The other day, I set out to go to Samal Island. I was excited to go, because it had been a while since I had gone to Samal, so this was indeed a journey for me! For regular readers, you will likely remember that I used to write relatively often about Samal and the time I would spend there. In the past year or so, though, I have not written much about Samal.
Life gets busy sometimes, and other activities get in the way of what we really want to do. Sometimes we let work get the better of us, and we spend our entire days behind a desk, and in front of a computer… or whatever it is your job requires of you. For me, working means being here at my desk with a keyboard under my fingertips. I enjoy what I do, but if I do it too much, I guess I lose touch with what is more important to me.
So, on Monday, Feyma and my Anniversary Day, 20 Years of married life, we decided to set out for Samal Island. It had been a long time since I had journeyed to Samal, although Feyma goes over fairly regularly still. I honestly could not remember how long it had been for me since my last trek to Samal Island. As I thought about it, I guess it was at least a year since I had set foot on the Island, which is about 10 minutes boat ride from Davao City, where I live.
So close, yet so far away.
Yes, just 10 minutes away on the boat, but when you are on Samal you feel so far away from the hustle and bustle of the City life. It is like you are stepping back in time. Things are more relaxed. Less frantic. More friendly. Less City. I like it. I had forgotten how much I liked it.
Basically, on our Anniversary, we wanted to just get away from the daily life and romp around the island a bit. Feyma and I own a piece of land there, nearly 1,000 square meters. It is up on a hilltop, overlooking Davao City, straight across from the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City’s finest hotel. The view from our place is spectacular, and I missed seeing it. We wanted to drive around to familiar spots on the Island and check it out. Feyma told me to expect changes, I just wasn’t sure how much things would have changed.
Our first goal was to head to Limao, the Barangay where our land is located. As we drove from the Ferry landing, near Babak, south to Limao, it struck me that the roads had sure gotten bad in the time of my absence! It didn’t help that it had rained quite heavily throughout Sunday night, before our Monday morning visit. The roads were very muddy, lots of potholes and lots of puddles along the way. As we approached a new resort community development, Playa Azelea, the roads were like a mud pie. I was convinced that we were going to get stuck, but luckily we made it through. Playa Azelea, the coming resort community is located right in front of our land, down the hill at the bottom near the Davao Gulf. Things had progressed there, although not as quickly as I had expected them to.
When we turned off of the coastal road and headed up the hill to our property, the road quickly improved, and I felt more at ease on a dry and more rocky road. No way we would be stuck here! When we got to the area where our land is, I was really pleasantly surprised. A lot of clearing of tall grasses and small trees had been done in the area, and the views from there were the best I had ever seen. A lot of lots in the area that never had a view previously had spectacular views now! Wow! Beautiful!
After leaving our place, we headed further south to Penaplata, on the central east coast of the Island. Things looked pretty much the same, so we headed back toward Babak on the interior paved road. Still a smooth highway all the way to Babak, paved all the way, and a fast drive! Well, at least I drive fast on that road. Along the way, I was driving very fast, probably faster than I should, and I passed a SUV type vehicle. Upon passing him, I saw big red letters written on the front of the vehicle “POLICE”. I chuckled and mentioned to Feyma that it was a Police vehicle that I had just passed. I must have been going at least twice his speed, maybe more. I told Feyma, if we were in the States, I’d be hearing sirens now, but we are int he Philippines where it doesn’t matter as long as you don’t get in an accident! What a life!
After arriving in Babak, we headed further north, although on dirt roads again, to Holiday Ocean View, a high end development being put up by the Bongayan family. They will have a housing neighborhood, a hotel (I believe), a day spa area, and they have already completed Mindanao’s first Marina. Beautiful! Things are moving ahead nicely at Holiday Ocean View, and I was impressed. There is one house which appears to be completed in the housing area. I am not sure if it is a model home, or an already occupied house, either way, it was quite nice looking. It’s nice to see development moving forward so quickly on the Island!
When we started heading toward the Island in the morning, we were sitting at the Davao side of the Ferry terminal, and I noticed a sign there for Phoenix Gas Station. It said that they already had a location at Samal, and that the price was the same as in the City! I was surprised, because usually Gas is more expensive at the few Gas Stations on the Island, due, I presume to transportation costs. When we got to the Island, I was surprised that the new Phoenix station included a Central Convenience Store too, and was located right at the Samal side of the Ferry Terminal. Very nice, I was impressed by it.
There are so many new projects going up on the Island. It does make me wonder how much longer it will be a slow pace of life on the Island. It just seems that maybe the City is moving across the water right now. I hope not, and I expect that the people of Samal will protect against that as long as possible.
My journey to Samal was a good one. I’m not waiting a year to go back this time! I can remember the time, just a few years ago when I would go to Samal 4 or 5 times per week, every week! I want to commit to getting over there at least once per month in the future! I need to recharge my batteries, and that’s a nice place to do it. I deserve it, I think!
Bob,
It’s always good to have a special place to recharge your battery; even more special when you have that special someone to recharge your battery with, too. Samal Island sounds like a great place. Anafe, my fiancee, tells me that Davao is a really nice city. I hope one day she and I and her daughter can visit both places.
Hi Greg – Indeed, Samal is a wonderful place, as is Davao City as well! I hope that you do have an opportunity to visit sometime! I am sure you will enjoy it.
