Whatta Pizza!

Today’s Guest Article is from Bob in New York.  Bob is a regular reader and participant on the Live in the Philippines Web Magazine.  I have actually known Bob for several years now, since he first started considering making a trip to the Philippines.  Bob and I first touched base through my Mindanao Magazine Website, because Bob wanted to get the “straight scoop” about the safety of a foreigner visiting Mindanao.  Take it away, Bob!

It has been said by many people, those that live in New York City and many tourists and visitors say  ” you just can’t beat a New York Pizza .”  Well, in many respects that may be true, although I think I had my best Pizza Experience in Iligan City, Philippines.

Several months ago  by Internet I learned of a new Pizza place in Iligan that offers  (among many other varieties)  a  36 inch diameter Pizza!  One look at the preview pics of the place and that was near the top of my list of places to visit this year.  I got some of my friends together and we went to  Calda Pizza in Barangay Pala-O on a Saturday night during my visit.  The tables are outdoors on a large lot.  Picnic type tables with umbrellas over them and wide enough to accomodate at 36 inch pizza.   Being a Saturday night the place was full although it only took a few minutes for a table to become available.

I placed the order  for the ” Hawaain Style ” Pizza as that is what my friends agreed upon and for myself just about any variety would please me.  I just had to have one of those 36 inch Pizzas!   This was the largest pizza  (regularly on a menu)  I had ever experienced!

The cost of the pizza was 1000.10  pesos for the one that I ordered.  It was freshly prepared and brought to our table in about 25 minutes.  Too big to be sliced in a more traditional way,  the slices are squared. It was well prepared and attractively served and tasted good.  Calda Pizza, a great place for Pizza lovers,  for those on a  ” Weight Loss Diet ” be forwarned!  LOL

A resto-bar in Iligan I had seen pictures of many times but had not had the chance to enjoy is a place called  “ The Iliganon. I went there one afternoon with some of my Iligan friends and upon arrival I noticed something I had not seen in pictures taken previously and posted on the internet.  The Iliganon resto-bar had added Pizza to their menu.  After my pleasurable pizza experience at Calda Pizza,  I really wanted to try something more traditional at The Iliganon.

Not being familiar with the names of many of the traditional menu items, I saw something which I pictured in my mind as being some kind of steak (a nice jucy tenderloin, Sirloin etc.).  We also looked at the Pizza Menu.  When our food was served, I found the item I ordered looked like small strips of beef, coated in something like bread crumbs along with some kind of buttery sauce to dip the strips in.   I realize that portions of food there may appear much smaller than you would get at a USA Restaurant or Diner and I also knew that this item would leave me hungry.  I suggested to my friends that maybe we should try Pizza at  The iliganon too so we ordered a large one just to try it.

I had finished the beef item I had ordered just in time for the pizza to be placed at our table. I picked up the first slice, took one bite out of it and then another.  Without hesitation I said to my friends  “I think we better order another one of these Pizzas!”  I had not tasted pizza like this in decades,  yes it was  THAT  Good!

By the time the second pizza was brought to our table the first one had been devoured by myself and my friends, along with the other food we had ordered.  This is sure a place I will visit each time I go to Iligan!

So there you have it,  my Iligan Pizza Experience.  The  Biggest  (Calda Pizza)  and the very best  (Iliganon Resto-Bar).

For me,  yes, Iligan City can beat a New York Pizza!

A little surprise

I got a little surprise on this past Saturday evening.  Feyma and I were watching a movie on TV with the kids.  While watching, Feyma was also playing with her laptop, surfing the Internet a bit.  Suddenly, she told me… “you won an award!”  “What,” I said… “what kind of award?”  She went on to tell me that I had won the “Globe Digital Tribe” award.  Hmm… I never heard of it, what is it, and how did I win it?

Well, as it turns out, she was right, I indeed was one of the winners of the Globe Digital Tribe award, which was given out by Globe Telecom, at the Philippine Blog Awards over the weekend in Cagayan de Oro City.  The Philippine Blog Awards actually held three different award ceremonies over the past month or so, one for Luzon, one for the Visayas, and this past weekend’s event for Mindanao.  I was actually one of the judges for some of the Mindanao awards.

Well, when I found out that I had won this Globe Digital Tribe award, I was really surprised, and for several reasons:

1. I didn’t know that I was even being considered for any award.
2. I was unaware of being nominated for any award.
3. I didn’t think that foreigners were eligible for such awards, based on some of what I have read in past years.

To be honest, I am still not 100% certain what this Digital Tribe award is given for.  From doing some reading on the Internet, it seems to me that it is given to people who have had some kind of impact on digital advancement, or fostering understanding or participation in digital activities in their region.  Globe Digital Tribe awards were given for each of the three regions – Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, and I was one of the winners!

I suppose that I will be hearing more about this in coming days, at least to get a better understanding of exactly what it entails.  I will say, though, that I am happy to have been recognized, and to have my efforts recognized as having made a contribution in the Mindanao Region.  It is flattering, and was fully unexpected.

The thing that I find most rewarding about this is that there is recognition for foreigners who try to contribute to the society here.  In the past, I have often felt somewhat “left out” or looked down upon because I was not a Filipino.  There have been blog awards in the past where it was specifically said that “foreigners are not eligible,” and Filipinos (even though not living in the Philippines) took prizes for their blogs, but foreigners who live here (not just me, but other foreigners whom I felt were deserving) in the Philippines were not considered to be eligible for the awards.  That always kind of felt bad to me, and I am so happy to see that foreigners are now being recognized, and accepted as part of the community.

