Around Davao City in One day

I consider myself blessed to live in Davao City. I am truly proud of our city. Proud of the place itself because we have scenic views from highlands to islands, of the bounty from agriculture to marine life and most of all of the people. I wouldn’t trade Davao for any other place in the world and would consider it as an honor to tour a first timer in Davao.

There are a lot of places where one can tour a visitor, the easy choices would be  Crocodile Park, Malagos Garden Resort, Eden Nature Park and The Philippine Eagle Nature Center to name a few. But if given a chance, I  wanted to give a more personal tour. Not just show the commercial side of Davao but show Davao as it truly is…beautiful even without the commercial polishing.

Assuming that I have one day to tour somebody, I would first take him to Taps for breakfast. Better start an exciting day with a hearty meal right? I like Taps because they have a variety of rice meals to choose from at a very affordable price.

Next, I would take him to the heart of the city, San Pedro St and show San Pedro Church. We oftentimes ignore San Pedro Church because it’s always been there but it has a unique architectural feature. It’s the only church in the Philippines shaped like a cardinal’s hat. From the church we can also check out Rizal Park and the City Hall nearby.

Then we would drop by Museo de Davao located at Magallanes St. to check out a history of Davao and artworks of homegrown talent.

For lunch I would take him to Luz Kinilaw at Boulevard for a seafood feast. Luz Kinilaw is one of the oldest restaurants in Davao City and known for their Kinilaw, Grilled Tuna, Grilled Squid, Grilled Chicken and other seafoods. The ambience is not that nice since they didn’t pimped up the place much but the food is very good and again very affordable.

Then we’ll go to one of our city’s famous landmark, People’s Park for a leisurely stroll. Next we can check out Bangkerohan Public Market to buy fruits and also check their ukay ukay.

For dinner I’ll take him to Jack’s Ridge and have dinner at Taklobo Restaurant and see Davao from a higher angle . To wrap the day up we can have a cup of coffee at Karlo’s and unwind.

What I really wanted to share to all first time visitors is that Davao is a place that anybody can call home. It is a place where you can keep your guard down. It is a place where you can walk the busy streets and not be afraid of somebody grabbing your purse or jewelries. It’s a place where you can drink water from tap without fear of amoeba. It’s a place where you can’t inhale second hand cigarette smoke even in public areas because of the Smoking ban. It’s a place where jeepney and taxi drivers will give you the exact change. It’s a place where you can find a ready smile even from strangers. Mabuhay Davao! :)