Hey Bob, this is probably going to seem rather personal but if you like it there so much why haven’t you developed the land you own there? It sounds like a great place to live.
Hopefully on my next trip, in about 50 days, I can make it to Davao and we can have some coffee or something. The more I read about Davao and the surrounding area the more I would like to see it.
Hi Todd – No problem answering the question. If you look back over this blog, I have answered this very question probably 100 times already! 😆 Why not one more? 😉
Why am I not living on Samal? Why haven’t I built my house there yet? Well, because Feyma and I have children. There are no good schools on Samal. If our kids would commute back and forth to Davao daily for school it would add 2 hours worth of commute to their school day, which is already 10 hours long with travel time. I am not willing to move to Samal for my own pleasure and subject 3 kids to 12 hour days, 5 days per week. It’s that simple.
I’d be happy to do coffee or lunch when you are in Davao! Just let me know! 😀
Well that makes a lot of sense!! Darn those kids! LOL. Well you sure have something to look forward to!
By the way, what would a piece of land like yours, or close to being like yours, cost on a place like Samal? Gotta get married first but I would absolutely be thrilled to own a decent patch of land like you have.
You know what, I cannot wait till the time I sit down with you and have some coffee and chat. When I am not in the filipines you are the closest thing (besides my fiance) to the filipines I have. I miss it there so much, if I could just figure out a way to make enough on the internet to live their full time I would. I am getting closer, but not close enough for my liking.
Hi Todd – Land prices vary a lot. We have a pretty prime view lot, the best in the area where we own. The land there has appreciated in value a lot in the past few years, primarily due to a resort coming in very nearby. Land near where ours is has been going for about P2,500 per square meter.
Hi Bob – thanks for your update on Samal. I had wondered if you’d not been going there as much, since you hadn’t been writing about.
Good to see your Journey to Samal was fulfilling. I hope ours will be as well.
Hi Randy – Yeah, I’ve just been too engrossed in work. During the bad economic times around the world, I have found that I have had to work a lot harder to earn a living than I used to! That’s OK, though… it made spending some time on the island more meaningful when I did make it over there!
Yes Bob, I too, had been wondering why not much mention of Samal lately. I concur with your previously intimated thoughts that perhaps the area where you have your land might suffer from over development. It’s one of the things that put us off buying land there, in fact. I’m just wondering if there has been any building going on up there yet, aside from the vegetation clearances you mentioned?
So far, Jim, there has been no construction in the neighborhood where we are. There is a German who was supposed to build a couple of years ago, but he postponed his construction. There is a brand new, and very fancy house that was just built very nearby, though. Things are moving forward.
Hi Bob the way u describe ur lot in Limao seem to me that its just nearby the lot we acquired there… did u mean the fancy white house on the hill overlooking davao is near ur lot?
The White House of Samal was probably fancy back in the day. Today it is really in a state of disrepair. The house was built in the 1920’s.
Thanks for the article, my wife are going to Samal to check on our 1000 Square meters plot around middle of September this year (we also bought hilltop land with a great view as well in babak district near San Isidro going through Tambo).
I also plan to tour around the island to see changes as have not been for a few years now. I don’t plan buiding on it for several more years, but wonder if you have already sourced a supplier for the materials, work force etc when you plan to start, or will you bring it all from Davao?
Hi PaulB – It will probably be 5 or 6 years before we build on our land. So far, we have not started formulating a plan for the building materials. Many will probably have to be brought over from the City, but we will have to see.
Hi bob good story ,we are nearly finished paying for our land there if you travelled along the bitu,en?concrete road then somewhere there is a turnoff to our lot we are going to ask the agent the next time she goes there to see if any homes are being built and what style they are if she can send us a photo if any , i have not seen our land yet but my wife tells me you can see davao and across the gulf but even if not i dont care as there are some fantastic places there or so i have seen on the net someone said they were considering building a sm there i hope not the island has the paradise feel about it why turn it into little davao and there would be no need to go to town
chris
That rumor about possibly building an SM has been going around, but is simply untrue, chris. Samal is way too small to support an SM. Good luck with your place, I hope that everything works out well for you!
Hi bob, sorry to have missed you. Belated happy anniversary by the way. If you were here on Sunday, you will catch me probably cleaning our sailboat – my only day free to do so. 🙂
Hi Ellen – Thank you! I am sorry that we missed you when we visited Samal last week! Maybe we will make it over on a Sunday sometime soon so that we can touch base, it’s been a long time! Take care.
We were on Samal a few weeks ago and I noticed the new stores also. That road behind the resorts was very muddy with lots of potholes. But we went all the way down and turned left to go up the mountain by Limao. The White house has a new stone wall, but everything near our land seemed the same. We also stopped by Paradise island for a swim.
Hi Kevin – Yes, I saw the new wall around the White House as well, it’s quite nice looking! They have cleared some land around the area too, which looked great. Hope you had a good visit!
Hay Bob….
I too love it here in Fhili….
my wife and I are building a house on Bohol… a magical place…everybody smiles
I must admit…from the warnings I have heard.. I am hesitant to visit Mindanao.. but want too as we both have friends there.
I feel completely safe here on Bohol, so many new friends here.
Hi Rob – Did you ever notice that the warnings always come from people who have never been to Mindanao? I’ve been coming to Mindanao for 20 years. I’ve lived here permanently for more than 10 years. I’m still alive. Nothing magical about that. It’s safe here.