Even though, as I said, I sort of felt “left out,” I never really cared much about the award itself, but only the ability for foreigners to be made part of the community, for the contributions of foreigners to be considered “of value” to the Philippines and her people.  So, even though an award is not what I ever asked, or desired, I do feel proud to have some recognition from a Philippine organization for my efforts to advance the digital lifestyle of the country, or at least the part of the country where I live.

I will say, too, that the readers of this site deserve recognition as well, because LiP would not be what it is today without reader participation on the site.  There are not very many blogs (even the very popular ones) that can garner 50 comments for each post, or even up to 250 on certain posts.  Because of the willingness of LiP readers to participate in interaction with the writers, LiP is special, and unlike probably more than 90% of other blogs on the Internet today.  I would also like to recognize the other writers on the site, both writers that are writing now, and those who have contributed their articles over the past 3 years.  Without having multiple viewpoints, through an array of writers, LiP would be only one-dimensional, and that is simply not as interesting as what we have today.

So, thanks to Globe Telecom, The Philippine Blog Awards, LiP Writers and LiP Readers (as well as those who participate on my other Blog sites – particularly Mindanao Magazine) for their contribution!

Let’s count our blessings

This article is from Mindanao Bob’s Journal, which is a regular weekly column in SunStar Davao Newspaper.  This column appeared in SunStar today, October 2, 2009.

This past weekend, the scenes on TV from Manila were horrific.  The flooding in Manila was devastating.  The suffering of the people was heart wrenching.  It’s really a time to count our blessings.

Count our blessings? Yes, I believe it is time for that.  We are blessed to be Dabawenyos.  Imagine the differences here compared to other places around the Philippines.  Mindanao is the only part of the Philippines that is outside the typhoon belt, we have beautiful weather here!  We have an abundance of so many things here in Davao, we really need to count our blessings for that.

Davao is hounded with flooding whenever it rains very hard, but it certainly is nothing like we saw on TV over the weekend.  Yes, we get a few centimeters of water on the City Streets, and we complain.  It’s human nature, we want the streets to remain dry, of course.  But, when was the last time you saw the water waist deep, or heaven forbid neck deep in Davao City?  It just doesn’t happen here.

As the flooding hit Manila, what was the next thing we saw on TV?  People were hungry.  Here in Mindanao we live in a land of abundance when it comes to food.  Fruits and other kinds of foods are plentiful, and inexpensive too.

Yes, I believe that as Dabawenyos we are really blessed.  Those who are from other areas, though, away from Mindanao, only talk about what a bad, or dangerous place Mindanao is.  Just the mention of Mindanao brings fear to those people.  It seems they don’t realize that only a few parts of Mindanao present danger, the vast majority of Mindanao is a beautiful, unspoiled and safe place!  Especially Davao City.

A lot of times, when we have visitors come to Davao they rave about the place.  It’s so beautiful, such a wonderful life!  The food is so cheap and abundant.  Yet, others tell them to fear Mindanao.  Why?  Because those who advise fear have never set foot in Mindanao.  And, when it comes to danger, that’s about as far as you could get from Davao while still remaining on the Island.

Yes, even as I write this, things are not comfortable for those in Metro Manila.  Most of the water has drained off, leaving a ton of mud on the streets, in the homes and just about anyplace you might look.  It’s dirty, and there is a lot of work to be done.  I feel sorry for the people in Manila, no doubt about that, and I pray for their well being.  I wonder, though, if they realize just how much different life in Davao is?

The Sarangani Bay 5,000 Artificial Reef Dome Project!

In early April 2005, Myself and my American friend John Heitz were having a couple of beers at my Cambridge Farm Bar after a day of diving! My bar is a place where many great ideas are born especially after a bit of worship to our favorite saint, San Miguel! During our dives we had seen all kinds of degradation to our local coral reefs both man made and natural but the organizations who were supposed to take care of such problems were doing nothing so me and John, on the spot, decided that if we wanted anything to by done to improve our local coral reefs then we would have to be the ones to initiate it! After a few more beers, the idea of the Reef Dome Project was born!

Over the next couple of weeks we came up with several designs of Dome Shapes and Sizes, all made with locally available materials in order to keep costs to a minimum. The buckets which were to act as the casting forms were purchased from the Gen San Fish Port, others were made up by the local Tire Repairing Vulcanizers, steel, sand, gravel and cement were all locally purchased locally so no extra expense added there! As form oil was so expensive we bought used vegetable oil from Jollibee to stop the concrete sticking to the forms! My two old laborers were now the dome construction crew and the project construction site was Cambridge Farm Hotel! Now, everything was in place and the project began!

The first few domes were deployed on 17th April 2005 in the waters fronting Maharlika Beach Resort! This was a learning curve for us as we had built the domes but had never rolled them into the water before but all went well and the domes, as we hoped were easily moved by a single diver! If we decided to pile them in pyramids as we did later in the project we could usually manage this with 2 divers! Now that we had deployed the initial domes and we could see that it was quite feasible to easily deploy more, we went into full production constructing the domes and it was not long before we had many sponsors willing to assist in this worthy project! On many occasions groups who sponsored the domes made the deployment day as a family social event with parties on the beach, others just donated money, even the Padi, Project Aware Foundation made a substantial donation so the project was really flying so we decided that the number of 5,000 domes would be required to complete the project and as you can probably understand, that at this early stage, we still had a very long way to go! The number 5,000 was just picked from the air!

