2011 Recap :)

The year 2011 has been very good to me. :) I've had a lot of firsts which for me were very memorable and fun. So let me share with you all these blessings as I leave this year with thanksgiving in my heart. :)


1) February - we moved to our 1st brand new house. :) 

We've bought several units over the years but it's always for re-sale. Never for us. But our lessor kept on raising the rental price. So both John and me, thought of buying a new one to save us some money.

Tip: buying a house is a dead investment. But of course, since it's a basic necessity , we don't have a choice but acquire one right? So make sure that when you do invest, consider the following:

     a) location  - with the weather getting crazy these days, buy on a higher ground. That way, the risk

                          of being flooded is nil. Plus of course, it's cooler when you're on top. That's why when

                          it rains for days, I see some fogs in our neighborhood sometimes. :) 

                          Being in a gated subdivision helps. Security wise. No peddlers too so it's quiet . (This

                          means though that you need to stock up your groceries because there's no sari sari

                          store nearby.)

                          In terms of ROI - (return of investment). Incase you need to sell in the future,

                          it  may take quite sometime, but it will sell at a higher  price. Err.. this goes without

                          saying that your house has been well-maintained, of course! :)

Ok, so enough business for now. hehe... If you need my assistance, please email me through my business address: lea@davaoproperties.com .

2) April - Trip to the East Coast.

I grew up in Davao Oriental. But the farthest I've been to was a trip to Bangaga. :) So this year, we travelled all the way from Davao City to the East Coast. We passed through the towns of Lupon, Mati, Tarragona, Manay, Caraga, Bangaga, Cateel , Boston, Lingig and ended up in Mangagoy. haha.. Yes I know , we're a crazy bunch.. lol But it was fun! :) Specially the side trip to Tinuy-An Falls. Ahh... that was one beautiful place I will never forget. It's the Niagara Falls of the Philippines, after all!

        http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/06/davao-east-coast.html

3. May - Santos Land Development Corporation gave me a free trip to Singapore and Malaysia.

It's my second time to visit Singapore. John and I went there for a vacation years ago.

But my first time to go to Malaysia. :)   I loved the experience at Batu Cave. It was my first time to be in a cave too, so it was an exciting one for me. The trip to Genting Highlands was exhilirating. I will never forget what I felt when we were in the cable car for a 3 kilometer ride going there. Gee, that made me swear that I will never, ever ride in a cable car again. hehe...

      http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/05/malaysia.html

      http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/06/malacca-malaysia.html

      http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/06/malaysias-tourist-destinations-part-1.html

      http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/06/one-of-most-amazing-experiences-i-had.html

      http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/06/malaysias-tourist-destinations-part-iii.html

4.  July - My fist time in Bohol.

To say that I was excited was an understatement! Despite the very long travel ( you'll understand when you read the links), it was a memorable trip for me and my family. :) So it was all worth it...

    http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/bohol-trip-day-1.html

    http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/bohol-tour-part-2.html

    http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/tourist-attractions-in-bohol.html

5. August - Our South East Asian Trip.

Never in my wildest dreams that I'd be able to visit Thailand , Cambodia and Vietnam. But God, in His goodness, made it possible for me and John this year. We planned this trip for a year so we were prepared, except for that terrible experience at the border of Thailand and Cambodia. Wow, that was tiring! But our Angkor  experience.. was amazing. I have no words for it. Grabe!

Bangkok , Thailand:

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/bangkok-day-1-and-2.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/tourist-destinations-in-bangkok.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/bangkok-tourist-destinations-temple-of.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/bangkok-tourist-destinations-temple-of_21.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/tourist-destinations-in-bangkok-baiyoke.html  

    

Cambodia:

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/border-thailand-cambodia.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/somadevi-angkor-hotel-and-spa.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/09/angkor-archaelogical-park-bayon-temple.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/09/ta-phrom.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-first-elephant-ride.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/10/things-to-do-in-cambodia.html

You know, I just realized that I still have not posted anything on Angkor Wat itself. So with the other temples. :( So here are some photos I took then.

                                                          Angkor Wat

                                                         John and me at Banteay Srei. :)      

    

Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam:

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/10/en-route-to-ho-chi-minh-city.html

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/10/ho-chi-minh-tours.html

    

6. October - Kapatagan for a day. :)

I love this place! It was a difficult trip but it was worth it. Wow, Mt. Apo is a beauty to behold... 

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/10/day-of-respite-at-foot-of-mt-apo.html

                          Courtesy of my sister , Pearlie. :)

       

7. November - Surfing in Davao Oriental.

No, I didn't surf. hehe.. I wish! But I was able to get several shots of the Amihan Boys in Dahican , Mati. Amazing kids! :)

     http://leawalker.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-day-get-away-at-davor.html

It has been a busy year for me. :) And I am looking forward to the year 2012.

As the year ends, I would like to thank God for a life filled with blessings. And I would like to thank also the people who have been with me in this year's journey. To my family, friends and valued clients, thank you. :)

Here's to a wonderful new year for all of us. May God continue to bless us as we face the coming year.

Cheers everyone!

