Aside from durians and the Philippine eagle, Davao is also known for its variety of beautiful orchids. That’s what greeted me when I arrived at the Davao International Airport a few weeks ago when I visited the place again. I was not happy with the shots I have taken but here are some of the shots anyway right at the airport.

Of course, since I’m a student of architecture, I also took a few shots of the airport — all hurriedly done.  Oh well…

It was nice to have visited the place again where my family and I once lived for some seven years. The orchids reminded me of my wife’s orchids when were still living in Davao.

There was a time back in the 60s when bus travel from my hometown of Bayugan to the city of Butuan really took a long, long time. If I recall rightly, I think that it took about two hours to get there. I could be wrong but that was how I remembered it as a young boy back then. According to Google it’s only 43.5 kilometers and it only now takes 57 minutes to go there. Back then, the roads were very rough and dusty. And I could still remember that the ladies including my mom would put on their bandanas to cover their heads from all the dirt and dust as we travelled on bumpy and dusty roads. The buses had entrances and exits on the right side of the bus on each row of seats. It was “air-conditioned” alright and you have to climb up to the bus to get on board!

Travel by Bus

Times have changed. A few weeks ago I was in Cagayan de Oro and I travelled by bus to my home city in Bayugan. A young friend offered to bring me there using his car but I declined because I thought that was a really long, long drive away from his home.

I was surprised that in Cagayan de Oro, they now have a diversion road along the seashore from the bus terminal in Agora going towards the east on our way to Butuan without passing through the inner city. It was great to see the seashore as we began our travel through this new road which avoided going through traffic inside the city.

Bus Travel Much Improved

The aircon buses are a great improvement and comfort from what I had experienced during my boyhood years. They also have movies to pass the time away as we travelled on. But I enjoyed more looking outside at the sceneries all around me as we moved along. I actually have seen all the movies anyway. The bus stopped in so many towns but I did not mind it at all. I was in no hurry. I enjoyed watching the people and the places all along the way. I actually took the wrong bus. I learned later that my travel would have been faster had I taken a bus that only stopped a few times. Oh well, I did not know it but I enjoyed the ride anyway. It’s been decades that I have used a bus on this route.

Much Improved Road Conditions

I also remember back in 1986 that the Bukidnon-Davao Road (BUDA) was really a rough dirt road. Concrete roads were only in some portions from Cagayan de Oro to somewhere in Valencia, Bukidnon. Back in 2005 (if I recall rightly) I drove all the way from Davao City to Zamboanga City and many portions of the road were still unpaved and rough but road construction was ongoing all over Mindanao during that time. I also experienced the rough roads from Davao to Agusan.

Back in July I also travelled by bus for 3 hours from Zamboanga City to Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay. I’m glad all the major roads (national road) are all paved now all over Mindanao. Bus travel in Mindanao has now really improved a lot.

Lesser Checkpoints Than Before

And to my surprise, there was not much military checkpoints all along the way! And it’s supposed to be martial law in Mindanao right now. It is still in force. Back then, when I travelled in Zamboanga to Ipil and back, I could see lots of checkpoints along the way. It felt like there was a checkpoint every 10 kilometers  hahaha! It’s different now.

I’m just glad Mindanao’s roads have improved a lot including bus transportation. It was great to have experienced riding a bus once again in Mindanao.

I was again on the road as I was invited to visit our local churches in the province of Bukidnon. During my early years as a ministerial trainee, my wife and I along with my 6-year old daughter lived there for about one year in Don Carlos, Bukidnon back in 1986-1987.

Simple Provincial Life

Life was simple. No TV and there was no internet yet. Back then, the roads were very rough — very dusty when dry and very muddy when wet. I can’t forget a comment from one of our Australian regional directors back then who said that he felt like “scrambled eggs” inside the tiny, off-the-road jeep called Suzuki Beaver hahaha! They have good roads now.

