Last March 1, i headed out to the airport with my sister, brother in law and some cousins to go to Mindanao. Were supposed to attend my Grandfather's 93rd birthday in Cotabato but were starting the trip in Davao to make the most of our vacation.

The first day didnt really start out on time ;) I woke up at 2am and rushed to get packed and ready for the 2:30am schedule we set. Nope, i wasnt late and i even got to take a shower. I can be very efficient if i have to :) The flight went well. The taxi driver we got was a cheating bastard. The other car my cousins used was 20 pesos cheaper. Same route naman. Anyway, we got to the hotel my aunt told us to use and found out that it was full. I had to go look around for another hotel and we settled into that one. We arranged for a van to take us on a land trip around Davao (costs 3k) after breakfast and that is when the adventure started.

We first went to Malagos where the Philippine Eagle center was (entry fee of 55 pesos). I really liked the Lawin (Hawk). I also got to take pictures of Pag-Asa the Philippine Eagle born in captivity. You can check out the pictures at my multiply site at http://must.multiply.com. Also saw some Warty pigs and other animals.

After that, we went over to the Crocodile farm (entry fee of 75 pesos). One of the caretakers offered to lend us a baby croc to play with for a small donation. There were nice birds there. The parrots were very colorful. The chimpanzees were cute.. and so was the zookeeper hahaha. Anyway, it was too hot to stay so after going around once, we headed out to Eden nature park.

Eden costs 150 to tour. You get to ride in an open van with a tour guide. The flowers were very pretty. Again, pictures are at my multiply site. I cant put everything here. The peacock on the picture was really cute and friendly in a wary kind of way. He was hanging out with us while we ate our complimentary snack. This was right before we played around with the Indiana Jones swings :)

We ended that first day by picking up another cousin, passing by Magsaysay market for a nice supply of Durian and Marang and headed for the nearby beach to have dinner at one of the resorts there. Marang was yummy!

Day two was for island hopping. We rented a boat for 3k and went to the nearby islands. First stop was the coral reefs behind the big island for snorkeling. The place is amazing! We didnt stay long. One can only snorkel so much before getting a bit tired of swimming. We went to a beach around the corner for breakfast. The beach was nice and quiet. It should be since it took us almost an hour to get to the area. Anyway, we got to eat native chicken (at a very exorbitant price) cooked adobo style. Then we played around at the beach. There was an old pier there that my sister and bro-in-law found . I was clumsy enough to get my hand scratched but it wasnt that bad. We soon left the island to go to paradise resort. Ah, civilization! We had some food and a short swim before going to another resort for my sis and bro-in-law to meet some friends. I took a nap in the boat. Anyway, we soon headed back to the pier and ended the day with light dinners.

Day 3 was supposed to be a free for all day. My sister had to attend a wedding in the afternoon and my cousins were supposed to go to cotabato early. We had breakfast at Banoks and then three of us went back to the market to gorge on more fruit. Have i mentioned that i love Marang? Well, i do! My cousins decided to stay the day and just ride with us to cotabato the next day.

Day 4.Left Davao for Cotabato in the morning.The drive was uneventful. We had snack stops on the way.I wasnt keen on trying chocolate flavored goat's milk while i was sleepy so i didnt bother. Good thing i didnt because it left my tummy ready for my specially ordered fruit salad. Thats basically all i ate that day, fruit salad. Everybody else ate the one with cheese. I dont like mine adulterated like that so my half gallon supply is sans cheese :)

Day 5. We were still chatting at about 2am when my Lolo woke up. We all went to him to greet him happy birthday. He is 93 and still able to walk and talk about his exploits. Im glad i have his genes :) My grandmother is much younger and just as active albeit a little forgetful at times. However, they dont travel as much anymore. It was fun hanging out with my cousins. Drinking games lasted till late that night. Too bad i really dislike the taste of beer so i was just a happy spectator. They let me too since nobody messes with the oldest cousin har har har.
Speaking of cousins, to the right is a picture of me carrying my youngest nephew, Enzo. My cousin says he doesnt really smile for everyone but he was laughing with me :) The girl used to be this little baby i was taking care of when my tita was away. She is entering college now. Sigh. How time flies. Then again, im proud of this particular baby of mine since she graduated with honors and has a choice of Ateneo or UP. I sure hope she goes to Ateneo but UP isnt a bad school either. At least its not ....... ;)