After about 3 weeks we were inspecting the first domes that we had deployed and we were very surprised to find life starting to take hold in the form of small marine worms, tiny barnacles, green algea and other minute creatures! We were kind of shocked with this growth as we were thinking that it would be months or even years before anything really happened growth wise! We also noticed that small Damsel Fish had staked a claim to each dome as their home and would defend them vigorously even from creatures the size of divers, they were quite fearless and we got hit on numerous occasions! The more we studied the domes the more we got interested in how life developed on them! There were many broken an uprooted corals all around the reef so we decided to try to transplant some onto the domes just to see how they would react! Some were not successful and did not survive but many did especially the soft corals so we made it a point in future deployments to gather loose corals and attach them to the domes in order to kick start the growth!

The more domes we deployed, the more we learned about how long it took different kinds of life to take hold and grow! Barnacles were very fast growers but were also a food source for Parrot Fish etc! The  algae was food for the grazing creatures like Surgeon Fish! Some coral species took hold and grew very quickly while some of the harder corals take a much longer time to show themselves but in time, everything was growing well and new coral reefs were being created in different areas of Sarangani Bay and beyond! With this new supply of marine accommodation came the immigrants, fish of all kinds moved in, Shell Fish, Octopus and Crustaceans, Cucumbers and Urchins, predators like Lion Fish, Scorpion fish and Moray Eels, all forms of live were now in resident, these new reefs even started having some form of order to their society! To say that we were extremely elated was an understatement! We were two very happy people and were really astonished that our little project was creating so much improvement to the Marine Environment!

Like many projects, ours was not all plain sailing as we had our delays! Most were caused by bad weather which we could do nothing about, sometimes the local divers were not available to assist in deploying the domes and some delays were caused when the construction funds were a bit low but luckily for us, the Gen San City Government did not slow us down with Bureaucrats and we were left alone to continue where and when we wished to go! On one memorable occasion, we were taking domes out to an off shore reef on John’s Boat when the engine stopped! The operator looked into the engine compartment and it was flooded, the boat was sinking! Immediately we threw all the domes over the side into on deep water, bailed out the water from the boat and drifted into shore at Maharlika beach! The boat was saved but 17 domes were lost to the deep!

All in all, it took us 40 months of hard work to get 5,001 Domes deployed and on 29th August 2008 we finished the project and relaxed! It was a hard struggle all the way through but we had the determination to succeed! We have been asked to continue with the project but I think that we have done our part in assisting the Marine Environment with its recovery so I hope that others will take over and continue with similar types of projects!

There will be more information about this project but this will be in the form of other articles! If we are to help to restore what Man and Nature has helped to destroy, we have proved that with a little bit of determination, good things can be achieved without too much expense! For the 5,001 Domes, our total expenditure was just P942,329.00 which was about $21,000.00! Each dome cost only p200.00 or $4.20! Already another organization is doing a project to deploy 500 Domes in Sarangani Bay and there is interest from other areas of the country so with a bit of luck, the local coral reefs might once again be an impressive part of nature and give the marine creatures a more natural habitat than they have now in a lot of areas! If we allow the reefs to disappear then the whole marine ecosystem will collapse and that can only be a disaster for mankind so I sincerely hope that our project has played a small part in securing a better and safer future for the inhabitants living in the under the sea realm!

More pictures and details about the Coral Development on the Reef Domes will be detailed in future articles!

General Santos City Fish Port Complex!

Up until several years ago, the Tuna Boats used to offload their cargo of fish on Lion Beach situated on the shore of Sarangani Bay near to the main Gen San Wet Market! Thankfully, the Japanese Government put in money to build a new Fish Port Complex just outside of the City! I say thankfully because Lion Beach was a very heavily polluted area both in the water and on land so it was a good move to construct a new and much cleaner complex away from the City Proper!

The new Fish Port Complex is the Main Tuna Landing in the Philippines and also there are many other species of Fish and Marine Creatures landed there every day of the year! Market 1 is the Tuna Landing and every day and is a very interesting sight to see, starting very early in the morning, the organised chaos begins as the port comes to life! The Tuna Boats bring in their catch, all these fish are hooked on hand lines so the catch is considered to be a sustainable method of catching fish even by Green Peace! The fish are offloaded manually and each fish is carried up to Market 1 on the shoulder of a labourer to the Weighing Scales, On many occasions, the fish weighs more than the person carrying it! Once the fish are weighed, they are laid out for sale where the would be licensed buyers come along and check the fish for freshness by taking small core samples of the meat with a special purpose made device! Once sold, the fish are moved into the area of the buyer where they are gutted and then put on ice if they are for export or transported directly to the Fish Factories for Preparation and Canning, to Local Markets for sale to the general public or transported on ice by truck to markets all over Mindanao!

There are always some creatures caught as a bi-catch such as Sharks, Sword Fish, Marlin and Moon Fish which is a very strange looking fish a bit like an Ocean Sun Fish! The bi-catch on many occasions is good for export and is shipped out along with the Tuna to locations mostly in the USA and Japan! The Sharks, minus their valuable fins are sold on the local markets as are the poorer quality of the other species! The Export fish is usually chilled down in ice water in order to make it as cold as possible so that it will survive the journey better to its final destination! The Heads, Tails, Jaw and Belly are removed and sold on for local consumption, the heads and tails are used in soup while the jaws and bellies are wonderful when barbecued! The main Carcase is cleaned and packed and sealed in an air cargo box along with insulation and some Dry Ice! This whole operation is very fast and most of the export fish are sent out on the early morning PAL Flights to Manila and onward from their to their final destination! The Japanese are very proud and always say that they have the freshest fish in the world but this is not quite correct when it comes from Gen San as we beat them by a day for freshness!

