Construction of the New Tagum City Hall

One of our main reasons for visiting Tagum City is to check the progress of the construction of the New City Hall. It is said that once completed, it will become the most modern city hall in the Philippines in comparison with the traditional Greco-Roman buildings of most government units in the country.

Sweet-Chili Soft-Shell Crab at Punong Restaurant, Tagum City

You've never been to Punong Restaurant if you haven't tried their specialty, soft-shell crab. These crabs are basically regular crabs which have molted their outgrown shell, leaving the crustacean with a new softer shell. Hardening of the new shell is then retarded to keep it soft. These crabs are then cooked and eaten whole, including the shell. From the restaurant's menu, you will see the different options you can have the crabs cooked. We chose the sweet-chili version.

Punong Restaurant in Tagum City

We made a side trip to Tagum City before checking-in at our hotel in Davao City later in the evening. From Davao International Airport, we boarded a Bachelor Express bus with signage Butuan, which will pass by our first destination in the city, Punong Restauant, located along the national highway, about 10km before reaching Tagum City proper. The restaurant is Malay inspired: elevated on stilts, with pitched roof and high ceiling.

Davao City: Francisco Bangoy International Airport

DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur - Touchdown 1:50pm. After a 1 hour and 50 minutes of flight, we finally arrived at Davao International Airport (officially called Francisco Bangoy International Airport) our 15th airport destination in the Philippines and 3rd in Mindanao. This was so far our longest flight within the Philippines.

We were very excited to reach Davao as this was our first visit to this city, considered as the international gateway to Mindanao and as the domestic gateway to southern Mindanao.

The Durian

First time visitors flying in to Davao City should not miss The Durian, a sculpture created by the famous Davaoeño artist, Kublai Millan. It is located along the driveway of the airport terminal's parking lot. Coming from the terminal building, it is located on the left side.

Zooz Wooz Café

Not having had lunch before the flight, we quickly searched for a restaurant as soon as we left the terminal building. Zooz Wooz Café is located right beside the taxi line. The restaurant serves coffee, sandwiches, pasta and all-day breakfast. We tried their breakfast meal (Php150.00) which already came with a drink (choice between iced tea or brewed coffee). Though food was on the expensive range, you get the value out of your money. Breakfast was delish, brewed coffee was perfect.

Pasig City: 439th Araw ng Pasig (2012) | Schedule of Activities

photo of the billboard mounted at Pasig-Rotonda

PASIG CITY, Metro Manila - On July 2, 2012, the city of Pasig will celebrate the 439th Araw ng Pasig (Pasig Day), in commemoration of its townhood. Pasig was established by the Augustinian friars on July 2, 1573, making it one of the oldest towns in the Philippines. Today, Pasig is among the most vibrant and progressive cities in the country.

The activities for this year's Araw ng Pasig will commence on June 12, 2012 to celebrate the 114th year of Philippine Independence. Highlight of the celebration is the Grand Parade happening on July 2, 2012. The other activities we look forward to are: Serenata (June 15, 2012), Walking Tour of Poblacion (June 20, 2012), On the Spot Terra Cotta Sculpture Competition (June 22, 2012), and, Tour of Six Museum (June 28, 2012)

For more details, please visit http://www.pasigcity.gov.ph/subpages/events.aspx?nSeq=90

Quezon City: Partial Annular Solar Eclipse

QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila - After a quick breakfast at McDonald's Emerald Avenue, we drove to Temple Drive, Green Meadows Subdivision, Quezon City to have an unobstructed view of the eclipse.

We were the only one parked along the road and the passing cars might be wondering what we were doing there with our camera on tripod. Edgar started shooting photos of the eclipse at 5:55am when the sun finally went unconcealed by the clouds. Close to 6:00am, we noticed a few more cars parking along the road to catch a glimpse of this astronomical event. There was even a taxi parked with a passenger taking photos from the inside.

We remember our school days when students were gathered on our school grounds to watch the solar eclipse equipped only with emptied bag of chips or x-ray films as solar filter.