Stop at Nothing | Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte

After visiting the sleeping dinosaur in Mati City, I rushed to Mati Inland Transport Terminal to catch the next bus or van plying to Davao City. Roughtly 4 hours later, I reached Davao City, the city of all the cities in southern Mindanao.

I'm not staying long in Davao City since I've explored most of the city's destinations during work trips I made in the past. I'm meeting friends for dinner that's all. I stayed in this cube hostel for less than Php 500 (~$8). I'm not a picky traveler; I'm good with any type of accommodation as long as I'm safe and have a place to sleep.

I had enough time to freshen up. Around six in the evening, a friend, who I met at work before, picked me up. We met with another friend, who's still affiliated with the company I'm working at. It's been years since we last saw each other; they treated me to an unlimited Korean BBQ or what we call as samgyumpsal in the famous Korean restaurant Samgyupsalamat. It's not my first time eating in this restaurant; it has several branches all over the Philippines. We, Filipinos, love to eat and after the heavy dinner, we moved into another place to get dessert. I wasn't thinking straight and forgot that pork BBQ should be paired with something light; instead of getting tea or juice, I hastity ordered a cold blended chocolate drink. I was enjoying it at first. Oh! I love chocolates!

At dawn, I was awakened by a strong urge to relieve myself. My stomach ached so bad I was freezing cold in my own sweat; my energy dwindled in no time and I felt I would pass out anytime. While inside one of the cubicles, it hit hard. I'm having a diarrhea because of an unavoidable mistake I made the night before. If only I ate in moderation and skipped the chocolate drink. It's too late now. 😭🤮

Glad everyone was still asleep, I could peacefully use the common comfort room over and over again; it would've been worse if I had to mind and manage other people's reaction and comments. I took a bath and proceeded as scheduled. I have two more days before this long and winding trip ends.

I can't recall how I managed to reach Samal Wharf despite my diarrhea; but somehow, I made it. I got my one way ferry ticket which was only Php 15 ($.25) that time. Samal is very near mainland Davao but unfortunately, there's no bridge that connects the two. There are plans in place, if I'm not mistaken. You'll be in Samal in less than 20 minutes.

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Blue Bird Viewing Deck

Upon arrival in Samal or officially the Island Garden City of Samal, my first order of business was to relieve myself again. If there's a comfort room, I grab the chance to relieve myself. Then I looked for my tour guide. He has a bao-bao which we used for commuting around the island for two days. For his service, I paid Php 1,500/day.

At this time point, I felt really weak. I relied with the Gatorade I bought near the Samal Port, but deep inside I could die anytime. 😂 But there's no way I'm cancelling all my plans that day to rest. A normal person would've chosen to rest and recuperate but I thought it would be a total waste of time if I stayed in bed the entire day. I don't have a spare day to switch my itineraries with; it was all or nothing for me.

To save energy, what I did was to chose 3-4 best spots in Samal instead of going to all 10 that I had on my list. This way I was able to explore Samal while taking into consideration my current condition.

We spent about 20 minutes at Blue Bird Viewing Deck which showcased an unobstructed view of The Gulf of Davao. Blue Bird Viewing Deck is just across mainland Davao City. You can see Malipano Beach, a private beach in Samal, from here as well.

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Sabang Cliff

Another famous spot in Samal, especially for those who are daredevils, is Sabang Cliff. True enough it sparked the adrenaline inside my body. Too bad I was too weak and too cold to plunge in the deep, dark water in Sabang Cliff. Additionally, no one else was there. I would've been encouraged if there were other tourists and/or locals jumping and swimming in the area; it was just me and my guide this time.

Half day's almost over; I made it for a few hours and I thought "I'll make it until the end of the day" We grabbed lunch and had a few CR stops along the way but still alive and enjoying, partly! LOL! 😂 I know no one forced me to show up despite not feeling well but I couldn't stand doing nothing in my room either. I don't encourage anyone to do the same tho. Listen to your body! Yoou know it better than anybody else.

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