In the initial 3 to 4 hours each morning, Millions of peso’s worth of tuna and other fish change hands sometimes several times even before leaving the complex but the amazing part about all this business is that you do not see actual money changing hands for the main sales, only on the bi-products is cash called for! At the end of the day which is usually before 10 am everybody goes home or where ever the go after work seemingly very happy as they all get paid correctly in the midst of all the confusion and chaos!

Market 2 is the Auction Area for box’s of small fish which have been caught by the boats which use nets to catch the fish and it also houses a small Wet Market where all kinds of fish both Open Ocean and Reef are sold! Unfortunately in this area, many kinds of fish are for sale which are either Endangered or illegal, caught by Dynamite or Cyanide Fishing Methods! The people who should be regulating this area do not do a very good job at all in my mind! Just the other day, there were 13 large Bump Head Parrot Fish on sale, these fish are not illegal to catch but are not a very popular eating fish! The people who caught them probably wiped out the whole family in this one instant leaving no breeding stock behind and with this kind of fish, the market value is not very high at the best of times!

For 365 days a year, the Fish Port Complex carries on with its business off loading fish and sending them on their way to destinations both local and around the world! Its a very interesting place to visit but there are now a lot of restrictions before people are allowed to enter! You must wear White Rain Boots, long trousers, A shirt which covers your arm pits, no cameras are officially allowed, no children or pets are allowed and there are other restriction which sometimes change an a daily basis! This is only for people entering as many of the fishermen who get off the boats are the scruffiest people you ever did see but the regulations do not seem to apply to them! Even with the restrictions, the Fish Port Complex is really worth a visit but i recommend that you have a change of clothes with you as you could easily get “accidentally” splashed with fish blood during your visit!

The Fish Port has had a huge investment by the Chinese government which has increased the area and capability of the port by another 100% but so far nothing is happening with this new development as the fishing industry is in decline for the moment but I am sure that in the future, once the fishing recovers then the market might easily pick up once again! Gen San is a City to which fishing plays a big role in the economy! If anything happens environmentally which could affect the fishing industry it would be a great blow for the city and the area as a whole! Saying that, I hope that the planned Coal Fired Power Station never gets built as the pollutants put out by such a plant could easily have an adverse effect on the area and the economy! I hope that Gen San goes Green and says No to Coal!

A Trip to Pearl Farm

It seems like it has been forever since my wife and I took a vacation.  Somehow living over here day to day feels like one long giant vacation at first but then sooner or later you realize you are stuck in a day to day rotation of things to do, errands to run etc.  We all need a break sometimes and least living in the Philippines gives us so many more options than I had when I was in the US.

The Kadayawan festival was being celebrated right before I came home this year and unfortunately I missed it but it did give us an opportunty to avail of a promo at Pearl Farm Resort.  For those of you who don’t know, Pearl Farm is a 5 star resort located in Kaputian, Samal Island.  They have a pier in Lanang where you board the bangka for a 45 minute trip to the resort.  The promo that we decided to take advantage of included an overnight stay in one of the “Samal” houses and breakfast the next morning.

The trip over on the outrigger boat or “bangka” was spectacular.  We were able to enjoy beautiful weather and calm waters all the way down to the resort.  The guide told us that from time to time you can see bottle nosed dolphins and whale sharks in these waters but unfortunately none were to be seen this day.  Upon arrival at the dock you are greeted by the courteous staff and given a pinapple based drink and welcomed with the sounds of native music.  After checking in you are free to roam around the resort and see all it has to offer.

Boredom is not a word that you will be seeing in Pearl Farm.  You have the choice of 2 swimming pools and 4 beaches to swim in as well as a world class spa and exercise facilities.  From the beaches of Malipano Island,  just offshore of the resort, you can snorkel in some of the cleanest, clearest waters I have seen so far in the Philippines.  The waters around the resort are a sanctuary for native fish and you can swim over pristine coral reefs and enjoy literally thousands of tropical fish.  For those of you who are divers, 2 wrecks dating to World War II can be found offshore.

Mealtime is no small affair at Pearl Farm.  While our package included breakfast on the second morning, we had to pay for lunch and dinner which were P800 and P900 respectively.  For this amount you are treated to a 5 star buffet of Filipino foods. There is something for everyone and even if you are not particularly fond of native foods, you will not leave hungry.  I heartily recommend trying the bistek if they are serving it that day and for dessert they make a superb durian float although unfortunately this dessert is seasonal and not always to be found on the menu.

I am happy that my wife and I were able to take advantage of this special promo.  With room rates starting in the $120/night range exclusive of meals an overnight stay was a little too expensive for us to consider.  We had gone over in the past as part of the day trip which I heartily recommend to anyone wanting to visit the resort.  The fee for the day trip is P1,500 per person which includes ferry rides back and forth and a buffet lunch.  It is a once in awhile treat for us to visit Pearl Farm and every trip is remembered fondly.

