Me&MyGirls: Marco Polo and Davao City

Monday, February 13, 2012

Marco Polo and Davao City

Last stretch of our trip is our stay at Marco Polo Hotel and a very short tour (if you will consider it as such) of Davao City.

Returning to the city from the Pearl Farm Marina Wharf, I arranged for a pick-up from the hotel. Professionally, the service was there an hour earlier! We were back in the city and had done hotel checked-in in no time. That same afternoon, Emily's husband Matt delivered our luggage. We stayed in Marco Polo Davao by the way, the only five-star hotel in Davao to date. It's quite old but rest assured they have mastered the craft and is known for their luxurious bedrooms and amenities, and they are located at the heart of the city so everything's in close proximity or a short cab trip away.

The Marco Polo Lobby

With no time to waste, after we have settled our things in the hotel, we took a cab to SM City Davao, the country's biggest shopping center chain. We bought some baby basics, did a little shopping, dine in our favorite local hamburger chain to eat our "so-missed" burger steak, fried chicken and palabok! You've guessed it right, it's Jollibee! We also ordered in food for dinner with the Triggs. It was a wise move to meet in the hotel that night than to meet somewhere else in the city. Dinner was relaxing and hassle-free. And it was a lovely time to end a day, to have dinner and fellowship with an old co-worker in the church ministry, that was Emily, new found friend in Matt, and the cutesy company of little Elijah.

In the morning after the buffet breakfast (at this point we have been eating buffet breakfast for the fourth straight day and there will be another the next morning), we knew we needed to take a tour of the city. There are lots of historical places to see, museums, parks, but we opted to visit just one place. We definitely would not like to bore Ashrie with grown-up stuffs and we also would not want a cranky toddler all day so we visited the Crocodile Farm. Good thing the ticket is 3-in-1 because the farm and mini-zoo did not pass our standards of excellence. We're from the Garden City, what am I thinking?

The Tribu Kamindanawan is quite interesting; the place needs a revamp though. And the Butterfly Park, although small, gave lots of thrills to our little girl. Having said that, it's a shame that we haven't visited the Pulilan Butterfly Haven, which is actually in my hometown in Bulacan. We hope to visit that place when we visit our families in Pulilan again.

After that we went to Abreeza Mall for lunch and some shopping. We found out that the mall's shops are not as stocked as its counterpart in Manila. Nonetheless, I believe Abreeza is the most convenient place to dine and shop while in this city. Before we know it, it's already night and we still have to prepare for the next day.

The next morning after breakfast, we were fortunate that Aldevinco, that famous shopping center for souvenirs, is just across the street from the hotel where we stayed. I thought it would be easy to choose souvenirs for friends but I was wrong! There were stores and more stores of handicraft products of different sorts, antiques, furniture, sweets, jewelry, etc. Each with a seller at the entrance of each store asking you to enter and take a look at their merchandise. It took me a round or two to finally get what we like and need. But it was indeed fun!

After checking-out from the hotel, Matt picked us up and brought us to their lovely apartment. We had Mexican food for lunch courtesy of the Triggs. It was delish! We had a few chitchats, then it was time to go check-in to the airport. Matt was so generous to bring us to the airport and assisted us all the way. He was indeed a wonderful host.

Our boarding was delayed for less than an hour but we still reached Singapore ahead of schedule. We're so glad to be back safe and sound, with new experiences, friends and memories to treasure.

And here are our treasured photos!