                                                               Lea C. Walker

                                                          leawalker.blogspot.com

                                                        www.davaoproperties.com

    

                     

Davao Oriental (Surfing And More)

It rained the previous night. So I woke up feeling cold. It's 4:16 in the morning but I thought I was just on time. I checked and sent emails, prepared breakfast and got ready to meet my family. We're going to Davao Oriental today to visit Lola Nene. Yey! :) And look for some other missing relatives. Been searching for them for quite sometime now, but no one could tell us where they moved to. :(  Sigh...

We left Davao around 7 a.m. Thirty minutes later, we were already in Madaum, Tagum City. I noticed the mountains covered with fogs and thick clouds. So I told Dandan to stop so I can take pictures. :) That's the photography addict in me. lol

              Madaum, Tagum City. (This is the same road going to Banana Beach Resort.)

Around 10:00am, we reached Lupon , Davao Oriental. We had to stop at the public market to buy rice, pork liempo and spices. We thought of having grilled pork for lunch. That's easy to prepare so it will save us time. :) Then we proceeded to Sumlog where my lola lives. Since it was raining, the farm was so quiet. Everybody was in their respective houses, probably trying to sleep. But we disturbed the peace.. ha ha.. So my aunts, lola and cousins went out to greet us. It was a surprise visit you see, so they had no idea we were arriving. Auntie Pauling said, why didn't you call? I said, it's not a surprise anymore! hehe..

While Dandan, Gerry and our other cousins were preparing lunch, a vendor came along. Bringing with him very fresh fish and squid. I love eating "adobong pusit" specially when it's very fresh! :) So I bought a kilo of those. Some for lunch and the rest for lola's consumption. She's already very old but she still works at the farm. She does not want to stay with us in the city because she misses her home. So we just try to visit her when we can. We were told a few days ago that she fell. And hit the floor face down. :( So her face got covered with bruises. She's been falling a lot lately. So she worries us. Maybe her balance is off because of her age? I don't know... John bought her a walking stick years ago and somehow it helps.

               Lola looks very fragile these days. Dandan and Blaire with her.

Time was spent for chatting. Kumusta-han, etc.. :) And of course, I had to check my pigs. I was told weeks before that one of them is pregnant. So I was really excited! The last time we visited lola I bought 2 piglets because my aunt offered to take care of them for me. That's her business, you see. She gets a share when babies are born, etc.. For me, I don't know what I'm going to do with them. Maybe let them grow into a piggery or make a "lechon" (roasted pig) out of them. hahaha.. Gee, I should be more health conscious with my age now right? Masarap daw kasi ang bawal.. Hay naku!

Then it's time for lunch. Everyone around joined us. So it was noisy and fun. lol

After lunch, we bade goodbye. Mama told lola that we're going to look for our other relatives. So she prayed for us and our safety.

An hour later, the lead turned out to be wrong. According to the neighbors, my other aunts left years ago. And moved to a remote farm. We have no idea where. Maybe we will see them again someday, when we least expect it. Sometimes, life works that way..

Since it's still early, we all decided to go to Mati, Davao Oriental. The kids wanted to swim in the beach. The rain stopped earlier so we thought , why not. :)

Finally we arrived in Dahican, Mati. I love the long stretch of white sand beach and its clear waters. But the waves are big. Blaire and Marco had so much fun watching the surfers that they decided not to swim anymore. Both are good swimmers but I think they got cold. It was windy , that's why...

PHOTOS OF THE AMIHAN BOYS:

                                                      Riding the waves!

           
A pose with Pinggoy and Dagol. They said that they're surfing because there's no class that day. Both of them are now in 3rd year High School in Dahican. :) I just had to interview them because I was so impressed! You'll understand when you see the photos below.

See.. Pinggoy and Dagol were on air for a few seconds! Cool right? We vowed to go back there in the future and learn how to surf. hehe.. I wonder if my old bones can still take it. Blaire and Marco would love it, I'm sure. Matt and Franco would too, but they're both studying in Japan...

Of course, our get-away would not be complete without picture taking right? haha

                                                    Family's sandy portrait.. lol

                                               Pearlie with Dagol in the background.

                                            Pearlie and Wemce.

                                          Nanay Ligaya and Mama.. My travel buddies. :)

Dandan, Gerry, Pinggoy, Ruben and Dagol.

You'd think we were done already right? :) But no, we're not.. Me huling hirit pa! haha

                                   Sunset in Punta Linao, Davao Oriental.

                                   The grotto near the boundary of Dav Or and Compostela Valley.

                                             Punta Linao Road and rocky mountain.

By the time we reached Tagum City, it was already dark.

We thought that since we're already there, we should do a side trip to see their famous christmas tree. :) Why not right?!

                                                           Lea C. Walker

                                                   leawalker.blogspot.com

                                                www.davaoproperties.com

Davao East Coast

                                                

Lola with a hat, she found the aircon cold. hehe

My lola has been staying at mama's house since February. But sometime in April, she said that she wanted to go home to Davao Oriental. We told her that she should just be "vacationing" at her age. But I guess, she misses it there. So off we went to Davao Oriental, since we still had 3 days left before the holy week is over.