Mindanao Gallery Online

I used to have a Mindanao Photoblog a number of years ago, where I did nothing but publish photographs of Mindanao.  A year or more ago, I merged my Photoblog in with my Mindanao Blog, and with the combination of the two, I created the Mindanao Magazine.

The old Photoblog is still a category on Mindanao Magazine, and I feature photographs from all over Mindanao in that Category on the Magazine.  However, still, to this day, I get a lot of requests from people for a separate Photoblog again.

Well, I recently decided to honor the request of those who ask for it, and I have recently launched The Mindanao Gallery.  Mindanao Gallery features places in Mindanao that I have personally visited.  Now that I have visited all but two of the Mindanao Provinces, I can share with you a view of almost the entire island!  I think I have some nice photos to share there, and I hope you like them too.

Right now there are only a few dozen photos to get started, but I think the site will quickly grow into a substantial photo-tour of Mindanao!

Visit the Mindanao Gallery today!

My Island Adventure

Ah, I just got some serious rest this morning!  I needed it, too, because I just got home from an Island Adventure!  Specifically, I just got home from visiting Dinagat Island.  I’ve been wanting to go to Dinagat for a year or more now.  Why?  Well, Dinagat Island is the newest Province of Mindanao.  As the Owner/Publisher of Mindanao Magazine, it is my goal to visit each and every Province in Mindanao.  There are a total of 26 Provinces that compose Mindanao, and so far, I have visited 24 of them (and I’ve also visited a few others that used to be Provinces, but no longer exist).  Dinagat Island was my 24th Province of Mindanao on which I set foot.

What a trip it was.  I had some “first time” experiences too, one of which is something that I never thought I’d ever do!

For about 2 weeks, I have been thinking about making the visit to Dinagat, although I didn’t make the final decision to do it until Monday evening, August 24 at about 6pm.  I was on the road at 9pm!  Ha ha… I am really a spur of the moment kind of guy.  I rarely plan these things much in advance, I just do it!  As you will see as you read about my trip, I might have been better to have spent a little more time planning this one, though!

For the trip, I decided to bring along my oldest son, Chris.  I figured it would make a nice time for some Father/Son bonding, which it did.  I also decided to leave the driving to a bus driver this time rather than driving myself.  So, Chris and I set out on Monday night, slept on the bus while making our way to Surigao City.  It’s a long ride of about 10 hours, and the bus fare (aircon bus) was P606 per head.

When we were in Surigao City, which is where you catch a boat to Dinagat, I surveyed some of the boats, and found only one which would be departing for Dinagat.  It was scheduled to depart as 12:30pm, so we toured around the City for a few hours before going to catch the boat.

When we went back to the Pier, around 11:30am, I talked to the Captain of the boat.  We didn’t really plan to stay overnight on Dinagat, so I just wanted to make sure that the boat would be returning that day, and what time.  The Captain assured me that the boat would return in the afternoon, at 5:30pm, back to Surigao City.  OK, everything was set.  We soon departed for a one hour boat ride to Dinagat Island.

The ride on the boat was beautiful.  It really opened my eyes as to the beauty of Surigao del Norte.  I had been to Surigao City in the past, but never did any island hopping, or even riding a boat in the area.  I was kind of amazed at the beauty of the many, many islands in the area.  White beaches, and from what I saw, it appeared that there were plenty of resorts in the area too.

As we neared Dinagat Island (still 30 to 45 minutes from where we would set anchor, though), I was surprised to see the number of beautiful, and obviously expensive houses on the Island.  I didn’t expect that.  I was really kicking back on the boat taking in the scenery of the Island, and I was loving it!

Now, after disembarking from the boat, the surprises of the day were just about ready to begin.  We had gone to the Port of Dinagat.  When we got off the boat, we found that basically there was nothing there!  Oh, there were a few houses.  I found a single Sari-Sari store, and a Police Station.  Other than that… nothing!  I started talking with a fellow at the Sari-Sari store, a very friendly guy, but he didn’t have good news for us.  He asked me:

When did you arrive here?

About 5 minutes ago, I replied.

Do you have friends here? he asked me.

I replied that I had none.

Oops, he went on to inform me that there were no hotels or restaurants in the place.  Well, at least it was only about 3 hours until the boat would be taking us back to Surigao City!  That is when he informed me that it would be 3 days until that boat went back to the City!

Oh man… they told me 5:30pm, it would return.  “Change of plans” the man told me.  What would I do?  Where would I stay?  Where would I eat?  The guy told me that if I didn’t have a friend in the area, I would be in trouble.

“There is one other option,” he told me.

You can go to San Jose, it’s a bigger town, with more amenities.  They also have a boat that can take you back to Surigao today!

Ah, that was good news!  But, then he went on to tell me that there were basically no cars, tricycles or jeepneys on Dinagat!  The only way to get to San Jose is to ride on a Habal Habal (a motorcycle that carried a bunch of people).  The ride was 16 Kilometers!  Oh man, I haven’t been on a motorcycle for about 35 years!  Also, I’ve never been a passenger on the back, I always drove it myself.

Here I was, with a couple of big backpacks.  My laptop, my SLR camera, and I had to ride on the back of a motorcycle!  Frankly, it scared me to death!  Poor dirt roads.  No helmet, not protective gear.  Sitting on the back of a motorcycle.  Soon, my butt was as sore as it could get!  We were riding up and down big mountain roads (dirt), lots of sharp rocks along the road.  If I fell off, I might be dead!  Better hold on tight!

