Food & Dining Kap & Me Staycations Staycations & Vacations The GOppets

#GOdavao2016 (Day 1)

Kap’s sister was in town from Canada for 3 weeks with her 10-year-old daughter. This after 10 years from the time she visited last. And as you know, Kap thinks every vacation should be sulit & filled with non-stop activities for it to be called a REAL vacation, so he booked her every which way imaginable. He made arrangements for trips to Bohol, Davao, and Subic -with treks to all the malls in Manila in between for shopping & eating sprees. Ako ang napagod sa haba ng itinerary ni sisterakas! @_@

Because all her time in the Philippines would be spent mostly elsewhere other than at home & with the family, idinamay kaming lahat ni Kap sa Davao agenda para kahit papaano daw eh may bonding na maganap. The guests, us, the kids, the mudras, and the nurse -10 of us all together. Can you imagine? Labo-labo! By the time I found out, he already bought us plane seats, hotel bookings, and transfers. Wala na akong nagawa but to concede defeat ahuhuhu. When I asked WHY OH WHY, birthday gift daw nya sa akinHay naku Honey, style mo bulok! 😛 Ako pa ang ginawa mong dahilan ha.

Don’t get me wrong, if it were any other time in our lives, I would have gladly received his surprise with delight. BUT! We were in the middle of renovations, our home was in chaos, our dear Lelly’s head-shaking syndrome returned with the arrival of new people, we were barely adjusting to the addition of family members & yet even more arrived in our already over-filled home, furnitures were non-existent, and a huge business deal was in progress. It was definitely NOT the best of time.

Kap has a good heart, and I know he meant well -he always does. But he failed to look at the bigger picture. TWO senior citizens travelling with us when his itinerary in Davao called for zip lines & wild river rafting. Not the best combination, wouldn’t you say? NKKLK diba! It spelled disaster from the get go.

Oh how do I tell thee our story, let me count the ways, lol!

Our misadventure began as we flew via Air Asia a few days after my birthday. Before 6 am (meaning we left the house at 4 am! As usual, walang tulugan), bago pa man tumilaok ang manok, because of the cheap fare. Air freaking Asia. Do you know how closely-spaced the seats are in between? We were squished like sardines the whole way through! I never wished for a full bottle of valium as I did on our flight to Davao. Do take into consideration the 2 lolas who had to pee like every 30 minutes or so no matter where we were. Para silang may built-in alarm clock, precisely on the dot. Add a cranky me with no sleep. Iskayree talaga!

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The sardine squad. 😛 Kap has a good heart, also a good strong sturdy shoulder -which I used to sleep on most of the way hehe. Minanhid sya! Hindi makagalaw for fear that I’d wake up & crank up the volume on my brattiness.

 

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Beautiful aerial shot by my amazing Ate. <3 She takes the most captivating photos, I think she missed her true calling, trololol.

 

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As you can see, the travellers have all left when we finally came out. Even the checked in baggages were already all claimed. 😛 Mabagal pa kami kay Pong Pagong! :))

 

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Hello Davao! Thank you God for an uneventful flight. <3 Hello photo bombers. 🙂

 

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Our driver Anderson hooked us up with his brother in Davao, so thankful for our 10-seater personal van which took us around for the 3 whole days we were there. Yoohoooo Agapito, we are here! Nilampasan mo na kamiiiiii.

 

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First order of business, SUHA! We are just so in love with the sweet Davao suha. <3 We bought a box to share on the ride as we were famished. And omg, my first time to see a BUKO PANDAN out of the glass! \m/ Ganyan pala ang itsura!

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Luz Kinilaw Place

Sta. Ana Wharf, Salmonan, Quezon Blvd., Davao City 8000, Mindanao | 226-4612, 221-8377
Facebook: No official page
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Luz Kinilaw is an old restaurant in Davao City which has been around 40 years. They serve fresh seafood & authentic Davao dishes like kinilawbagaybay (fish gonads), and other fish offals. Aga took us here for our seafood brunch.

 

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The sight of these huge street food on sticks got me wide eyed and ready for a feast. Yum!

 

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#LuzForLuz 😉 Ang 2 lola Luz haha.

 

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You don’t order on demand when you’re hungry. This is what happens. Over supply! ;)) But no worries, we had our work cut out for us. Naubos pa rin. Never doubt the GOppets when it comes to eating!

 

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My first time ever to see (and eat) a fresh durian. Kap opened one for me & I tried. I can’t say I like it though, sorry Dabaoenos. It’s certainly an acquired taste. I like the candy version though. 😉

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The mangoes on the other hand, I loved! So big, so ripe, SO SWEET! <3

 

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The senior citizen table..

 

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and the kiddie table.. with adult supervision.

 

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Our bill. Kap: Ano ba yan, kakadating palang natin ubos na agad ang laman ng wallet ko! Well, this is all your doing Honey. Embrace it. 😛

 

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He calmed down a bit after receiving 2 complimentary souvenir Duterte shirts. Masaya na sya hahaha. Thank you Luz Kinilaw for the love.

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Marco Polo Davao

C.M. Recto Street, Davao City, Philippines (082) 221 0888

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We arrived early so we had a bit of a wait prior to check in. Grateful for the air-conditioned lobby on a hot, sweltering day (and of course the clean loo, let us not forget that hehe). Time to freshen up before we continued our adventure. I have to commend Kap though for billeting us at Marco Polo Hotel. I would have gone apeshit on him had he booked us in a less stellar accommodation. Remember, I’m a city girl -after the comforts of a city life. 😛 Hindi ako mahilig sa mga nature look na mga bamboo at hala-halamanan.

 

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Privacy! 😉 Kap reserved 4 rooms. A bit of a rest & freshening up before we set out. Nangamoy Durian na ako sa asim, hay!

