Arrived in Davao June 30

My first post from the Philippines is unfortunately two weeks late.  Seems like I just got here, but thinking back to the first day arriving in Manila on June 30th it seems almost a distant memory.  It always seems these long journeys are a blur, a series of long flights, airport layovers, and losing track of hours and days across time zones and the International Date Line.

I caught an earlier 9:00 AM flight from Manila to Davao City. Had to pay an extra fee to upgrade to a late purchase fare, but better than sitting in the Manila airport for 9 more hours.

Mady and Dana, her niece, met me at the airport. We went straight to lunch and then did a bit of running around to locate where I could extend my visa beyond the initial 21 day tourist visa. At the Davao Immigration office we found it a bit busy and it would take an hour to get the extension. I decided to wait until I arrived in Butuan to get the extension (turned out to be a good decision).

Mady beside the copier at her internet cafe

We grabbed a cab for the 40 minute ride to Tagum. It was already early afternoon and we wanted to arrive in Tagum before the sun went down so I could see how the town had changed since my visit 10 years ago and also so I could see Mady's internet cafe during daylight. Tagum is a much improved town compared to 10 years ago. The most notable changes were the landscaping and ornamental plants on the main roads. It is also a much cleaner town, and all the "tricycles" are painted green. The familiar old Jeepneys are on their way out, which is kind of sad, but they were gross polluters. They needed to go.

Spent the night at the "hotel" across the street from Mady's cafe. It's actually a hotel and restaurant management college. It was one of the best rooms I've ever had in the Philippines, for 999 per night (about $23).

Next morning about 8 AM I met Mady and Bea at the internet cafe. We flagged a tricycle and headed to Jolly Bee for breakfast, then back in a tricycle and on our way to the bus terminal for the ride to Butuan.