Day 6. We said our goodbyes and headed out to Lake Sebu that morning. I was given another half gallon of fruit salad to keep me fed :) When we got to my Tita's house by the lake, we all had to rest since getting up to the house meant a climb of about 50-100 meters. Our thighs were burning when we got there but the view was nice. The durian from the trees there were quite delicious. My cousin-in-law cooked tilapia for us. Suffice it to say, im glad my cousin married him hehe.

We soon got our swim gear and drove over to the 'sapa' or stream nearby. The water was so clear but horribly cold. Still, that wasnt reason enough to not swim in it. It was fun. There was a huge boulder there overlooking the small pool-like area. Some cousins wanted to jump from it but it was a little too dangerous given the water level and the small rocks at the bottom. After that, we changed clothes and took a look at the land me, my sister and come cousins invested on. It wasnt easy to get there but the view on the road was amazing. The land still needed work. We didnt stay long there. We went back to the lake and, from one of the resorts, took a guided tour around the lake. It was fun in a funny kind of way. Come to think of it, it was my first time to be on a lake.
Day 7 started out slow since people were slow to wake up. We went to check out the 7 waterfalls in the area. We just saw 2. The first one was little but the second was really big. I wasnt so sure about how clean the water was but i figured that it was worth the experience. The rightmost picture shows the waterfall from top to bottom. The 2nd picture shows us near the rock where the water hits. Can you then imagine how big that thing was? The weird thing was that the guide said that if you make noise, the wind and water grows stronger. Guess what, it is true. I have no idea why the wind grows stronger but it did. The guide said the noise is like a taunt to the waterfall and it responds to it. Go figure.
Soon after, we packed up and headed for General Santos. There we stayed at my cousin-in-law's beach, London Beach. I must mention that the fruits are cheaper in Gen.San and so are the seafood. The beach was eally nice. Since it was my cousin's wedding anniversary, there was a lot of food. Again, my cousin-in-law cooked. The tuna-squid was yummy even though it was spicy. We started swimming that afternoon. We took a break at around 7 to eat dinner and went back to the water soon after that. The water was quite warm and the beach had flood lights so we stayed there till almost 11pm. We were chatting and talking about the funny stuff our parents did. Nice cousin bonding moment. Its funny how you notice the imbibed traits that people get from their parents in sessions like these. Sleep was quite welcome after a day like that.

Day 8.I woke up at 7am to take advantage of the beach. The others didnt want to get off their beds so i swam alone until my little nephew decided to join me. After a couple of hours the others got off their backs and joined us for a final swim before heading for the airport.
Cebu pacific was late but not by much. It was a good vacation. Im glad i went but it was great sleeping in my own bed again.

Things i learned during the trip. 1) Dont trust younger cousins to take care of accommodations unless you double check. You'll end up with nowhere to sleep or worse, one where arthropods bite you and leave nasty itchy marks on your skin. 2) It is better to spend a little bit more for things during vacations. Scrimping on accommodations and transportation may ruin your vacation. 3) Wake up early! You can always sleep when you get back home. Dont waste the opportunities you can only enjoy at that place youre at. 4) Davao may be nice but it's expensive. Cotabato is hot (literally). Gen.San is nice and cheap. 5) Always read the magazine in Cebu Pacific flights. The answers to their questions are there and its always nice to win a prize. 6) Dont be so scatterbrained as to lose your boarding pass specially if all the baggage stubs are attached to it. You will not like the looks guys like me will give you specially after a long trip. 7) Take vacations frequently :) Its good for you.