Davao City

 Hello everyone! I've missed you all.  The last few days felt surreal. A reunion with siblings and spending as much time as I could with them, I'm glad to be back. After a 1 hour and 45 minute flight from Manila to Davao, Zepy of Travel Explore Beyond and I found ourselves, staring at the Durian fruit monument at Davao International Airport.  This impressive sculpture was done by Kublai P. Millan, a Filipino contemporary artist known for larger than life pieces who was born in Mindanao. Some of his works were featured in the Vatican Nativity in Rome, Italy.  He returned to his  homeland to dedicate his life sculpting with great emphasis on culture.   Davao City, the largest city in the island of Mindanao, Philippines, is the Durian capital of the country. Durian is well known for its extraordinary odor. Some say, "it tastes like heaven but it smells like hell."  I look forward to discovering how this intriguing fruit is really like.  I was impressed by the greenery surrounding the urban landscape. From the plane, the hilly landscape was breathtaking with lots of agricultural land and beautiful beaches. It is home to the highest mountain in the Philippines, Mt. Apo (which I dream to climb one day). It is a 2,954 meter high potentially active strato volcano that can be reached by a 2-3-day tough hike in the leech infested forest. It also served as a training ground for Philippine mountaineers who climbed Mount Everest. The weather in Davao is slightly cooler than the humid December climate in Manila, the air more fresh and a lot of adventurous activities to choose from.   The mountain backdrop and beaches on the horizon around this emerging city makes me want to stay a lot longer.

Top Left -Airport,  Right- Durian Fruit Monument, Bottom Left- Newly opened SM Lanang Premier Mall

We wanted to chill out during our first day, so after checking in at El Bajada Hotel, we went to SM Lanang Premier for lunch and to watch Twilight Breaking Dawn.