Davao City country’s own ‘down under’
FILMWATCH
ABS-CBN Interactive News
By DENNIS LADAW
——————————————————————————–
Many local travelers visiting Davao City end up seriously thinking of settling in this southern city for good. After all, Davao just about has everything Manila has to offer, except traffic, pollution and high crime rates.
——————————————————————————–
Many local travelers visiting Davao City end up seriously thinking of settling in this southern city for good. After all, Davao just about has everything Manila has to offer, except traffic, pollution and high crime rates.
Some of the executives working at the plush Marco Polo Hotel in downtown insist that moving to Davao was the best decision they made. “I moved in in the early nineties, when Metro Manila felt so intolerable to live in. The job offer from Marco Polo came at the right time. I was getting stressed out in Manila,”’ an executive told The Sunday Times Magazine.
A lot of students of the Ateneo de Davao also originate from Manila. When they’re out of school they say they have the time of their lives enjoying the trendy nightspots, the beautiful resorts and the natural attractions.
“Everything is cheap here,” claims a law student. “Want to paint the town red? The strips are just as cool as what we have in Manila and the beer is so affordable.”
Also, it never takes more than an hour to get to a luxury resort like the Pearl Farm. “There are also many lower-priced resorts on Samal Island. You can drive and take the car on the ferry- boat,” he said.
Davao has its own version of Antipolo. Ensconced on the hills overlooking the city is Jack’s Ridge, a stylish watering hole that has a view of the bay and the city. The ridge has swanky coffee shops and a two other restaurants. The place looks expensive but the prices are surprisingly affordable.
Residents say everything is cheaper in Davao—the real estate, food and other necessities. “An educated person from Manila could get a well-paying job in Davao and live comfortably without having to feel stressed out. The working environment here is much more relaxed,” says a resident.
Davao’s relaxing atmosphere is largely attributed to the clean environment and well-preserved natural attractions that surround the metropolis. Among them is the Philippine Eagle Nature Center and the Crocodile Farm.
The Philippine Eagle Conservation Center is home to the country’s most famous monkey-eating eagle, Pag-Asa. Fellow tenants include other types of eagles but Pag-Asa has the biggest cage. Pag-Asa’s kingdom is tranquil and covered with tall, ancient trees. Unlike other parks, the center feels like an authentic forest, as it’s not a synthetic-looking landscaped garden. A variety of monkeys also hold residence in an open-air cage. The park’s guide assured me that they aren’t meant to be the dinner of the park’s majestic feathered residents.
The Crocodile Farm is much newer and it’s more family-friendly than the farm in Palawan. The gardens are manicured and it looks more like a colorful theme park with real live animal mascots. The monsters occupy fenced ponds and visitors are given the chance to pet the infant crocodiles.
Besides the crocs, pythons, ostriches and other exotic birds are just some of the attractions of the Crocodile Farm. The park is also the headquarters of Davao Wild Adventure, which organizes three-hour whitewater rafting expeditions at the Davao. Most of the crocs at the park hail from that river so the expedition promises to be thrilling.
On my fourth trip to Davao, I finally got a glimpse of the mountain from the top floor of the Mt. Apo View Hotel. An adventure also happened at this hotel just when we got back from dinner at the Casino Filipino, the hotel staff was frantically moving people out of the lobby.
Our group was asked to stay outside. Suddenly, the roof of the two-story lobby was up in flames. I was supposed to write this for the “Hotspots” section and here indeed was a hot spot! It felt so surreal but in less than five minutes, five fire trucks arrived and put the fire out in 20 minutes. We decided to stay at the hotel because it was safe enough and we wanted to catch a movie on Star TV.
Anyway, the quick response of the fire department almost convinced us of staying put in Davao for good. It was a Saturday night and everyone was out. Had that happened in Manila, the hotel would have been history.
Three days isn’t enough to explore Davao. It would take two weeks to experience the city’s charms. Better yet, you’d have to move in permanently to appreciate everything it has to offer.
