Philippine Eagle Center of Davao, Malagos Garden Resort, and HITO!

Davao City is known for 4 things:  the hellishly delicious Durian, the Waling-waling, majestic Mt. Apo, and last but not least, The Philippine Monkey-eating-Eagle.

of late, [meaning: probably in the past decade or so]  "Hito-an"s have become popular as well.  A Hito-an is a place that serves Hito [catfish] as it's specialty.  Hito, being fresh-water fish have become very abundant in Davao because it can be easily farmed, hence it is also very affordable.  It is cooked in numerous ways but is most popularly ordered either deep-fried or grilled.

I have had the chance to revisit three places which are a 'must-do' by tourists and locals alike in the last 2 months and i must say, though a bit far from the city-proper, they were worth every second of my visit.

Philippine Eagle Center of Davao

Home to the king of all eagles as well as many other birds and some native wild animals.

This beautiful bird greets you as you enter the main park area.

Lush bamboo, also a rare sight nowadays

Meet Dakila, he peers right back at you

It is located at the Davao City Water District’s (DCWD) Watershed Park in Malagos.
Travel Time from city proper: 30-45 minutes without traffic, go south and take the Calinan road at the Ulas Junction
Entrance Fee: P20.00 per person
My recommendation:  go there either really early in the morning or around 4pm to avoid the intense midday heat; more importantly, slather on mosquito repellent lotion.  There are souvenir stands at the entrance area selling everything from sari-sari store products to batik to souvenir shirts.  There is also a boa constrictor at the entrance you can take a picture with, hold or drape over your shoulder for a 'donation'.  i steered clear of this one as snakes freak me out, but there was quite a crowd gathered around the brave of heart.

Malagos Garden Resort

i had the chance to visit the place because of my daughter's recent field trip. Please click on the name[link] for details about the place.
Entrance fee: P120.00
My experience:We were treated with a nature show which showcased the animals living in the resort, and they provided us with a good background on each specie and some trivia about them.  It was very interesting especially for the little ones.  The place is huge and the tour was quite exhausting but worth it just the same.  they had a huge playground which the children enjoyed the most.
My recommendation:  same as with the Philippine eagle Center, it is better to avoid the midday heat but if you still opt to go there to enjoy their restaurant offerings for lunch, there are many shaded places and covered buildings to stay in.  and DON'T forget the repellent lotion!

the welcome dance at the start of the show

a miniature pony and his mama

a family of ducks running for show

a family of birds who ran away as we neared them

a finely-plumed bird, the picture doesn't do it justice

i would still recommend that you take your lunch or dinner at one of the Hito-ans that line the main road [Calinan] either before going to Malagos or right after your trip there.  The deep-fried Hito alone will make the whole trip worth your while and will be a very satisfying ending to your little nature trip!

grilled hito

my personal favorite - deep-fried hito,  add steaming-hot rice and spicy soy sauce and calamansi dip and you are in gastronomic heaven!

Durian, the king of all fruits

it's already mid-september and durian season is still at it's peak.

but then again durian is no longer a seasonal fruit.  you can find them practically anytime in fruit stands all over the city.  but all fruit loving people know that durian, like most fruits, is at its best and sweetest [not to mention at its CHEAPEST too] when it is in its original season [am i making sense or what, anyway, you all know where i'm going here].

question: is there a relation as to why we celebrate Kadayawan on the month where the now ubiquitous fruit is at it's peak season.  Durian, anyway is one of the few things our city is known for.  It is one of the symbols which we proudly carry, along with the Philippine Eagle and the Waling-waling.  anybody wanna answer that?

only in davao!

i kinda get why some people find it repulsive, thankfully i am not one of them.  my sister has headaches if she gets a whiff of the fruit, while i try not to wash with soap after eating it so i can smell my fingers every so often.  it's such a pity that a lot of people find this creamy, bittersweet, and heady fruit disgusting.  they even compare it to rotten unmentionables.

i 'pshawed' at the fact that Mario Batali, who is a world renowned chef, hates it.  and Andrew Zimmern, who is supposedly one of the most adventurous foodies ever, failed miserably not once but three times in his meeting with the king of all fruits.  That is why i adore Anthony Bourdain who is the REAL deal for me; he immerses himself in the typical-everyday-life of every city he visits, eats the food that the locals eat, in places where the locals eat them and that to me, is how we should experience places we visit.  Oh, and he loves durian too. Check out this link and pshaw with me now. =P

so i dare you to take that first step, give durian a try.  i promise you that one bite into its creamy flesh will transport you to another level of gastronomic pleasure, go ahead, close your eyes and enjoy it as it melts in your mouth and lingers in your taste buds long after.  in this case, there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

p.s. yes, you love the taste but still hate the smell, the trick is to rub your fingertips on the white, inner side of it's shell, i repeat, the white inner side of it's shell.  we don't want you bleeding now.

get rid of the smell by rubbing your fingertips against that white part of the inner shell, and no, that part can't be eaten.

note: first and last pictures from here.  middle photo is courtesy of my trusty phone camera.  Cello's Doughnuts and Dips is located at Gov. Sales St.  in front of Chimes.

Davao, my love

in one of my friend's posts over at multiply, another friend asked her if it would be nice to live in Davao.  my friend, who is from Cebu, told her that i would be the best person to ask since i think i'm the only friend in our circle who is from here and who actually lives here now.

so this was my answer to her question:

if you want: to get many things done in a day; less smog; less traffic; more nature; a simpler life; a more laid-back life; inexpensive restaurants; easy access to cool mountain air; quick trips to the islands and white sand beaches; a typhoon-free life; cheap and abundant fruits and veggies; to live near a church, a school, a mall, a bank, a supermarket; and everything else good in between, he he,come live in DAVAO.

of course, it's much less exciting than life in bigger cities like manila and cebu ; less variety in terms of venues for gustatory delights, bars, and shopping destinations;  less 'fabulous'-looking people [meaning: people who look like they just stepped out of the fashion runway]; there aren't any skyscrapers to marvel at, and the city streets are practically devoid of cars by 2am on a weekday.

he he, i just wanted to tone it down a bit, people might think i love DAVAO too much. =P

it made me realize once again how lucky i am to live in a city like davao.  and this is something big coming from someone who always daydreams about traveling far and wide, and finding the perfect quaint little city where i can settle and live in.  and i daydream all the time, even if i'm in the middle of my thousand and one activities each day.

i realize now that each and every word i wrote about why i love DAVAO is precisely what i imagine my dream destination to be.  i'm actually living in my dream city!  of course, Davao can never be called little nor quaint, but i have everything i need here and woe is me for having only realized this now. =P


the above pic borrowed from here.