The Left-handed Vagabond

Instead of Samal Island, a friend who grew up in Davao suggested we visit Isla Reta in Talicud Island, as she always say, Samal is overrated. So,  we made this our first stop in our Davao adventure... From the airport, we rode a cab going to Sta. Ana Wharf  (cab fare P160), this is  where boats going to the island would depart and dock.  Before leaving the airport we were given this complaint sheet in case we encounter any negative experience from the cab driver, good thing our cab driver was nice and friendly. Boat fare from Sta. Ana Wharf going to Isla Reta was P150 and from Isla Reta to Sta. Ana Wharf P80 only as we boarded a bigger boat going back to the city. We passed by Samal Island and thought it was our destination, the white beach looks inviting from our view. It took us approximately an hour to get to the Isla Reta and we were so amazed with how crystal clear the water was and how fine the sand was, you could immediately compare it with Boracay. It w

Our trip going to Davao were full of first-time experiences. It was my first time experience boarding from the Clark International Airport, my first time to fly with PAL and my first time to visit a city in Mindanao. We chose to depart from Clark because the fare was cheaper. Our round trip ticket to Davao costed us P1800 only.  To get here via private vehicle, we conveniently just used Google Map or Waze.  Do not worry as there are many signs pointing to the airport's direction, you will not get lost.  Please allow 3 to 4 hours of travel time in case of traffic. There are also P2P buses available as another option to get here. See bus schedules here . The fare ranges from 250-350 depending on where you will come from and where you would drop off. Pick up and drop-off points are NAIA, Robinsons Galleria and Trinoma. This airport is not that crowded as compared to NAIA hence in no time you can easily move around, check-in and board. The Park and Fly rates is also very af

The requirements for this adventure was specific - quiet, uncrowded, nearby, budget-friendly and crystal clear water beach destination. Given that this family getaway was on a Black Saturday  it was a bit of a challenge. Gladly, we achieved all of the above in a town nestled in the outskirts of Batangas called Lobo.  How it became budget-friendly was because we travelled as a troop consisting of 14 adults and 6 kids squeezed in a 16-seater Toyota Grandia van we rented for the cheapest price because the driver was a kumpare of one of my cousins. (P6000 including fuel and driver) How to get there To get there by private vehicle, we literally just used google maps. I looked up the address of our hotel from Facebook and searched the directions in Google Maps. Take the SLEX and Star Tollway route, toll fee totals to P150 one-way. Exit Ibaan then instead of turning left at the 2nd fork going to Laiya, we turned right and followed the Google Map directions onwards. We left Cavi