getting to know Davao and CARAGA region
saturday to thursday august 04-09, 2012
"Travel only with thy equal or thy better; if there are none, travel alone" - The Dhammapada
My 51st to 56th Philippine provinces to visit, 19th solo backpacking trip and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure.
Mindanao has 26 provinces and 5 regions. 2 of this regions can be found in the eastern part. Eastern Mindanao comprises of Davao and CARAGA region. Davao del norte, Davao oriental, Davao del sur and Compostella valley are the provinces that makes the Davao region. While for CARAGA region are Agusan del norte, Agusan del sur, Dinagat islands, Surigao del norte and Surigao del sur.
Based on the 18 provinces I have visited in Mindanao, I think the most peaceful places is on this part. Its because I saw military uniformed men very seldom from Davao city up to surigao city. Not just that, I even feel comfortable communicating with the locals how to go from places to places due I don't have precise directions searched in internet. They have been very, very helpful without having back in return. I salute these people on their courteous manner even on the hard times of their small-income generating jobs.
This another race against time, very short backpacking researched in somehow detailed manner has a compressed itinerary designed as follows:
august 04 saturday:
compostella valley at night only
august 05 sunday:
davao oriental
davao del norte at night only
august 06 monday:
davao del norte at night only
august 06 monday:
surigao del sur
agusan del norte at night only
agusan del norte at night only
august 07 tuesday:
siargao island (surigao del norte)
august 08 wednesday:
surigao del norte main
august 09 thursday:
surigao departure
TOTAL BUDGET : PHP8,145
I started the round of this trip after I brought my family to Davao city airport for their departure to Manila. Since I have only 4-days, I cannot maximized my stay on all the provinces I have not visited. Thus, to be fair, i just spent the night on the provinces I think the nature landmarks are just simple as that. The provinces that I spent only a night just give justice I have visited them are Compostella valley, Davao del norte and Agusan del norte.
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| habal-habal ride bound in siargao island |
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| breakfast in siargao island |
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| some houses during ferry cruise in siargao island |
Compostela Valley is a province called Comval for short, used to be part of Davao del Norte until it was made independent in 1998. It is the third newest province of the Philippines, behind Dinagat Islands and Zamboanga Sibugay. Its capital is Nabunturan. The province borders Davao del Norte to the west, Agusan del Sur to the north, and Davao Oriental to the east. To the southwest lies the Davao Gulf. Most of the people in Compostela Valley speak Cebuano.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compostela_Valley
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| compostella valley's montevista bus terminal early in the morning |
Davao del Norte, capital is Tagum City, once known simply as Davao. Davao also includes Samal Island to the south in the Davao Gulf. The province of Compostela Valley used to be part of Davao until it was made into an independent province in 1998. Before 1967, the four provinces—Davao, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, and Compostela Valley—were once a single province named Davao. The Province of Davao del Norte is also known as "THE BANANA CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_del_Norte
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| Davao del norte's Tagum city bus terminal in the morning |
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| banana plantation in davao del norte |
Agusan del Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Caraga, a region in Mindanao. Its capital is Cabadbaran City and it borders Surigao del Norte to the north, Surigao del Sur to the east, Agusan del Sur to the south, and Misamis Oriental to the west. It faces Butuan Bay, part of the Bohol Sea, to the northwest. The economy of Agusan del Norte is dominantly agricultural, and it is the nation's leading producer of rice.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agusan_del_Norte
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| butuan city by day in agusan del norte |
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| some delicacies iin surigao bought before departure |
Anyways, i divided this wonderful journey into different set of posts to be more specific on its content;
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