From a city dweller in the big city of Metro Manila, we were deployed to the very remote place called Don Carlos, Bukidnon where we lived with simple, down-to-earth folks untainted by the sophistication of city life. At first, it was tough adjusting to the new rural, agricultural and cultural setting but we have grown to love the people there over the years. Some have gone ahead and some are still living but now frail and sickly and many of those whom I knew since 1986 are now senior citizens like me. We had two congregations back then — one in Barangay Kiara in the town of Don Carlos and the other one was in the town of Maramag, all in the province of Bukidnon.

Back then, as a young ministerial trainee, I asked God why he would send me and my family there in that very remote place. I thought back then that it was a very remote and backward place haha! I have no regrets now. God surely knows what he’s doing in me — as he lives his life in me (Gal. 2:20). I now understand that I should gladly participate and enjoy life and love in him as he leads me and guide me in whatever circumstance, whenever or wherever it might happen to be. Thank you Lord for allowing me to enjoy life and love in you!

Bukidnon’s Majestic Mountains

One of the things that I really loved about the place is its majestic mountains, natural beautiful sceneries all around, fresh fruits and of course the gentle, lovable people of Bukidnon.

From the Davao International Airport, I was picked up and brought to Maramag, Bukidnon. Along the way, we passed by what is called the “Overview” where one can get a good view of the vast land and open skies of Bukidnon. We had heavy rains along the way and so it was still a bit cloudy and dark when we went up to the peak. But it was well worth it to visit the “overview” once again. Things have changed. They now have small stores and souvenir shops there and so we stopped for a while, had coffee and chatted with the folks in the place. I speak fluent Cebuano by the way.

As usual, I took some shots and a few videoclips as I normally do. It was great to have been invited by people whom you have grown to love. I thank God for this blessing and opportunity for such visits.

It’s always a joy to see good old friends once again. Surely God made us for loving relationships. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit has been enjoying their life and love for all eternity. God wants us to participate in this divine life and love — this ‘great dance.’  I felt loved by my friends in the Lord in Bukidnon. I hope to be back there again soon!

After that car problem we encountered in Tarlac, my wife wanted to stay a day more in Baguio City and so we did. We usually go to Baguio City every year at Teachers Camp for a worship festival organized by my denomination, the Grace Communion International.

After checking out at Teachers Camp, we moved to the South Drive Baguio Manor. We have stayed in this hotel a few times previously so we felt comfortable at this place. It’s just a few hundred meters or so away from Teachers Camp. They have fast internet connection which we all loved.

Anyway, just before we went home, a friend from Baguio suggested two tourist sites which we might consider visiting aside from the usual places tourists go to. The other place was closed on Mondays so we decided to go to the Heritage Hill and Nature Park Garden. It is more popularly known as the Diplomat Hotel or the Dominican Hill Retreat House. These are ruins of an old building built during the early 1900s. It is located high up on a hill overlooking the city. One can get a good view of the city from up above. It has a rich history which my family is interested in and I myself is also interested in buildings — architecture.

When I first looked at the building, I was immediately reminded of my alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas (UST), founded by Dominican priests in 1611. Both buildings are obviously similar in look and design. Going around inside the building, I also noticed the same basic floor plan just like at UST. And to my surprise a few days later as I checked Google again, I found out that both these buildings were designed and built by the same Spanish priest and engineer, Fr. Roque Roaño, O.P. sometime during the early 1900s. No wonder they look similar! You might say that this Dominican Retreat House is the smaller version of UST.

It is now the property of the city government. Below are some of my shots of that place. Just click at the photos to zoom:

Due to my health condition, my wife and I visit the Nuvali Lakeside Picnic Grounds at least twice each week for an early morning brisk walk in the hope that it will help improve my health somewhat. It actually feels good when I’m able to have my morning exercise.

The place is really quite nice and it has lots of scenic spots which I can’t help but take snapshots of. I guess I’ll never get out of this habit of taking snapshots wherever I go. Every time my wife and I go there, I always take snapshots and short videos. It has become a habit. If I have the time, I will gather all those shots and make it into one album and share it here in my blog site. For most of my recent shots (photos and videos), I’ve been using my Sony Xperia (F3216) smartphone.

Let me share a video which I took today at Nuvali.