fernandez resort, samal island (davao 3 of 7)

it was a backpacking trip... initially we didn't have plans to spend the night in Samal Island (since it's just 15minutes away by RORO), we just thought of going there real early, head to the places of interests in the island then go back to Davao even after sundown....


but last minute we looked for a place to stay. we chose the one that's accessible to the places we want to go... i particularly made sure we're near the Hagimit falls... :D me and my dude were deciding between Rocky Resort and Fernandez Resort. Nothing too fancy about these 2 resorts compared to the famous Paradise Island Resort and the Pearl Farm. We opted to go for a cheap place and spend the whole day going around Samal Island... :-)


Fernandez resort, just like the other resorts in almost every inch of Samal Island beachline, had setup nets around their beach to filter whatever dirt that can settle in their beach... everytime i see these fence-looking barriers around the beach (including the one in Paradise Island) i'm reminded of the similar fence in Caylabne resort in Cavite.... made me think twice to enjoy a swim (the Caylabne water was even worst because i remember seaweeds already looking black). but the sand on the beaches of Samal Island are really nice... not Bora-nice but it's good... :-)

RORO to Samal Island (Davao 2 of 7)

There are several ways to get to Samal Island from Davao City. The first time I went there we took a banca that brought us directly to Paradise Island resort. I think other resorts also have similar arrangements. But to do a really backpacking trip to Samal Island, taking the RORO adds to the thrill! ;-) Specially, since we decided not to stay in Paradise Island and other pricey resorts. We chose a resort that would be very accessible if we'll tour the other points of interest in the island, and we can only get there through the RORO bus.


i'm not sure if there are other bus lines going to Samal Island, but so far I've only seen buses of Island City Express around.

We were told to go to Magsaysay Park in Davao City where we can take the bus. I haven't seen the park (is there one ba? hehe). But our cab driver brought us exactly where the Island City Express bus parks while waiting for passengers. I think there's no exact schedule. By the time we got there the other bus just left and we were left with no choice but to take the next which is completely empty... but good thing it got filled real quick.

Bus Fares (well, at least until our stop - The Warehouse):
Non-Aircon - Php40.00
Aircon - Php50.00

Japanese Tunnel (Davao - 1 of 7)

the only place in our Davao City itinerary that we were able to visit (aside from the malls and hanging out with my relatives)... :-)


The tunnel was constructed during Japanese occupation (that's in the 1940s), but this was discovered only in 1962.

bowling... zambo-style!

this is how i learned to play bowling before i encountered the 10-pins in Manila... this is how we've known bowling down here... :D

Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook (LTP) - Cabatangan,ZC

i grew up knowing this place is called only as "Lupong". Since this is somehow near our house before, my family would usually go to this place very early in the morning to jog...and even during times we have relatives visiting us here in Zamboanga City, as far as i can remember this seems to be one of the "tourist spots" we would usually take them...

when you're somewhere near the city, you'll easily notice this white mosque-looking building sitting on the mountain ranges of the city....

i never bothered to know what this building's for before... the only impression i have is that this is a tourist spot... even during the time that i've heard Misuari and his ARMM government had taken their office here, my only reaction was that sayang, the place was really nice as far as i can remember and the thought of having them there would mean no one can just go there anytime... so when the news spread that there had been some clashes between Misuari's armed men from Lupong and the AFP i was a bit happy knowing that Lupong will be controlled again by the national government and may be opened to the public.... but i never get to find out if it had been as i've expected until our Cabatangan trip... :-)

cabatangan hike :-)

The trip to Cabatangan (a barangay north of zamboanga city - somewhere along the mountain ranges of the city) was planned because we decided to invade Mam June's house for her birthday. She told us about hiking around and we all agreed... I didn't do any research on what we can expect during the hike. After the lamonfest we decided to push through with the hike....



we walked through paved roads... still no idea where were heading... the only clue we got from Mam June is that there's a Cruz Mayor somewhere in our destination and we'll pass through a school as well (was it ZAEC?)....

gulucinas (a.k.a.: kakanin) party

my latest chavacano word learned! hehehe :-) initially i thought it refers to kamanting (cassava cooked liked suman ). later i've found out that it's a general term for all filipino delicacies/kakanin

it was mam june's birthday so we invited ourselves to her house... hehehe

content of this blog is all about food... :-) i'll share some cooking secrets here...


she cooked ginataan! i don't know how to describe this... hehehe i think it's made of banana, sago, camote, sugar and im not sure what else...all cooked slowly with coconut milk... i'm really not a fan of ginataan but this one's really good! ate a lot of this! :D

tofu in zamboanga!!!

i've been looking for tofu/tokwa here since last year... even Chowking Zamboanga rarely have tofu to serve! just imagine my reaction when i saw these lovelies in Mindpro groceries!!! hehehe although i was being told that i can find tofu in the main public market downtown, i was also informed that it runs out fast...well, that place is too far from home and i might need to go there real early just to get a tofu (oh yes, you wont find one in other markets! endangered specie ang tofu dito sa zambo!! hehe)... but these Mindpro tofus cost a lot... well at least compared to my tofu buys in Shopwise Makati hehehe.... oh well, been craving for tofu for a year so i bought 2!!!


just the other day... my 2 tofu packs turned into yummy adobong tofu!!! forgot to take photos hehehe they're all gone right away! :D

sta cruz island 2010! (sol&gie's trip)

this is still part of the 2-day trip of sol & gie here in zambo... the primary reason sol really came back... she missed going to Sta Cruz Island during her last trip here. :-) i've invited officemates as well... i didn't expect we would reach 20 headcounts! :D


one of my fave shots naming tatlo. :-)

zambo trip ni sol & gie (June2010)

dati pangarap ko lang makainvite ng friends sa zamboanga.... eversince college pa...but i would always get an eyebrow-raise for a response.... who wouldn't be scared of zamboanga if all the not so good news (including basilan's) are being reported from here... but eversince i was able to had ezra and the gang here last year a lot of friends from manila also became interested to come over. :D

this time my visitors are my roommates from college... gie & sol! :-) this is sol's 2nd time already though... she really wanted to comeback because she missed the sta cruz island when she went here with some friends last year.... so we made sure that's really part of their IT. :-)