Summer’s over in the country but for me it’s one season
that doesn’t really have a definite ending. As long as there’s a slice of
nature where I can enjoy a summery dose of sun, sea and sand, my restless feet
will always find their way there.
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| Pujada Bay |
If there’s one tourist magnet near Davao which I’ll never
tire of paying a visit to get the best of the summer season, it’ll most likely
be Mati. Having been there many times in recent months, I’m head over heels for
the city and its natural come-ons.
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| Dahican Beach |
As my thoughts turn to nature during the last few days of
May, I heard once again the reverberating call of the city’s popular beach:
Dahican. Little did I know that not a few of my co-workers wanted to dash
into that top destination in Mati, too!
When I shared about my plan for a last summer hurrah in
Dahican, it elicited one question from them: “When do we leave?” How can I say
no to that? LOL! Thus, what was originally a solo sojourn turned into a weekend
wandering with some of my officemates!
Together with Roy, Kim, Alex, Maliz and our friend,
Tessa, I drove once again to Mati (my second sojourn this year!) for our summer
escapade to Davao Oriental. Except for Alex and me, the rest of Team Dahican
hasn’t visited Mati before.
Three of us—Kim, Alex and myself—took turns in steering
the wheel. Driving to Mati had us speeding our way through the three provinces
of Davao Region—Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, where
Mati is.
Encountering little traffic, my car took us past the palm
trees of bustling Tagum City, the coastal municipalities of Maco, Mabini and
Pantukan, the verdant plains of the rice and coconut-producing towns of
Banaybanay, Lupon and Isidro and, finally, Mati.
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| Sleeping Dinosaur Island |
Approaching Davao Oriental’s capital, the generally
straight road gives way to a long and winding stretch, flanked by craggy
elevations on one side and deep ravines on the other, with matching magnificent
glimpses of picturesque Pujada Bay.
Because most of my companions were first-timers, a
stopover for a slew of selfies with the Sleeping Dinosaur Island and Pujada
Bay, two of Mati’s picture-perfect attractions, at the background was sort of
customary, if not obligatory. LOL!
We pulled over at Badas, a lookout point along the
highway that offers a commanding view of the bay and the islands dotting it. With DSLRs, digicams and smartphones in tow, the team indulged in a seemingly
never-ending photo shoot!
Usual travel time from Davao to Mati is about three hours
at the most. Add to that about 10 to 15 minutes of selfie time at Badas. LOL!
From there, you’ll reach downtown Mati after meandering some more along the
zigzag road for about 10 minutes. Add again another 20 to 25 minutes and you’ll
be in Dahican.
Before proceeding to Dahican, we made a detour to one of
Mati’s mouth-watering fixtures to give in to the grumbling of our tummies—Seaside
Restaurant. So named because of its location (adjacent to Pujada Bay), the
restaurant offers the most delectable dishes consisting mostly of seafood caught from the waters
surrounding the city.
For lunch, we had sea bounties galore—kinilaw na malasugue (blue marlin ceviche), sinugbang pusit (grilled squid), prawns in chili and garlic sauce
and pesang dugso (red axil emperor
fish soup with veggies), with piping hot rice and cold soda to boot!
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| Mati Baywalk |
After lunch, we stretched our muscles by walking towards
the baywalk located beside the restaurant. There, we had another round of photo
ops at one of the city's most-frequented spot.
Not a few of the places I’ve visited in various parts of
the country have put up signages affirming the inhabitants’ love for their
place. Mati is no exception. It also has this
free-standing “I ♥ Mati” sign along the baywalk which always attracts tourists
obsessed with selfies.
For this sojourn, the signage once again stood as mute
witness to the selfies our team shot there. Incidentally, a similar standee has
also been put up right smack at Dahican Beach, where we also indulged ourselves
to several rounds of photo ops. LOL!
Visitors wanting to go to Mati but have no rides or would rather commute may
hop into any of the aircon buses and vans plying the Davao-Mati route. If I’m
not mistaken, vehicles bound for this route leave every hour. Arriving in Mati,
commuters may take any tricycle that could bring them to Dahican.
Once a secret known only to locals, Dahican, whose name
means “to come in from the sea” in the native tongue, is blessed with a
seven-kilometer immaculate stretch that’s caressed by the cerulean blue waters
of the country’s south seas.
Arguably, the beach has one of the finest grains I’ve
seen so far here in Mindanao. So, you can just imagine the exhilaration, not to mention the
ecstasy, which engulfed our first-timers when their world-weary feet stepped
into Dahican’s creamy white sands! :-D
(to be continued)
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