Falls No. 1 of Lake Sebu

This will be my last post in 2007 so let me start by thanking all the readers, friends and bloggers I have met this year. Looking at the counters and the comments you have made in this blog, I couldn't help but be amazed and be grateful for even in few minutes of your lives, you allowed me to be a part of it. And I could only wish everyone prosperity and happiness in 2008. So to everyone - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Lake Sebu - A Place of Serenity

Have you ever been to a place where all you want to do is to sit down comfortably, staring at the reflections of the moon and the stars on a calm lake, San Mig Light on hand, and having the sweetest inihaw na Tilapia on the table?

Well, if you haven't, let me take you there through the following photos I have taken:

Road Trip - From Davao City To Lake Sebu

After staying two days in Davao City, we woke up very early because Lake Sebu is a six-hour drive from Davao City. Since it was my first time in Mindanao, I never slept during the entire ride and just enjoyed the roadside view that the trip offered. We have passed sixteen cities/municipalities heading to our destination and let me share these places with you in this blog.

Davao City - 2 Days Were Not Enough

Two days are really not enough to explore the largest City of the Philippines - Davao City. The City is famous for lots of things. Among them are the Philippine Eagle, Orchids, the Durian and the highest mountain in the Philippines, Mount Apo. I gather that you need at least four days to climb and explore Mount Apo so I was just contended to view its outline from almost anywhere in Davao City. I happened to feature the Philippine Eagle and Orchids in my previous posts and I have eaten durian on a roadside. Ok just a spoonfull, Durian is sweet but the smell is really powerful. But hey, Don't mind my opinion on this one because my friend said it does smell like hell but taste like heaven.

Davao City Orchids Farm

If you ask any person to name three things that they associate with Davao, undoubtedly, orchids will surface from that list. Thanks mainly to the world famous Waling-Waling which is dubbed as the queen of Philippine orchids. In fact, every every 3rd week of August, Kadayawan sa Dabaw festival is held to give thanks to the bounty of fruits and flowerers as the Waling-Waling orchid blooms. Colorful floats are adorned with beautiful orchids and other flowers in the grand parade.

Flowers of Eden

I got stung by a bee...
... and got my shoes wet...
... got bruised on my arm...
... and got penalized for breaking a branch...
... got mud on my shirt...
... and got bitten by ants...
But I don't mind ' coz these pics go out to the ones I love.

Eden Nature Park, Davao City

"TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES
LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS
KILL NOTHING BUT TIME
BRING HOME NOTHING BUT MEMORIES."

The Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City

The extended weekend brought me to the largest City of the Philippines in terms of land area. Davao City is known as the City of orchids and durian and of course, the home of the country's most famous avian - Pag-asa, a monkey-eating eagle.

My first stop therefore is to see Pag-asa and other Philippine Eagle at The Philippine Eagle Center. Nestled at the foothills of the majestic Mount Apo, the Philippine Eagle Center is the Philippine Eagle Foundation's facility for the care and propagation of the endangered Philippine Eagle. The center is a captive-breeding facility designed to help increase the eagle's number, thereby avoiding extinction.

Primarily a research facility, the Center is also a vital education venue and a key tourist attraction where visitors are given a glimpse of the country's forest ecosystem. It is located in Malagos, a 45 min drive from the city center. Aside from being a temporary home for the eagles, it also hosts other animals that are native to Davao's dwindling forest like deers, wild pigs, crocodile, monkeys and other birds.