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DELIGHTFUL DAVAO
roadblocks where police clamp down
on speeding drivers.
The oddly intimate geography of
the place helps account for the fact
that its many dimly lit alleyways, well
off the main drag, are packed with
alluring eateries. My guide takes me
to Belito’s Vineyard, a cul-de-sac
charmer so secluded it feels as if I’ve
been transported to a rustic village
deep in
taga-bukid
country. Yet it’s
first class, both as an introduction to
the seafood-rich local cuisine (
kinilaw
is particularly good here) and to the
warm hospitality of the Dabawenyos.
One thing you notice straight away
is the affordability of the food and
drinks here as compared toManila or
Boracay. Likewise, commercial rents
are up to four times cheaper here for
start-ups, and private accommodations
are just as affordable. Neat freak that I
am, I clue in to yet another element of
Davao’s magnetic appeal the moment
I exit the restaurant: the streets are
spotless. So much so that during
my four-day stay, I see exactly one
small pile of litter by the road. It’s a
remarkably clean place, with recycling
bins distributed throughout the city
center and a citywide ban on outdoor
smoking except in designated areas.
I strike up a conversation with
frequent traveler Dan Andrews, a
native of the US state of Pennsylvania
who owns a manufacturing business
in California, holds business seminars
in Hong Kong and now calls Davao
home. I ask himwhat makes this city
the perfect base for him. “I’ve been
visiting Davao for over two years now
and I have many friends in the area for
business,” he says. “Davao is one of the
best places in the Philippines to hire,
and it was that, along with my love of
pick-up basketball, that brought me
here initially. I’ve found that during
the times I needed to be based in the
Philippines, it’s the spot with the best
mix of things to do but still a slow pace
of life. Beyond that, there’s the easy
access to nature and quiet.”
Dan’s words returned to me that
night as I plugged in to my decidedly
First World-speed hotel Wi-Fi,
downloaded Google Maps and vowed
to take a break from the virtual world
the next day and step into something
significantly more real.
Mountain to sea
“Relax. Explore. Repeat.” So says the
TourismPromotions Board’s slogan
for Davao, which appears in a video
picturing vast open spaces, glimmering
lakes and hike-friendly mountains.
Happy to do the tourist board’s bidding,
at sun-up I head over to the lofty Eden
Nature Park & Resort, which is an
hour from town via the city’s western
Clockwise from top: the Davao City Legislative
Building; signature products at Sea Green Café; a
sampling of the café’s healthy brunch offerings; a
viewing deck at the Malagos Garden Resort
PHOTOS BY JOREM CATILO AND (LEGISLATIVE BUILDING) JOJIE ALCANTARA.
