Davao, Philippines - December 22, 2005
I'm in Davao. Okay, how did I get here? Well, its like this. I need to get to General Santos for Christmas - girlfriend's family. The only way to do this is to get a ticket to Davao, where tomorrow I will meet her and we'll go down to General Santo together by bus. For those who don't know, I'm in Mindinao. Mindinao is the much rumored place of muslim/christian friction, kidnappings, and all the other stuff. If you tell other people Filipinas in other parts of the Philippines that you are going to Mindinao, they are always a bit shocked! But I'm here now nontheless.
To conclude other places where we left off. Well, I loved Alona Beach and Bohol, but had to get back to Cebu to connect on a flight to get to Davao. The next morning was just as beautiful as the night before. Once back in Tagbilaran, we boarded a ferry for Cebu. One thing I love about the Philippines, is the many musicians everywhere. We were entertained by yet another live band while waiting for our ferry. Beautiful music!!
Once back in Cebu, I was once again overwhelmed by the many foreigners everywhere in that city, particularly around the malls and such. Seems like to many are married or involved with a Filipina. Often times with kids and everything else.
Well, now I'm in Davao. There is a strange absense of foreigners altogether. In Cebu, I could hardly go 10 minutes without seeing another foreigner around. In Davao, I've seen very very few. That being said, there are many interesting observations of Davao so far!
First observation was how honest the taxi drivers are here! The used the meter right from the airport. In fact, as we left the airport, I received a slip of paper from the authorities to report him if he didn't use the meter or seemed dishonest in any way whatsoever. I also saw signs coming into the city about zero tolerance for drug usage and drug abuse. Which brings me to another story by girlfriend told me. Supposedly, the major of this town is so strict that he had his own son put to death for being involved with drugs. In that sense, this city feels much like Singapore in many ways. Its also noticeably cleaner than either Manila or Cebu. That was another shock to me.
Another observation is that not only muslim is common with Mindinao - as I saw my first Islamic Bank here. But also the evangical christianity is common here. I don't see the many catholic and rosary type messages so prevalent in Manila and Cebu. Instead I see many protestant christian type stuff everywhere instead. In fact, my taxi driver was playing christian music. It feels a lot different here than Cebu.
The only really strange part of here is the lack of foreigners. I went to the mall today - the malls seem to be where everything happens in these hot Philippines cities. I've yet to see another foreigner in here either. Later tonight, I'll go back to my guesthouse and probably call it a night. Tomorrow, I will go to the airport and pick up my girlfriend. As its almost Christmas, we couldn't get the same flights. Anyhow, here is to Davao, and tomorrow its General Santos!
One last observation. I've seen few of the muslim headscarves, but I have a small number of different types of tee-shirts with the American flag on them. Kind of interesting. I can't make sense of it yet, as our images of Mindinao is a bit skewed. But I've heard the main cities in Mindinao are predominately christian whereas the rural areas are predominately muslim. So I'm going to guess it has something to do with that. Anyways, Mindinao is quite a surprise. If it means anything, the people as a whole seem a lot more attractive-looking as well than they did in Cebu and Manila. Not sure what to make of that either. But I'm now in Mindinao anyways!
Another note. People down here seem noticeably more attractive than they did in Cebu or Manila. Not sure what thats all about. Maybe I'm biased as my girlfriend is also from Mindinao, but its very noticeable.
One last note about Davao. Its also referred to as 'little tokyo' because the Japanese had a lot to do with the growth of this city. Not entirely sure the reasons behind that, but its also interesting in itself as well. I've also seen quite a few tee-shirts with Japanese writing on them, kind of a popular fad here, one I didn't see in Cebu or Manila.
Continued journal entries in the Philippines:
December 23, 2005
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Wintermoon2@yahoo.com