9.03.2011

Vacation Destinations: My Long Weekend at Caraga

How was everyone's long weekend?

Well, we spent ours at Caraga, Davao Oriental. It was actually a spur of the moment decision after my sister-in-law invited us on Thursday, that was 2 days away from the said trip. We eventually decided to let them know that we're joining them on Friday evening. We left for Caraga on an early Saturday morn. Quickie huh? Lucky me, my boss was kind of lenient that day with impulsive vacation leaves (he normally says no).

Well, the road trip took us at least 5 hours. It wasn't so bad since more than 90% of the roads we took were already cemented. I couldn't forget stopping by somewhere to stretch our limbs and to capture a few photos of the area. I was really in awe when I took a view from above. The sleeping dinosaurs (big and small one if you had noticed) were mesmerizing. I couldn't help but thank God for the wonders of his creations.


After a 30 minutes stretch, we went back to travelling again. When we reached our host's home (by the way, thank you to Edmon Ferrando's family for taking care of us and of everything when we were there), we took a rest, had breakfast, rested for a couple of hours and decided thereafter to go check out the beach. Since the beach was just around the corner, we walked all the way there. The kids, my children and their cousins, weren't able to resist taking a swim. I was even tempted to go for a swim but since it was scorching hot, I decided to restrain myself and just enjoy the view from a distance.


After going back to our hosts' home, we decided to take a bath at the nearest river. Since we left early and skipped shower, we took a much awaited bath at the river. We spent a few hours there, ate snacks and went back home to take a rest before supper. Mind you, the river was super clean and there were no houses near it to contribute pollution.


After resting and consuming a sumptuous dinner, our group went back to the beach to make a bonfire. There, we spent a few hours chatting and bonding. The kids had so much fun during the bonfire that they never stopped looking for leaves and wood to throw into the fire.

That marked our first day in Caraga, Davao Oriental.


We woke up the next day learning that our hosts were preparing our food for the "official" beach day. We had lechon (roasted pig) and kaldereta (goat's meat) for lunch. It was super yummy that the serving plate was empty in a few minutes time.


Travel time to the destination was approximately 20 minutes. When we got there, I immediately took a walk after seeing the beauty of the resort. Everything was covered in natural grain size white sand. The surroundings was so beautiful. It was nice, clean and well maintained. During low tide, you'll see rocks instead of sand for the beach floor (look at the picture below).


I walked the rocky stretch to reach the sea. It was an open sea by the way, facing Pacific Ocean. I observed a lot of sea urchins hidden in between the spaces of the rocks.



When I went back to our table, I couldn't help appreciating the naturally etched rocks. They were so nice that I had to capture a photo of it.


Of course, I had to ask someone to take a photo of me for a profile picture! *wink*


I also took a shot of the tree decorated with lamps. This was the tree that gave us shade during our stay at the beach.


We spent the night in 2 separate cottages. The owner of this resort, by the way, is an uncle of our host. We slept for free. Cool huh?


We woke up the next day and decided to hit the road again. That was a Monday. On the way home, we stopped by the little dragon again for a quick bathroom visit. Took photos and traveled again. We had a lot of fun in Caraga and we're planning again to go back there one day. Too bad we ran short of time, we weren't able to drop by their falls and spring water pool.


Well, since Tuesday was still a holiday because of Ramadan, my hubby and I decided to hit the malls. He went for a massage while I window shopped.

While I was checking out for toys for Christmas gifts, I found this! An angry bird inspired monopoly game. I never thought a lot of people would get inspired with angry birds.


Annndddd, before my long weekend ended, I decided to reward myself with a double oreo mcflurry. Sweet!


Well, we're hoping to have another road trip by the end of the year. I hope it will be sooner than that though. Anyway, happy thoughts and good vibes to everyone!

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