That's when the thought of travelling the East Coast started. John found going back to Davao the same way is boring. :) With my wandering soul, I agreed. Of course, there's fear of the unknown. The farthest I went to is Banganga, Davao Oriental. And that was like a million years ago, when the roads are impassable every time it rains.

                                     The road is a lot better now.. :)

It's a good thing that internet is already available these days. Getting facts are no longer impossible, or so I thought.. After hours of searching, I found out that the roads have been concreted, mostly. But there were limited information on hotels and restaurants, after Mati.

So I contacted Ma'am cynthia, the Tourism head of Davao Oriental, through her facebook page. :) Bless her kind heart, she accomodated all my questions. And she even gave me the numbers of who to contact for when I reach there. That's really nice right? You know, that really touched me. Thank you very much, Ma'am Cynths.

Around 6am, we headed towards Sumlog, where my lola lives.

I grew up in Davao Oriental. So I have wonderful memories of the place. Ibing, my best friend , our other neighbors and I used to wash our clothes in Sumlog river. :) Water was difficult back then. We had to get it from a "poso". For a child, the big wooden handle is very heavy. But for onlookers, I think they would find it funny because as we push up the handle, it takes us on top. It felt like being in a seesaw. haha..

After taking lola home, we then proceeded to Mati. 

We stopped in Badas for a few minutes and took pictures of the "Sleeping Dinosaur". John said the mountain looked like a crocodile to him. hehe..

                                                 The Sleeping Dinosaur




As we continued our road trip, we passed by several beautiful sceneries.

 

The east coast of DavOr is full of surpises. What we've seen are just the ones beside the road. The view of the ocean is spectacular. Now I understand, why surfers go to Banganga. The waves are huge! I was also impressed with the white sand beaches in Manay. I am hoping that someday, investors would build resorts there so tourists can stay and relax for a few days.

                    Perfect for relaxation... Just take a hammock, sunscreen, food and drinks! :)

I know I would love to go boating. I'm sure others would, too.. Divers will also have a blast checking the underwater garden filled with colorful fishes and corals. I've read online that the east coast is also the home of the gentle seacows.

I know we missed a lot of tourist spots during that trip, but I don't mind. It just gave us a reason to go back one day. :)

I'd like to visit the waterfalls someday. I know the road to the pygmy forest is still difficult. But I would like to visit it. Someday... I just hope that our local government will continue to protect the said forest because it houses thousands of pygmy trees which are probably a century old.

As we reached Cateel, we had a flat tire. :( John and Dan-dan checked and replaced it. So most of us sat beside the road as we waited for them to finish it. It made me realize that the place is safe for travellers. The people greeted us with a smile as they passed by.

We left Cateel around 5pm. By the time time we reached Boston, it was already pitch dark. Since there were no restaurants around, we stopped beside the road again. Got our "baon" (rice, beefsteak and friend chicken) and ate our sumptous dinner. Thanks to my sister Pearlie for being a good cook! :)

I noticed that people were not afraid to walk in the dark. Our van was the only vehicle on the road. We've seen some motorcycles but no private or public vehicles for hours. We wondered why, when the roads are wide and concrete! It made us wonder if it's dangerous in the area. But there we were, eating beside the road and no one bothered us. We said "good evening" to everyone who passed by and they just left us alone.

Then it started raining. We couldn't see the road because of the thick fog. So John just drove slowly. Until we reached Lingig, Surigao. We were so happy to see another busy town. I loved their Sto. Nino church there.

We reached Mangagoy around 9 in the evening. Since we planned on sleeping in Cateel (John did not like the hotel I booked.. lol), we had no prior bookings in Mangagoy. Remember it was holy week. So the place was packed with vacationeers. I've seen friends from Davao when we finally found a place to sleep on.

After breakfast the next day, we then proceeded to Tinuy-an Falls. There's no sense in not checking the place out while we were there right? The problem was the rain never let on. So I lost a lot of picture-taking opportunities. haha..

Tinuy-an Falls is about 10kms away from Mangagoy City. The road is well-maintained. So even if it's not concrete, it's not difficult going there. When we reached the place, cars from all over Mindanao lined up at the entrance. We paid an entrance fee of P20.00 per person.

Finally the rain stopped. It gave us a few minutes to enjoy the place. We took pictures for souvenirs, of course!

So there I was, standing infront of this majestic waterfalls, staring at it with awe in my heart. I felt very small, realizing how magnificent the creation of God is... I stood there in the rain, trying to get a good shot. The rainshower added to the coldness of the place, so fogs started to come out.

It felt so peaceful listening to the roaring sound of the waterfalls, amidst the noise of the crowd. I have no words for it. I'm just happy that I was given the chance to be there. :)

This is only a small portion of the Philippines, a small part where tourists can enjoy its beauty. I am praying that our government will continue to develop the wonders we have in our country. So the Filipinos and the rest of the world will enjoy them, one by one...

                                                                    Lea C. Walker
                                                              leawalker.blogspot.com
                                                             www.davaoproperties.com