I think my son got a nice bit of entertainment out of this.  He rides motorcycles pretty regularly, but I doubt he ever expected me to be on the back of one!  Also, I’m a big guy, and this was a little 100 cc bike carrying me and the driver!  Oh my!

Well, we made it to San Jose, and I was still alive.  When I got off the bike, though, my butt was still not feeling well!  Luckily, we made it just in time to get our tickets for a return boat trip to Surigao City, though.

One thing about it, though, this kind of trip on the back of a motorcycle allowed me to see quite a bit of the island, and I must say that it is picture-postcard beautiful.  If you can rough it a bit, and enjoy the whole “tropical island” experience, this might be the perfect place for you!  I like it myself, but I could not spend too much time there or live there…. it’s too much “off the beaten path” for that kind of commitment for me.

In addition to the motorcycle ride, seeing the many islets surrounding Dinagat while we rode on the boat was really a nice way to see the place.  Dinagat is a beautiful place, and if you have a chance to visit, I’d say to give it a go!

I’d recommend that you sail into the Port of San Jose, though…  you’ll find it a little more able to accommodate a tourist!

Trip to Southern Mindanao

Today’s Guest Column is from longtime LiP friend Jim Cunningham.  After a long love affair with Talakag, Bukidnon, Jim finally broke down and settled there in 2008.  Jim is venturing out and exploring new parts of Mindanao, and today he will share one of his recent adventures with us here on LiP.

Early last week Marilou accepted an invitation from her cousin who lives in General Santos city to travel there and spend a few days in order to see the new house she is building.

Since this decision was taken on the Tuesday morning and we were travelling on the Thursday it did not leave a lot of time for preparation for the journey which was incidentally by road with me driving. Marilou’s cousin was visiting her mother who lives in Cagayan de Oro and was travelling back to Gen San in any case so at least we had a navigator for the journey.

Prior to this trip I had only been as far as Davao before and that was as a passenger so it was quite an adventure for me.

With the vehicle duly fuelled up and the baon box filled we set out from Talakag at 4am to drive down to Cagayan de Oro and pick up her cousin. Fortunately the weather was good with no rain and most folks in bed we arrived in CdeO just after 4.30am to collect a very sleepy cousin. With all safely on board we set off on our journey to Gen San by way through Manolo Fortich, Malaybalay, Valencia, Maramag and Quezon then on to Buda and Davao.

Being early in the morning the traffic was light and we made good progress towards Malaybaly the road is much improved but by no means perfect since the last time I travelled it in March to attend the Kaamulan festival. Maybe in another year’s time it will be completed fingers crossed, CdeO to Malaybaly took us two hours. With the sun now up it was on to Valencia and a comfort stop for the girls three in all, I forgot to mention that we took along the puppy that we acquired three weeks earlier on the journey. She was as good as gold by doing her business under the Jollibee sign whilst the other girls had the decency to at least go inside.

So it was back on the road next to Maramag, I always wonder what plans are in store for Maramag with the Municipal Hall sitting so big and grand and isolated from the rest of the town out of all proportion to the town itself. Maybe one day we will find out.
There are two ways to go to Gen San from Maramag take the right at the Y junction via Don Carlos and North Cotobato or left to Quezon and Buda, we chose left the more scenic route. Once again we were on our way passing the never ending road works of Quezon. The M1 London to Leeds was completed much quicker than the half Km of road in Quezon High Street.

This is where the road starts to climb and the views become spectacular particularly at Over View where there is a place to stop and picnic. Well it was open the last time we went to Davao but this time it was closed however the security guard let us in to admire the view and allow me to use the comfort room. Did I say comfort when the lady opened the door for me I had no sooner started to jingle when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a halas making for the cubicle nearest me. Well by now I was into full flow and not having been since Talakag I had to keep one eye on the halas and the other on the business in case I had an accident on my shorts (the wet kind). I decided not to wash my hands after completion but instead bolted for the door. Once outside I casually mentioned to the lady and the gardener that there was a halas in the CR. Well all hands on deck and the halas was soon brought out and given a sound beating, its last I may add.

The roads in this area are very scenic with the mountain views mixed with an all most alpine feel with many pine trees growing in this region of the Bukidnon/Davao border.
The passengers in the Batchelor buses that ply the CdeO to Davao route may as well close their curtains as the buses go that fast they never see anything of the scenery, I’m sure.
On down the road to Davao with the traffic still light and the road quite good for a change we arrived in Davao at 11am a decent 6 ½ hours less the comfort stops etc from Talakag. Only stopping to refuel in Davao we were soon on our way to Gen San with only the road works between Davao and Digos to slow us down although by now the traffic was heavier we arrived in Gen San just after 1.30 pm.

After lunch we visited the new house that Marilou’s cousin is having built then it was a tour of Gen San and also making a reservation to stay the Friday in Isla Parilla a resort on the outskirts of Gen San then it was back to the city for the mandatory photo outside the house of the wee man himself. I just wish I could have seen him but a photo outside the house is better than nothing at all. That night we had dinner in Grab a Crab which for those who intend visiting Gen San is worth a try. It was early to bed that night as I was tired between the long drive, the encounter with the halas and seeing Manny’s residence.

Waking up on an egg producing farm with a production capacity of 70,000 eggs per day can be an experience, guess what was on the menu for breakfast? Yes every recipe for eggs you can imagine. Since eggs are one of my favourite foods it was no hardship for me.

