaue but in the entire Cordilleras as well, simply due to the fact that not so many vehicles traverse the mountain roads that often.


Shortly before 11.30am, we reached the junction. The Batad rice terraces cluster, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a nine-kilometer hike away from this juncrion.

As Brutus and the Osmonds were finalizing their pick-up arrangements, I saw this curio shop. Again, how I wished I could bring some of these home.


To be continued . . .