Walking in Davao
I am an English foreigner in Davao. One thing we do a lot in England is to walk to our destinations.I know that one of the reasons we can walk so often in England is because of the climate. It is usually cool and this makes it very pleasant to stroll around, especially in the green countryside or the pretty city parks.So this “habit” of walking everywhere is something that my friend and I have brought with us to Davao city.
Oh boy, yes it does feel different, because here in the Philippines it is so much hotter and the humidity makes these walks a very sweaty experience !!!But we still have lots of fun doing it. It always feels a very good thing to do, but probably in a different way from doing it back in England.Back home we enjoy a gentle walk around the park, or in the heart of the countryside we go on energetic walks across fields, up hills, across rivers and down dales. In the town or city it is often easier to walk from one destination to another because traffic can be congested, but also because usually the weather does make it a pleasant experience when it is not raining!!!!
As foreigners in the Philippines we have found walking a fun thing to do indeed for different reasons that just mentioned.In
England it is rare a passing stranger will acknowledge you, so don’t hold your breath for someone to stop and smile and greet you.But here in the Philippines it is so completely different.We try to take taxis as little as possible. It is a good thing to use the jeepneys and tricycles and to mix with the local community. But as often as we can we will walk too.There is never a day goes by when we are walking that someone doesn’t call out to us, waves, smiles, shouts greetings and generally is very pleasant indeed. We have been told by certain associates that walking can be very dangerous and we are asking for trouble. Of course, as in any place in the world, there are safe areas and there are not so safe areas. That’s a fact of life. But I have found no better way to meet people than to choose to walk to my destination and here in
Davao city it has been nothing but a fun experience.Yeah sure, the heat can be a killer and I smile to myself when I see locals staring at us as though we are crazy. My god, we are walking in the mid-day sun, we must be crazy!! But I assure you we are
not. Walking is something that we are very used to but also here everyone is so open and friendly to a foreigner that it makes walking a unique experience.From the petrol station attendant, to the car wash boy, to the lorry driver to the security guard to the street kids to the shop assistants, we are called to, greeted and waved to in a never ending tide of hospitality and friendship.
It always amazes me that no matter how poor or squalid or inadequate somebody’s situation is, the Filipino is never short of a smile or a friendly greeting. How come? How do you possess this gift of strength? “Hey Joe”, “My friend”, “Hey man whats your name?” and “Welcome to the Philippines” are amongst the regulars. We love it. My companion and I have never had a problem or bad experience walking anywhere in Davao city. I said it before, as a visitor here, you definitely reap what you sow. If your disposition is friendly, open and cheerful you are always met with the same in return by one of the most friendly cultures on this planet. Thank you to all the Filipinos who say hi to us and have made us feel so welcome and comfortable in their country.
About John
John
this walking may be just a british thing (me too i love it) and have continued in davao when and where i can but have been greeted with amazement particularly by my wifes family
also like you i have run into no problems at all simply frindliness, we are really lucky to live there in mindanao, me going there soon, i guess you are already there
all the best to you
Hi John,
Filipinos are truly a welcoming, friendly people. “Hey Joe!” I know is an issue for some
but I can assure you that it is uttered as a friendly greeting.
Glad to hear that you are enjoying my hometown. It can’t all be positive, can it? All your posts have been very positive so far, I am curious to know what it is that bothers you about Davao or the Philippines.
John & Rick,
I think it’s human nature, in general, if you’re nice to people, they will do the same thing to you. A greeting like “Hey Joe!” offend some foreigners and some don’t smile either. Those people were the one who usually don’t have a good experience in the Phils.
John you r article hit a funny bone, my filpino friends think I’m outta my mind when I suggest we walk a few kilometers to our destination, for me its one of the things I look fwd. to doing when arriving. Walking is a luxury as you can stroll at a relaxed pace free of the pressures of a fast moving world ! Good on ya !
Love to walk in Davao myself. When I am there my wife and I every single morning went for a walk . We started early tough to beat the heat. We would walk for about an hour and find a good place for coffee and then use a taxi to go home. Ron
I am an American living in Metro Manila, and a lot of Filipinos are surprised when I tell them how far I walked to get to such and such a place. They always ask why I didn’t just take a cab. I tell them that I actually enjoy walking. I look sort of like a Filipino so I don’t stand out much but when I was walking around with an another American friend who is obviously a foreigner it was was fun to see how much attention he drew.
Tina of course a few things get me a little sad but by far i love it in this country, however look out I will have a few negativs coming up in future blogs……but i always seem to see the positive side too.
When you see a true smiling face i melts me even if they are trying to get money off me. I know i am a softy
John.
Your not alone, when we are visiting our home town in the Phil’s we walk every morning from around 6am till 7am. Although it’s flat we have different routes that we take and like you we meet so many people sometimes chatting to them can add an extra half hour to our journey.