The itinery was already planned for the day by the girls so I had no option but to tag along. The plan was to visit Lake Sebu located in South Cotabato in the morning, so we set off about 8am and the road which incidentally was very good took us through the city of Koronadal and the town of Surallah before turning off to the resort at Lake Sebu. The particular resort we visited was called Punta Isla where it’s claimed “Life blends with nature”.  The resort was indeed beautiful and the prices for accommodation were all under 1,000 pesos per night. Whilst we were there Marilou bought some T’Boli pashminas (batik shawls) and we tasted the tilapia fingerlings chicharon which were excellent. We had to leave sooner than we had wished as we were to visit the Dole Country Club at Polomolok on the way back to Gen San. The approach to the Dole complex is a bit of a mystery tour to be honest it must be the best kept secret in the south of Mindanao. You have to pass through pineapple plantations that stretch for miles in order to arrive at a gated compound where entry is by invitation only and after asking for my name and checking his list the security guard told me to bugger off, only joking! Once inside the compound it’s like entering another world with the houses arranged in avenues of pine trees all the way past the private school to the club house and leisure complex with swimming pool and golf course immaculately kept. I was impressed with the standard of everything within the complex; whoever is the CEO of this particular facility has excellence as his byword.

So it was back to Gen San to grab a quick lunch at Marilou’s cousins house then on to Isla Parilla to check in and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the pool and trying our hand at fishing and considering it’s a fish farm we might as well have gone to the wet market in Gen San for all the luck we had. I think Marilou is a jinx when it comes to fishing.

Later that evening we went to a local BBQ restaurant called McDo (formerly called 4 Brothers) for those who know Gen San. When we arrived there was a brown out I thought this was part of the atmosphere until the lights came back on just after sitting down at our table to discover the whole place was filled with smoke from the BBQ burners and the candles. It was so smokey Marilou tried several times to take photographs without success until the smoke cleared. The BBQ was superb with the speciality being essol no prizes for guessing what part of the manok this is but just in case you’re struggling, there is only one and its dual purpose. I must have eaten 5 sticks of this particular delicacy and enjoyed every one of them. (Now I know why it’s dark in there). Following our meal I was then informed that by eating there I had tasted the real Gen San BBQ. So it was back to Isla Parilla for a nightcap of sashimi (raw tuna cubes with wasabi and soy sauce) and some cold beers to wash it down.

Next morning following breakfast we headed for what we were informed was one of the nicest beaches in the Sarangani Bay area at a place called Glan. Once again the roads were excellent and the drive down the eastern side of Sarangani Bay gave me new scenery to look at. The resort we visited was well worth the journey as so far this area has not yet been commercialized. The Rosal Beach Resort comprised of pure white sands and the beach itself stretched as far as half a kilometre each side of the resort. With the blue waters of the bay and the white sands it was truly a tropical paradise to behold.
The resort is currently being developed with a two storey accommodation facility being built with approximately ten rooms available when completed.

This location will be a place to go in the future for those who enjoy the tranquil life.
So once again it was back to Gen San as Marilou had a hidden agenda or should I say a mission to complete. Marilou has been communicating by email with Ms Rue Ramas for over a year now since she is interested in Rue’s craft industry in converting the humble corn husk into all kinds of beautiful items such as decorative flowers, native dolls and all types of ladies bags to mention but a few of the items. Rue has been organising and holding seminars all over the Philippines for many years encouraging this type of handicraft in conjunction with government and educational agencies.

After visiting the Gen San corn craft centre where all the goods made from the waste corn husks are available to purchase we were invited by Rue to drop in at her house in the city. When we arrived we were informed that we would be guest guinea pigs to sample the culinary delights of a new restaurant venture opening soon located within the garden of Rue’s house. The Red Trellis Seafood Garden Restaurant is owned and managed by George Sandoval a well known local business man and the theme is a Japanese Garden. I must confess when the offer to sample the new menu was made we were delighted and not being one to disappoint a chef was looking forward to this pleasant experience. So just imagine the setting Marilou and myself in the company of two amazing hosts in a little corner of Japan in the city of Gen San awaiting a feast. And when the dishes started to appear I was like a dog with six bones not knowing which one to chew first. The food I must stress is not Japanese only the theme of the restaurant. The food is entirely Pinoy and comprises the best of the entire Philippines not just regional. I could have continued eating long after lunchtime had passed with superb food and such entertaining company I just know this venue will be a success due to the commitment for quality and service. Good luck George with this truly original venture in a city which is really progressive.

Following 10 rounds with Manny Paquiao I was ready to go out again that evening for dinner and there was another delight in store for us with a visit to Sarangani Highlands. This particular restaurant overlooks the Sarangani Bay and is famous for viewing the setting sun over the bay. Unfortunately on the evening we were there the cloud cover prevented us from witnessing the sunset but dinner nevertheless was delicious. By the way the CR facility here must be one of the best in the Philippines with superb views, believe me.

Having packed away a lunch and dinner in the same day that would have done Bob Martin proud we were not finished yet as we stopped for dessert at Jojo’s who had surely the biggest Halo Halo if not in the Philippines, certainly in Mindanao. When it arrived I thought it would have six spoons but oh no only one. It was served in a buko shell filled to overflowing and once again I did the chef proud. After I put away my dessert with a struggle I might add I was informed that there is another place in Gen San that serves up an even bigger Halo Halo which I will be introduced to on my next visit to the city in December.

