Eden Nature Park, Davao

Part 5 of a series

DAY 2.

My first day in Davao City was not so productive with just one destination visited. I didn’t want that to happen in the next days or my first solo out-of-town trip would be a waste. So, before the night ended, I contacted the taxi driver who brought me from the Davao Airport to My Hotel. He actually gave me his number so that I could contact him just in case I’d need a dedicated vehicle and driver to take me all-around the city. He didn’t specify rates though.

This trip being my first out-of-town, I was very careful and I didn’t dare to be adventurous yet. I was playing safe most, if not the whole time! Through text, I “contracted” the driver to pick me up at 8am of the next day and tour me around the destinations at the outskirts of the city (Eden Nature Park, Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos Garden Resort, etc.). He merely replied, “Ok sir”. That was a good enough assurance.

My First Night Alone. As the night went deeper and deeper, only then did I realize that I was alone. Only then did the moment sink in. I am very attached to my family and for all my past travels, I was with my family all along so at that very moment, I was down, very, very down, to the deepest levels of the Earth! I was homesick and I cried bucket-loads of tears, as if there was no tomorrow! Good thing I was online though as I could still chat with them. While I couldn’t tell them what I actually felt during that moment, as they might be worried, being able to communicate with them from hundreds of miles away was a big consolation. I also had some friends online and they served as my outlet. Thanks for comforting me during that moment guys! Anyway, I still kept crying until bedtime and I didn’t notice that I already dozed off from crying… Zzzzzzz…

DAY 2.

My alarm rang at 7am! I immediately got up, looked out the window and was greeted by a sunny morning. After bath, I got out for breakfast. Guess where? Jollibee, still! BOO! While I was about to finish my breakfast, I got a text from Manong Taxi Driver. Woah, he was already parking in front of the hotel. For that, I rushed back to the hotel, packed the things I needed to bring for the day and off I went to Manong Taxi Driver… Vrrrooom!

FIRST DESTINATION: EDEN NATURE PARK

Eden Nature Park is 28 kilometers away from Davao City. Before my actual trip to Davao, my initial plan was to commute. If I did that, I would have to take a jeep from Downtown Davao to Toril District and disembark at the central part of the area where a Mercury Drug outlet stands. That’s the first half of the roadtrip. From there, you’d have to take a motorcycle (“habal-habal”) all the way to the resort. That’s 14 kilometers under the direct heat of the sun! Imagine that,… the Libotero was not yet ready to do that. LOL.

Anyway, since I was on a taxi, going there was a breeze. In less than 45 minutes, we were already at the entrance of the resort!

At approximately 3,000 feet above sea level, Eden Nature Park is the Davaoeños hideaway when they need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city living. One interesting fact is that the park is actually 95% man-made! Discovered sometime in 1971, the resort used to be a logged-over area covered only by a blanket of wild grass but since it provided a commanding view of Davao City and the Davao Gulf, the owners examined the potentials of the property. Not long after, terraces were carved out of the mountain slope, and thousands of pine tree seedlings were planted. As the pine trees grew, they provided canopies allowing other trees and plants to grow and creating a secondary forest. Today, there are over 100,000 pine trees spread throughout 80 hectares, providing a refreshing backdrop to the various attractions in Eden Nature Park.

I arrived at Eden Nature Park at 9am and since I didn’t plan to stay long there (I would’ve wanted to but I had to make the most out of my short stay in Davao), I availed of the Day Snack Package. For only P180/person, you get to explore the resort for as long as you want. That comes with a free plated snack. And since I had to maximize my tour, I also availed of the Guided Shuttle Tour within the park for P75. The tour was scheduled at 10am so I had a few minutes to walk around and explore.

Bonfire camp at Campsite 2; Campsite 2 – can hold up to 40 persons, located at the heart of the Resort adjacent to the Indiana Jones. It is ideal for an outdoor adventure experience for families with children.

Bathrooms at Campsite 2; Stairs from Campsite 2 to the Day Tour Center

And this gate leads to?

The 3-on-3 basketball court.

Would you like to be at the center of this photo, alone?

…to the Mountain Trail

Vista Cottages – equipped with a mini bar, TV and T&B; the mountain trail starts and ends here so let’s go!

Going down…

I made it! I made it! 4 kilometers of trekking! Hahaha. LOL. Just kidding. Just a few steps from the start of the trail, I realized that it was almost 10am so I had to hurry back to the day center or I’ll be left by the shuttle tour!

Flowers; The Fishing Village

The guided shuttle tour takes 45 minutes. The quick tour is enough to give you a glimpse and a quick orientation of the amenities and attractions of the Park.

Deer Park; Leaf Lettuce at the Hydroponic Vegetable Garden (hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, without soil)

Did you know that all those EDEN branded fruits and vegetable products you see in the supermarkets actually come from here? Hello, peacock!

The Mangosteen Orchard

We had our first-stop at the Flower Garden. Photo-ops galore for the groups but no camwhoring for me. Pffft!

The Amphitheater is reminiscent of the ancient Roman civilization. Masses, wedding ceremonies and small concerts have been held at the center of the amphitheater. The site presents another excellent view of Davao City and its gulf.