Incidentally it’s a Scottish habit as well, walking that is.
hello john
i shared the same experience walking in panabo,davao,tagum as well as many other places in philippines.i had an experience that i was in a small village and all the people came to see me and greet me, i guess i was the first foreigner in that village,the greetings from the filipinas was very flattering but my fiancee didnt see it that way,hehehehe,i had to kiss and assure she was my one and only.i was called hogan and joe alot,i find it kinda flattering.i was invited to alot of filipino familys for dinner,i had to assure them i was just a common person and didnt deserve special treatment,they didnt listen to that at all.and i will say all the familys were awsome to me,hmmmmm sometimes i wish we in america could have a little filipino hospitality.
i love philippines,my future home
salamat john
oh john i forgot to say that when i was walking all these taxi drivers and trycycles allways asking if i wanted to hire them.even my fiance said that filipinos dont like to walk if they have money for fare.sometimes though i would have paid triple fare for a ride home,
salamat john
Hello,
I like this article as it reminds me of a past experience. When I first got off plane to philippines and on first day I was at my wifes grandparents house and decided that instead of riding home Id just walk as it seemed a excellent opportunity to meet some people , see the place and etc. My wifes uncle whos around my age and her much younger cousin decided theyd walk with me just so Id not get lost as I truly had no idea my way around as had only been in the nation a few hours but figured in such a small city I could easily figure out how to get to our apartment. Anyway, Instead of walking home directly I walked all over the entire city by circling through downtown and etc, was pretty fun as saw many new things , new to me anyways, and met many people along the walk. I truly thought nothing of it as it didnt seem that far to me and the humidity was really no diffrent than in my home state of mississippi. The uncle and cousin where tired but didnt say anything untill we had gotten home at which point they complained to my wife about the long walk lolol. I enjoy walking though as its rather fun but I also noticed that the filipinos didnt seem as fond of the habit besides for the old filipinos who would walk as morning excersice or go walk around in downtown in circles while stopping and talking to their friends.
Justin
I try to walk half mile a day rain or snow .me and the dogs ….I enjoyed walking around town too , but my wife takes me thru the allies and back ways to places in Cagayan De Oro….. everybody smiles , waves or say hello …kids following us around ..people wanting me to drink with them … Jess put a stop to that quickly
……..Yea John I do enjoy walking too ….Phil n Jess
Hi John,you know what they say “Mad Dogs And Englishmen” My lady thinks im crazy wanting to walk everywhere,but same as you love to walk.
John.J.
Greetings from Spain, John! This is a rather interesting topic. The last time I was in the Philippines was almost twelve years ago and I made it a habit to walk since my husband John, who is English, “taught” or “showed” me the beauty of walking. I never walked fifty yards in my life until I met him. He made me enjoy walking and these last three decades have been something I have got used to. My relatives wondered if I was that mean not to use any means of transnport since I always told them I preferred walking . My nieces thought I was bonkers walking five kilometers (there and back). Thanks to my husband, walking is something I really love doing. Just this week, we totaled 20 kilometers—no problem. I had walked the length and breadth of Cumbria and the Lake District everytime we visited t his spectacular place. I must say though that the people in the Lake District do nod or say hello whenever you bump into them. After all, it’s the place of ramblers. Regards. Hill
Hello John,
On my first visit to Davao City, I stayed with my fiance in a western, type at least, hotel that she and her Aunt had booked for us. I had insisted on hot water and the one’s I found on line they did not like. Anyway 1st morning I got up at 5:00 AM and decided not to wake her. I was just going down to the lobby and get some coffee and then sit on the small but with good view of the city and watch Davao wake up. Not so though because kitchen didn’t open until 6:00AM. Doorman was not there so Icould not ask closes place. It was so beautiful out and I just picked a direction and started walking. Wet markets may open early, but I could not find a cup of coffee closer than 8 blocks ( 1/2 mille at least ) and it became my morning walk. Even though I found out later had I picked left to go instead of right it was only 100 meters to coffee. And I have to say I would be greeted by some of the same friendly people every morning. Needless to say I am going to be there in about 4 days now and this time I will be looking at homes for us to buy. You do have the most friendly and cleanest city I have ever experienced.
Ron W
Ron I have walked in your shoes those same places and today added MATALAN to my list a very small version of Panabo.
Justin
My friend hate walking but also they tell me its wrong to walk if you can afford to ride as it shows your standing in Philippines society.
By that reckoning I must be very poor. lol
Phil
I miss walking in the snow and cold and the relief of getting back home and sitting around the fire awaiting your fingers to work again.
John J
Thats me!!
Hill Roberts
As I walk I say hello hundreds of times and now people recognise me in the streets. Its worth the effort
Andy Wooldridge
Davao is a joy to walk around, I even try to get myself lost too.
I LOVE walking!!! This is a great article – you may remember the song “Nobody Walks in L.A.”, well that may be true, but I grew up near the beaches of Los Angeles and walked and/or rode my bike everywhere. I now live in Dallas which makes L.A. look like a pedestrian paradise. I love walking, but can relate to one’s hesitance when in a humid tropical climate. This last trip I fell in love with moisture wicking materials, can’t say enough about them – improved my comfort level immensely…