Mati holds a special place in my heart. There’s something
about the capital of Davao Oriental that seems to have magnetized a part of me.
Perhaps it has something to do with those precious memories of my childhood
that had taken place there so many summers ago. As a young boy, I used to spend
not a few vacays in Mati where some of my maternal relatives used to live.
All these years, I’d been hankering to
visit the city anew. True enough, this came to
fruition last June when I, together with a group of high school buddies,
went on a weekend wandering to the city (see my post at http://scorpio-sojourn.blogspot.com/2013/07/magnetized-by-mati-city.html).
It was, however, an overnight trip so we had little time to roam around.
Landmark at Mati Park and Baywalk |
Part of the zigzag road |
Pujada Bay as seen from Badas |
It was truly a helluva catharsis for this vagabond who
hasn’t run a car at those speeds for the longest time. What made me
uncomfortable though was driving over the homestretch—the eight-kilometer
zigzag road starting from Badas all the way to the city center. Surely, the
sight of picturesque Pujada Bay and the distant cityscape of Mati would take
your breath away but that’s not the issue here.
One more look at Sleeping Dinosaur Island |
Archway to City Hall |
Fresh seafood stew for the soul |
Mati Pylon |
Dahican Beach |
On this recent escapade to the city, however, I missed out
on the captivating beach as I spent more time roaming around the downtown area.
Instead of staying at a resort in Dahican just like the last time, I billeted
myself in one of the old hotels in the city center so I can easily explore the
interesting places there. I wanted to revisit a few landmarks and visit the new
ones I didn’t see last June.
St. Nicholas of Tolentine Cathedral |
Pujada Bay at dusk |
Looking back, I take comfort at the crowning glory of my sojourn, that is, seeing two of Mati's three islands—Pujada and Waniban—albeit from a distance from a lookout point near Badas. Of the three, Pujada is the biggest, Waniban is next while Oak is the smallest, visible only at low tide and vanishes at high tide. I’d been raring to capture all of them in one frame but managed to snap only two. Too bad, I didn’t get to be in any of them.
Undoubtedly, the second coming to Mati this year was a
dream come true for this dyed-in-the-wool thrill-seeker. It was a personal feat
that upsized my sense of self into something I’ve never imagined. It was an
exhilarating joyride that gave me not only a gritty taste of personal triumph
over one of my fears but also a grisly aftertaste of life on the edge (pun
intended…LOL!) while driving on my own.
That confidence-building solitary sojourn to Davao Oriental’s capital arguably boosted my spirits. I now feel more adequate, competent and empowered to mount yet another sojourn around Mindanao’s cities. After Mati, could Butuan, Iligan, Surigao, Tandag, General Santos and the others be far behind? Hmmm, the idea of driving my way to all of them thrills me to the max!
A day after my Mati escapade, I came across these wonderful, inspiring lines which I thought of quoting to wrap up this post. I couldn’t agree more with whoever wrote them. For me, it hit the nail right on the head. So, I say, many thanks, Mati, for helping me “cheat on one of my fears, break up with my doubts and get engaged with my faith. Now, I’m married to one of my dreams.” :D
That confidence-building solitary sojourn to Davao Oriental’s capital arguably boosted my spirits. I now feel more adequate, competent and empowered to mount yet another sojourn around Mindanao’s cities. After Mati, could Butuan, Iligan, Surigao, Tandag, General Santos and the others be far behind? Hmmm, the idea of driving my way to all of them thrills me to the max!
A day after my Mati escapade, I came across these wonderful, inspiring lines which I thought of quoting to wrap up this post. I couldn’t agree more with whoever wrote them. For me, it hit the nail right on the head. So, I say, many thanks, Mati, for helping me “cheat on one of my fears, break up with my doubts and get engaged with my faith. Now, I’m married to one of my dreams.” :D
No comments:
Post a Comment