SAMAL ISLAND ON A RANDOM CIRCUMSTANCE
It
was our last night in Davao City. And so
the booze and the videoke sessions
commenced. It was fun. And that night I decided, I will not go with
my travel buddies to Samal Island as I need to rest and cure my hangover.
Call
time came. I ignored it. But the persuasiveness of my travel buddies
still had me dragged to the port devoid of breakfast inside a dizzy world.
Boarded
on a ferry from Sasa Wharf, it took only minutes before we reached the Port of the
Island Garden of the City of Samal. The
clear waters were a good introduction of what Samal Island is. Time-constrained, we have to select only a
few of the many destinations and beaches the island has to offer.
MALIPANO ISLAND VIEW DECK
Samal
Island have always been equated to Davao Pearl Farm Resort for me. Discovering the island through a rented
tricycle and after a series of steep, rolling and uphill terrain, a stopover
was made on one view deck as our tricycle driver declares. An island named Malipano is in view but
honestly, I did not take notice of the same.
The Pearl Farm Davao can be seen from our vantage and of course, the
highlight is the sight of the majestic Mt. Apo, though covered by clouds.
The
original plan was to take the ferry boats to the nearby islands. But for fear of being stranded in the island
due to time constraints and that, our flight is scheduled at night time, we
aborted the plan and just visited the beach nearby along the long stretch of
the island.
KAPUTIAN BEACH
As
the name suggests, the beach is indeed of fine white sand and crystal clear
waters to begin with. It is easy
accessible but entrance fees are imposed.
We actually stayed there for only a few minutes.
There
are cottages nearby which makes the beach ideal for picnics and get together.
The
beach is owned and managed by the City Government of Samal, which makes it
well-maintained and tourist-friendly.
HAGIMIT FALLS AND NATURE PARK
In
a concrete steps descending, we were lead to a sanctuary harboring natural
pools whose source of cascading waters provide a panoramic scene.
The
waterfalls and the natural pools are surrounded by tropical rainforest
providing a cool ambiance. Local
residents have set-up cottages as well for visitors’ convenience and as an
added income on their part.
The
waterfalls may be quite small but water source is everywhere. And once at one of
the rock formations, there are surprising activities ready to be discovered. We did a mini-cave exploration and exited an
opening direct to one of the main natural swimming pools.
With
this visit, I realized there are a lot of destinations in the island ready to
be discovered. And that Samal Island is
not only about Pearl Farm Resort.
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