Backpacking in Davao Region

Last April, when Cebu Pacific went on sale, I decided that I wanted to go to Davao because I haven't been to Mindanao and I figured that I needed to stop being a "dayuhan sa sariling bayan" (a foreigner in his/her homeland). I booked a flight for September. Yes, September is typhoon season in the Philippines but Davao doesn't get typhoons because of its location so I knew it was going to be alright.

Finally, last week, I went backpacking in Davao Region with my friend Airis. We flew from Manila to Davao City, took the bus to Mati City, Davao Oriental to visit Dahican Beach, went to Samal Island and then went back to Davao City.

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Dahican Beach at sunrise

Samal's Talicud Island Coral Garden as seen from the boat (yep, super clear waters!)

Fruit bats in Samal Island's Monfort Bat Cave. There are millions of them!

Going to Davao in September turned out to be a great idea because the fruits are in season! I ate around half a kilo of mangosteen, one kilo of rambutan, one whole pomelo, and one whole (albeit small) durian during the trip lol. Did I mention how much I love fruit?

Durian!

My dad goes to Davao a lot for field work and each time he'd bring home durian if it was in season. I remember when my brothers and I were young, we'd complain a lot about the smell. Eventually, we got used to it, started to love the smell and then started to love eating durian.

A magnificent Philippine Eagle at the Philippine Eagle Center

It was quite tiring but it was really fun too. Expect a few detailed posts soon!