Smoke Free City (Day 2)

Day 2 (September 6, 2013)
Davao City Tour

We decided to roam around the city on our 2^nd day and we bought a map of Davao city to help as around. We left the hotel at 6 am and decided to walk to our first stop, the People’s Park. 

There were a lot of people jogging when we arrived there; some were just there to enjoy the early morning sun and feed the birds and relax.The park was built in 2007 which was a project of Mr. Duterte, mayor of Davao.

Our next stop was San Pedro Cathedral which is the oldest church in Davao City although the church looks just the same as the other churches. >.<

 

The church was closed and this is the only picture of San Pedro Cathedral I have. According to the locals back in 19^th century the church was built using wood and bamboo. It was then renovated in the late 1960s and the design was something that looks like a vinta (boat used by Muslims in Mindanao).

It was actually fun to just walk within the city and truly, it's one of the safest city in the world. The Davaoenos are so nice and polite although some of the locals from whom we asked for directions don’t speak Tagalog that much (but well it doesn't matter).

The taxis and PUJs are very colorful :)

Our next stop was Museo Dabawenyo and it wasn’t open yet when we arrived. We waited for about 15-20 minutes good thing the admission is free. J

Museo Dabawenyo is the former Court of First Instance of Davao City constructed in 1953 along Magallanes Street now A. Pichon Street (http://www.davaocity.gov.ph/museo/about.aspx).

The sculpture in the picture was the Davao hero, Datu Bago. He’s like the city’s Lapu-lapu. Artworks are displayed in the ground floor (lobby).  

They don't allow taking of pictures inside the museum. this is all that I got. 

We learned a lot during the tour, with our tour guide accommodating all our questions. The Davaoenos have preserved their rich culture that up to now, royals in the city still exist.

Since our next destination was a bit far (around 30 min away from the downtown area), we took a taxi to Crocodile Park. Crocodile Park features not only crocodiles but also other exotic animals like pythons, warty pig, and a lot more.

Our next stop was the Butterfly house but don’t expect a lot of butterflies.  I guess the caterpillars haven’t matured yet when we went there. Butterfly house is just a few steps away from the Crocodile park.

We went next to Davao Museum. We had a hard time looking for the place, even the taxi driver wasn’t sure about where it is located; it is located inside the Insular Village I. The museum was funded by the Ayala Foundation Inc.  and it features a collection of artifacts from different cultural minorities in Mindanao.

The driver was actually nice that he offered to wait for us since the museum is far from the highway and we’re already tired. My camera’s battery was empty so I didn’t get to take a lot of photos inside. 

Our last stop was the T’boli Weaving Center although there’s nothing much to see here. Nonetheless, it’s a great place to buy souvenirs.

Our bill (for the taxi) was just around Php 350 to think that the driver waited for us in the museum for about 30 minutes. He’s not like the taxi drivers around Metro Manila who would ask a large amount if they’ll have to wait for you. He paused the taxi meter while waiting for us and he gave us our change so we gave him a tip. J

We decided to have dinner at Crabs buffet, a seafood eat-all-you-can restaurant. It's just two blocks away from Ateneo de Davao. Although the resto was crowded that we had to share our table to strangers, the food was great. There were crabs, shrimps, tuna, kilawin, and seaweed among others. I took a little of everything though I ate a lot of crabs (I think I had ten)!

We went home at around 9 pm and it was raining.

***Have a list of mobile numbers of taxi companies in Davao City, transpo is a problem when it’s raining. 

Budget:

Davao City Map: P50
Fare: P450 (taxi going to crocodile park, to davao museum and back to the hotel)
Entrance Fee:
         Crocodile Park: P150
         Davao Museum: P100     

Souvenirs: P100 (keychains)

Food:

         Lunch: P25

         Dinner: P345

Total: P1,220

Day 3 (White Water Rafting, Philippine Eagle Centre, Aldevinco Shopping Centre, Lon Wa Buddhist Temple)