 

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While we nested & cleaned up a bit, Kap went off to buy water. Ever the dependable boy scout. Mahal daw kasi ang tubig atbp. sa hotel, omg! ;)) Still, thank you for your thoughtfulness Honey. Natakot kang pakialaman namin ang bar noh?

Kap doesn’t believe in idleness. As soon as he got back, we headed out to EDEN NATURE PARK & RESORT for some sky adventure activities.

Eden Nature Park & Resort

Sta. Ana Wharf, Salmonan, Quezon Blvd., Davao City 8000, Mindanao | 226-4612, 221-8377

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Eden Nature Park & Resort was an hour away from our hotel so we were able to get some shut-eye in the cramped van on our way there.

 

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The kids got excited because they thought Eden Nature Park & Resort had the longest zipline. Turns out it was at the other park, Zip City, in Barangay Langub at 320 meters long. The newest attraction in Davao Oriental is the 680-meter zipline across Cateel River at the majestic Aliwagwag Falls Ecopark.

 

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Pero okay lang coz Eden Nature Park & Resort had something new to offer anyway..

 

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Skycycling, the kids’ first! \m/ 200 php for a round trip. Even if you don’t know how to bike, one can still enjoy this activity as the bike is held in a firm, upright position. No need to balance, just pedal away.

 

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Zipline or Skyrider, 150 php for a round trip. Skyswing is also available but the kids are sissies, lol, so they skipped it. 😛

 

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Snack is included in the entrance fee of 220 php/person.

 

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A platter of spaghetti, bread, and brownie sure looked good for the hungry GOppets.

 

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With a choice of either bottled water or iced tea. The sweltering heat called for iced tea.

Before heading off to dinner & calling it a day, our driver-cum-tour guide took us here for some pasalubong shopping. Better to get it out of the way so we don’t go crazy last minute..

Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies

28 San Miguel Village, Matina 8000 Davao City, Philippines 082.298.5099 • 0920.410.3333 • 0933.488.8911

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Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies started way back in 1950 when Lola Abon started making pastillas. A customer suggested that she try making durian pastilles -since durian was what Davao was known for, which proved to be a hit in the community. This started her durian candy business.

 

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Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies is famous for the candies made from Davao’s symbolic fruit – Durian. Their products range from the traditional Durian candy to Durian tarts and bars, and yes, even as far as Durian ice cream. In addition to Durian-based treats, Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies also has products made from other local fruits such as Mangosteen and Langka. Do try the unique Yema Mangosteen Bar and Yema Langka bar. My favorite though, among all, remains to be the Durian sticks. <3

Overall, the kids had lots of fun. Ok fine, I have to give credit where credit is due. I admit I also enjoyed our little expedition to Davao -stress, a hundred weewee breaks, meltdowns and all. But don’t tell Kap or I’ll never hear the end of it hehe. Misadventures, after all, is more fun & memorable than plain unremarkable tales don’t you agree? Plus, if you happen to notice, misadventure seem to be our middle name!

To be continued. 😉 Up next, our dinner at Saging Repablik! meanwhile, where else to eat in Davao? CLICK HERE!

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12 Comments

  • Reply NielGQ

    Juice colored! Binabasa ko pa lang ang post mo, napagod na ako… Uber relate ako sa iyo, Jane, hahaha…

    Sa lahat ng photos mo dito, one pic stood out for me: ang cute naman nung receptionist sa Marco Polo, hihihi… Makapunta nga dun ulit, hahaha…

    March 21, 2016 at 8:31 am
  • Reply Med

    What a beautiful way to start Monday! Thanks for sharing your Davao adventure. Can’t wait to read the next one.

    I want to go to Davao now to try that sky-cycling thing! And of course, the suha!!! Iba talaga ang pomelos nila ‘no?!

    March 21, 2016 at 8:58 am
    • Reply sugargospice

      yes dabes ang suha nila meding! <3 Also their tuna belly. I miss huhu!!

      March 21, 2016 at 11:06 am
  • Reply Photo cache

    How wonderful. Getaway with the entire family. I don’t like fresh durian, it’s weird.

    BTW, the hubby is like Kap pala, gusto always on the go. Sa bahay na daw ang tulog at pahinga and not on vacation, LOL!

    March 21, 2016 at 9:58 am
    • Reply sugargospice

      Haaaay maria it’s sooo tiring diba!! Parang it’s the type na you need 10 more vacays to cover the tiring “vacay” hmp!

      March 21, 2016 at 11:07 am
  • Reply anna

    hi miss jane. where did jana get her celine bag and givenchy bambi shoes? 🙂

    March 21, 2016 at 12:52 pm
    • Reply sugargospice

      Hi Anna! 🙂 The shoes from the Givenchy store in greenbelt 4. Meron din sa adora. 🙂 The Celine bag we asked her ninang to buy abroad for her. 🙂

      March 21, 2016 at 1:45 pm
  • Reply Rose

    Naiiyak ako sa thoughtfulness ni Kap kahit biglaan ang trip. Haha! Walang iwanan talaga ang GOppets kahit sa misadventures.

    March 21, 2016 at 12:56 pm
    • Reply sugargospice

      Hay Rose, ang motto ni Kap, Ohana! Family, nobody gets left behind haha. Kaya yan! ;))

      March 21, 2016 at 1:44 pm
  • Reply KassTastrophic

    Naku Mommy, mas OK na ang legroom sa Air Asia. Kesa CebPac. Pramis.

    Inggit naman ako. I have NEVER been to Davao and I want to if only for the durian… and maybe the SkySwing. Sounds fun! 😀

    March 21, 2016 at 7:39 pm
    • Reply sugargospice

      Gora na Kassie. Perfect tong summer! :-*

      March 21, 2016 at 9:09 pm

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