My monthly journey: Koronadal City

Monthly visits to Korodanal city, or more popularly called Marbel, is one of the reasons why I stayed on this stressful job of being an auditor. Traveling by bus is not very convenient but I get by and wouldn't mind at all as long as I get to Marbel safe and sound. I usually ride the airconditioned Yellow Bus Line with rates of P165 for Davao to General Santos City and another bus (Yellow Bus, of course) from General Santos City to Marbel at P60.

Marbel is just a small city. But this little city also boasts some great destinations.

First of all, the most beautiful library in the whole Philippines is found in the Notre Dame of Marbel University. Oh well, for me, it is the most beautiful, even way better than the library of Ateneo de Davao University where I graduated. And, people have been really accommodating. Thanks to my friend Joemar Madrona, who was the President of the School of Business that time, I was able to go inside the library premises even beyond the usual operating hours.

above: VIEW FROM OUTSIDE
below: WHAT YOU CAN SEE INSIDE

That's the library. If you're not the type of person who's into reading or visiting libraries, you can also hop into Lantaw Marbel. It's like the Marbel version of Davao's Jack Ridge. It's really nice there. Personally, I spent until 1am singing in their videoke huts before I retired to their reasonably-priced cottages. The food was great, too. It was a really worthwhile visit.

Aside from Lantaw Marbel, other recreational spots include the EMR Center, Del Rio Splash Resort (my favorite!), and Agua Frio Resort, and they also have KCC Mall and Fitmart Mall. Also, don't forget to buy your pasalubongs from Pro-Tech, they have a collection of native products such as T'nalak.

You can enjoy coffee at McGregor. It's a WIFI hotspot! =)

Below is a typical image of what Marbel roads look like. It's not congested, and the means of transportation is tricycle, which I found very queer as what you can see in the photo below... It's not the same typical tricycle that you see in the Philippines, really!

See you all in Marbel!

Eden Nature Park

October 28, 2007 – It was a planned getaway to celebrate the end of the semester (and secondarily to treat the jealousy of not being able to go with James to Baguio), Cary and I spent the whole Sunday at Eden Nature Park, Toril.

Adventure-seekers as we are, we went there by jeepney (to Mercury Drug, Crossing Bayabas, Toril, regular fare of P7.00 for the first four kilometers) and motorcycle (from jeepney stop going up to Eden, P80.00 for two). I really don’t recommend going there without a car. The motorcycle ride was okay but it’s not that safe (I got my calf burned from the muffler)…

The trip offers really great sights. But better sights await you at Eden Nature Park.

Reception Area –Eden offers various packages for clienteles, we chose Package 2 which is P230 per person and that’s good for entrance, one light snack, and horse-back riding. Visitors can choose for different packages, we opted for Package No. 2 mainly because of the horse-back riding, little did we know that we should’ve taken the Package with the Lunch Buffet on it (I guess it was for P400+) when we discovered the delectable menu they were serving at their restaurant…

Well anyway, we ventured, discovered, explored the place, and found out that we got lost. It was their busy season and we weren’t able to join in their Guided Tour because of the wave of people that reserved before us. So, another tip, it’s better to reserve your visit before going there…

So, as I was saying, we got lost, but getting lost in such a nice place is not that all distressing. Why? Just look at the pictures below and be awed of the wonders and beauty that Eden Nature Park offers:

When we got back to the reception area, we were very hungry. Since we didn’t avail of the lunch buffet, we instead ordered for sandwiches (which were really heavy and delicious) and iced coffee (unfortunately, the iced coffee wasn’t really that satisfying). Fog was thick at 12 noon. It was also raining that time, but it didn’t really stop us from trying on their Indiana Jones at the children’s playground.

We then proceeded to another area (it’s actually separate, just across the street from Eden Nature Park) for the horseback-riding. We ate our supposed to be ”light” snack (the one we get with the package), which we discovered to be a plate of spaghetti, garlic bread, and brownie, and it wasn’t just “snacks” for me, it was like I had my second lunch... And the place wasn’t just purely a stable for horses, it also had a mini children’s playground with my favorite Indiana Jones and an obstacle course that really got my attention as if it awaken the child in me. I tried the obstacle course. Unfortunately, because of my age and lack of practice, I failed to hurdle it and went away defeated, muddy and wet.

It was an experience to treasure. I love that day! I was tired but it was all worth it. It felt like I just had all the good stress that I need.