So it was back to the farm for a good night’s sleep as it was off to Davao the next day on our return journey to Talakag.

With the vehicle checked and washed and duly loaded with plants for our garden (orchids) no less and eggs of course, extra large and jumbo only the best and eggs for breakfast what else did you expect we were on our way. I almost forgot the puppy with all the extra load we were carrying back home.

With it being Sunday the roads were reasonably quiet and I had already warned Marilou no stopping to buy anything on the way as there was no room left in the vehicle. You must be joking when we reached the area where the wood carvers sell their wares she jumped out at a road block and quick as a flash she had purchased a dual purpose snowboard-serving lechon tray for a 50 kilo baboy and somehow slipped it into the back of the vehicle. On the next leg of the journey I must ensure the childproof locks are on that will stop her from jumping out to buy things. Marilou’s cousin I forgot to mention was driving her husband’s pickup on the journey to Davao as he was playing in a golf tournament there and needed the pickup to take back some materials he intended to purchase in Davao. When we reached the city proper she moved in front of me to lead the way to the hotel. I think she forgot that we were following her and the race was soon on to stay behind her. If she had drove down from CdeO with me as a passenger I would have got out and taken a Bachelor bus as it would have been safer. With her driving even the manok and the goats looked left and right before crossing the road.

Anyway we did arrive at the Bagobo House Hotel in one piece, thank god it was Sunday and not a week day as I’m sure we would have been arrested by the Highway Patrol.
Now in Davao there are restaurants and restaurants where ever one might be but when you’re with someone who knows their onions so to speak you can be guaranteed a good lunch and once again at Dencio’s we were not disappointed, try it sometime.

However to crown an eating marathon over the last few days we had dinner in the Emerald Seafood restaurant which was superb, again please try it for yourself if in Davao.
We left Davao on Monday morning at 7.45am to journey back to Talakag having spent the most enjoyable five day break I’ve had in a long time. My waist needs some work as it was sorely abused during the trip south but I at least enjoyed every mouthful.

We got back into CdeO around 2pm for those who are interested avoiding Overview to jingleize instead holding on till Jollibee in Vallencia and the total journey was about 1,000 KMs.

Having done this journey I conclude that travelling by car is the best way to see and appreciate what the Philippines has to offer scenery wise as you are up close and personal all the way, potholes and all.

I fell in love with the place

A few years ago, I had an employee working for my company, WowPhilippines.  She mostly took care of Customer assistance, packaging of customer orders and such.  She also did some blogging for me on some sites that I had back then.  This girl was from the Davao area, but more up in the mountains, going toward Bukidnon.

One day, this girl told Feyma about some land that was for sale up in that area, just very close to the border of Davao City and Bukidnon Province.  The land sounded interesting, and it was cheap, so Feyma told me about it.  Well, it really got my interest, and I immediately told Feyma, “Let’s go have a look!“   Well, the girl didn’t know exactly where the place was located, but her father did, so she made arrangements for her Father to come with us.

We headed up toward the Marilog District of Davao and picked up the father, and were headed toward Bukidnon.  As it turned out, the land that was for sale was just very, very near to a place that I was already quite familiar with, and a place that I liked a lot.  In fact, the land that we looked at was just like maybe 1/4 mile off the highway, and at the highway there was a wonderful vegetable stand where you could buy very fresh veggies that also were very cheap.  The price of the vegetables here was about 1/4 of what you would pay in the City.  So, this place was a real winner, if the land was nice.  If you recall, in our recent series of articles about where we live, I wrote that the Buda area was an area where I would like to consider retiring, and this is just 30 minutes from Buda, and even nicer, in that it is 30 minutes closer to the City!

Well, when the man told us to stop, and that we were at the land in question, we got out of the car, and had to walk a short distance.  There was no road directly to the land, but it was only a matter of putting in a driveway, and seemed it would be quite easy.

When we saw the land… WOW! Instantly, I think both Feyma and I fell in love.  I know that I did.  There was just something about this place.  Absolute peace and quiet.  Something of a down home, country feel.  Up in the hills, but a nice piece of flat land.  Nice trees, and also cleared pasture land.  There were some cows grazing in the grass.  This just felt like home to me.  There was a fairly simple looking house on the land already, although it would either need a lot of fixing up, or more likely we’d need to build a new house altogether.  This felt like home, though.

Well, this land amounted to about 2 hectares as I recall, roughly 5 acres.  Plenty big, yet not unmanageable for me and Feyma.  And, it was cheap too.  As I recall, the asking price was P200,000 (only about $4,000 or so).  I was ready to plunk down the cash for the place in a hurry, no questions asked!  I had found the place that I was looking for. I think Feyma felt the same way too.

We told the man who took us that we wanted to talk to the owner, so he took us into the little “town” along the highway and we found the old man who owned the place.  Yep, P200,000.  Then he started explaining to our guide where the land was.  Oops… it was not the land that we just looked at, it was further than that.  So, we went back for a second look, or actually a first look at the land that really was for sale.  We drove, drove, and drove a bit further, and still were not there.  Feyma and I realized that it was further off the highway than what we would want, so we turned around and headed back to town.

Sometimes I go back and look at my pictures of that place, and dream about being able to retire on that piece of land.  It really is a beautiful place.  There is a view, nice crisp cool weather.  Everything was so perfect!  I guess it just wasn’t to be, though!

Who knows… maybe we’ll find something else near there, or maybe that exact piece of land will become available someday.  You never know!

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