The view from the Amphitheater

The Rainbow Pass – seven arches with the seven colors of the rainbow: ROYGBIV. The rainbow factor wasn’t too evident though as it wasn’t bloom season for the flowers. The tour guide mentioned that several prenuptial photo-ops were already done there.

Several greens around the amphitheater

The “Mickey Mouse” plant. It is NOT edible!; The Prayer Garden

A closer look at the Prayer Garden with St. Francis of Assisi; a plant shaped as an umbrella, cool beans!

We then proceeded to our second stop, Tinubdan.

At the deeper part of the park lies a cultural park (a park within a park!), Tinubdan. Derived from the root word “tubod”, meaning source of water, Tinubdan is the tubod/source of wisdom– a dynamic tour designed to give viewers glimpses of the customs, traditions, beliefs and the way of life of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao.

At the entrance of Tinubdan stands a statue of a Bagani, a warrior and protector of the Bagobo tribe.

Stairs to Tinubdan

Madayaw na Pagkani (A Blissful Welcome); Tana-Tanaman (Welcome Garden; Tana signifies land and Tanaman signifies garden, Tinubdan’s Welcome Garden presents the diversity of cultures in the Davao Region and shows the spatial location of the various indigenous cultural communities, with Apo Sandawa or Mount Apo serving as the point of reference)

The Welcome Garden; A Cultural Map of Mindanao

Balai-Kalimudan. (Datu’s House) A traditional house of the indigenous people of ethnic Mindanao. This particular house (balai) is where the datu (tribal chief or monarch) lives and holds office.

Bebalay-Baylan. (Shaman’s House) The baylan’s (shaman/healer) house also functions as the infirmary of the community. Inside the house are the dried medicinal plants that the baylan uses. The concept of buying medicine over the counter is alien to the lumad.

Within Tinubdan is a Herbal Medicinal Garden aptly called as “Lumadnong Tambal”. In the garden, one will find various medicinal plants used by the lumads of Mindanao. There are rituals associated with the plants, which are known by the baylan. Because of this, the Christian-Spaniards regarded them as works of the devil and sought to eradicate them. Eventually, the records of plants were lost.

Lagundi: leaves used to treat cough, asthma and fever; Yahong-Yahong: leaves used to treat measles

Calabo: leaves used to treat cough; Oregano: leaves used to treat cough and colds

Herba Buena: leaves used to treat gas pain; Tabako: leaves used to treat ringworm

Kataka-taka: used to treat infections and inflammations; Sabila: leaves/sap used to treat burns, sap used to treat goiter

Alusiman: leaves used to treat sunburn; Luya: rhizomes used to treat sore throat

Kalasutsi: dried leaves used to treat asthma; Tawa-tawa: roots used to treat dengue/snake bite

Makahiya: leaves used to treat mumps; Dila sa iro: leaves used to treat wounds

TRIVIA: Kaingen. The majority of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao practice traditional shifting cultivation, known as kaingen. This practice involves temporarily clearing a selected area by cutting back and burning off vegetation in order to prepare it for farming. Kaingen is not supposed to be harmful to the environment! The traditional kaingen method is steeped in ritual. The spirits are consulted every step of the way, from site selection all the way to harvesting and letting the land become fallow. Because of their reverence for the spirits, the lumads are careful not to slash and burn indiscriminately. Usually after one season of planting and harvesting of upland rice, the swidden is left alone to let it recover its natural fertility and will only be opened again after ten to fifteen years. In this manner, the indiscriminate destruction of the environment is avoided. What is destructive is the indiscriminate kaingen method that does not allow the land enough time to recover its fertility. Farmers using this method resume planting in the swidden only a year after the harvest.

We then moved on to the third and final stop of the tour, Lola’s Garden!

Ornamental Nursery; Organic Vegetable and Herb Garden

Lola’s Garden. It offers one of the most commanding panoramic views of Davao City and the Gulf from the park. What’s in a name: Lola’s Garden? The garden was named as such since it plays host to mostly traditional/common plants.

Map of Eden Nature Park

Lola’s Garden

Mayumi’s Wishing Well. I wanted to toss a coin and make a wish but then I was surprised to see that the well was full of flowers!

Colorful! All of the floating flowers can be found within Lola’s Garden

The ever-traditional rose.

So that pretty much wraps up the 45-minute guided shuttle tour. We were then brought back to the Day Tour Center and since it was already 11am, it was the perfect time to redeem my plated snack.

Vista Restaurant.

While waiting for my snack to be prepared, I checked out the “Indiana Jones” just beside the restaurant. It’s basically a “practice ground” for those who aren’t courageous enough to try out the park’s zipline, the Sky Rider.

Indiana Jones. Ofcourse the kid in me pushed me to play with the Indiana Jones. Hahaha, no one can stop me, I am alone, I am free. No photos though

Kid enjoying the Indiana Jones; Indiana Jones Safety Guidelines

After a few rounds with the Indiana Jones, I returned to the restaurant and since I realized that we had to visit 3 more destinations before we’d eat lunch, I just decided to have my snack packed for take out so that I could enjoy it while on the road.

That ends my visit to Eden Nature Park. The experience was brief but very relaxing. The cool breeze was enough to erase all the stress away and make me realize that life is indeed BEAUTIFUL. I swear I’ll be coming back to this place and hopefully next time it’ll be an overnight stay with my family.

(…to be continued)