Davao 2017 (Part 6)
This was mentioned to us by the taxi driver when we arrived and never would have thought of it again until it was mentioned again by Sir Edison. He wasn't as chatty as Sir Diego but all the same his suggestions are more than welcome. The only places I thought we'd be going to today are just the Bone Museum and the Crocodile Park so adding this have brought another smile at my face!
If you've ever been to any old school park, THIS IS EXACTLY IT! They have those concrete statues in brightly colored paint with features that are bad copies of the originals. It is also a bit unkempt (well maintenance?) but I bet on a good day teachers and families would have a good time here. It is a huge park, it's not hard to imagine that it has seen pretty good days. There are also so many places to hang out, a swimming pool, a restaurant, picnic tables, there's a small area there for horses and even to play ball. Maybe on a weekend there would be more people here. I do hope though they do fully renovate the place, like newer facilities perhaps? They have a huge ground for more activities after all. Again, some stream in the middle of the park with fishes would dramatically improve the place. Entrance is 80PHP per head.
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And oh, they have a small Japanese tunnel which has a funny surprise in the middle. You either get kids traumatized for life or have a good laugh. Enjoy!
+ Davao Crocodile Park +
It appears that in spite of being in the city, going there is another feat as well. It's like in the middle of a private land with almost nothing on it yet, not even public transportation. It's like what BGC was when it was just all lots.
Entrance is 250PHP per head. They have tons of crocodiles here together with other various animals from the domesticated to the wild (if we can call it still that). Kids would definitely have a good time here. The cages are clean, their animals look healthy. Now caveat parents, if you intend to bring your kids here and give in to all of their whims, BRING ENOUGH CASH. They allow feeding the animals but only if you are willing to pay. In our case, our middle sister was able to spend 100PHP in total: 40PHP for feeding one bengal tiger (THEY ARE SO CUTE!), 20PHP for Koi feed (your kids will truly enjoy this) and 40PHP for a printed photo with a snake.
They also have a viewing of the crocodile feeding frenzy (check their schedules and the announcement which cage) which looks safe for as long as the feeder doesn't slip nor some of them go rogue.
We're supposed to eat here at the Tribu K Mindanawan Village but none of us are that hungry yet so after sometime we decided to leave (we're supposed to buy some type of flute but the owner is missing).
+ Ponce Suites +
Another suggestion of Sir Edison, this I have missed hearing about. Ponce Suites is a hotel / museum of sorts with art overflowing all over. It's not hard to miss, the hotel has huge statues in front that are truly pretty. If you're not going to stay on the hotel, you are given the option to just pay the entrance to roam which is 100PHP/head. The top floor is probably my favorite since it looks more like a playground than a dining hall. Will probably stay here the next time. A Superior room for two with breakfast is less than 1500/night, so why not?
As it turns out, getting a van has been one of our best decisions on this trip. We've paid 5500 in total for two days which is cheaper than most would have offered to us. I mean, this is more than enough for what I've been seeing online so far. Maybe in the future when we come back we can focus in Samal Island!
Additional Notes:
a. I've only been to a few airports here in the Philippines and so far Davao is really strict when you fly out! Get yourself shoes that are easy to remove for everyone's sake.
b. Shops open late and close early in our standards.
c. If you are allergic to anything Duterte, just don't go there for now. His face is literally everywhere! Every tourist spot has his standee for starters.
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