Finding the right beach - Pure Shores of Dahican, Mati, Davao Oriental

 Cantik Ririshii Mateo shares his experiences on their Mati adventures with Boy Palaboy.

We were just about to go home from our Christmas party in Samal, As we traveled back to Davao city, an audacious idea sparked from one of our colleagues; A road trip to Mati.

As we went up north-east we traveled approximately a hundred and sixty five kilometers from our origin. Majestic mountains, winding roads, picturesque bays welcomed us as we journeyed Davao Oriental.

 Before we entered the town proper of Mati, we dropped by to a famous landmark; The Sleeping Dinosaur, a small peninsula with steep hillsides which seemed like a quiescent Barney from afar. When we got into the town, we savor our eyes to the different and interesting edifices that the Mati offers.

 A 30-minute ride from the town proper, We first arrived to the resort known as Cinco Masao, with its soothing ambiance and inviting crystal blue waters one will really enjoy its respite, however our expectations were never met. So we hit the road again and took another route to other beaches.

With our effervescent spirits our hopes and excitement were incessant, At last we finally arrived to the ″right″ beach, we never wasted a moment, we took pictures & videos, tried surfing and skimboarding and rode the waves as the water swells big. We are very much delighted to this experience. The 7-kilometer stretch of white sand pristine shores, the Pacific Ocean breeze and the frolic, rough waves of Dahican left us in awe, as we were treated to this stunning wonder.

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Finding the right beach - Samal Island

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 Getting ready for Samal

After 11 months of being thristy for the departments getaway, the much awaited grand outing of the SPMC Emergency Room Department had finally came true  at Island Hill Resort, Samal Island last December 27-28, 2010. Samal has been officially selected because of its close vicinity to Davao proper with the large number of people combined the unforgiving schedule, the place is best suited for us however being a newly ordained beah bum (ows), would this be the right beach I am looking for?

Island Hills has four locations around Samal and we were accommodated the one located in Aundanao. Going here was abit tough because of the off-road tracks and the best way to go here is to have your own 4×4 car and we spent about 2 hours just to be here. Great thing that the resort has a mini bus which you can book for large group of people. So, if this resort is so far from the town, would I consider this as a hidden gem? Maybe not.

 The resort offers rooms and camping accommodations. Well, the resort was basically on our own that night. We had set up games for the group, dinner and some some party mood around. As a tradition, ER party has never been this fun, “we do it best” as one of our colleagues proudly exclaimed. 

The setting was very laid back, the sun is beautiful but the beach was disappointing. It never enticed me to get wet and there were no sand but just tiny pebbles along the shore. My ideal beach getaway was totally scrapped but eventhough off my unbiased rating of the beach quality, my fun with the gang was pricessless. Being with them was totally awesome, the crowd was enjoying to the music, games and this is unusual from my usual solo trips. 

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Seven Falls, Lake Sebu

Another thrill that Lake Sebu can offer is the Seven Falls, literally, it was called that way because of series of falls around the area in total of seven. Some falls are easy to traverse while others are quite an effort to explore. But the thing that I was most excited about was the zipline with a backdrop of the falls, although there are many ziplines around but nothing compares to a beautiful backdrop like here at Seven Falls, Lake Sebu. 

Because of the rain that has started to fall, I wasnt able to take shot of the other falls and I kept my DSLR camera in a safe place. I dont mind getting wet as long as the camera is safe. The rain also has stopped the operation of the zipline and I have to wait for long lines until a go signal from the operators for the zip to resume. 

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Lake Sebu Solo Road trip

My trip to Lake Sebu was quite an adventure because it was my first time to do solo long-road tripping. I really dont like long hour driving not until my trip to the lake where I conquered my fear and enhance my driving skills. From my humble hometown in Kidapawan City where my journey began, it took me 3 provinces to reach the lake, from Maguindanao through Datu Paglas then Sultan Kudarat and have lunch at Tacurong City and finally in South Cotabato where the lake is located. Overall, the road trip was 3 hours to get there with an 80-100mph speed. 

The road to Lake Sebu was an easy driving since its all cemented unljke few years back that it was very difficult to reach. Lake Sebu has been called the summer capital of South Cotabato perhaps because of the pinetrees around,  the tranquility of the place and a breeze of fresh air. It is also the home of the famous T’boli tribe which we just read commonly on books weaving beautiful fabrics and wearing colorful costumes. Ever since I saw Lake Sebu on Cebu Pacific’s Smile Magazine cover, I always wanted to go here.

If you notice the lake has lots of fish pens where they grow local tilapia and local restaurants developed new ways to cook tilapia aside from just frying it and one example is the tilapia chicharon. Because I spent my money on gas, I wasn’t able to savor any tilapia dishes. 

According to the signage I saw along the road, it says that Punta Isla in Lake Sebu is the best resort and the only Wifi connected in the area so thats where I went and hopefully have more view of the lake. The resort has rooms for rent and you can also do boating along the lake.

 Honestly, I expected so much in my trip, I picture out a very beauiful lake on my mind but it seems I was abit disappointed. I want to see the lilly’s bloosoming beautiful purple flowers but all I see were fishpens. Good thing I saw some local T’bolis which were preparing for a special program for visitors showcasing their ritual dances.

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