THE COST OF LEARNING 2: NORTH COTABATO

In my previous post I talked about my trip to Davao City and Bukidnon, including the amount of expenses to be expected when traveling to those places. I personally put this up as a reference for my future travels, as well as for anyone who might be interested.

Kidapawan City, North Cotabato

01 September 2015 - From Davao City, I rode a van to Kidapawan, their terminal found behind Gmall. Van fare cost P150 per person. From Kidapawan bus terminal, I took a tricycle to the lodge where I stayed, costing me P20.00, which I later found out is actually over priced. The minimum fare is only P8.00 and the distance between the terminal and JBL Lodge is not that far. I stayed at JBL Lodge, which is just along the National Highway, near DXND radio station. It is in the farther side (if coming from Davao City),the road leading to Arakan (van to Arakan costs P100 per person per way).

The rate at JBL Lodge cost only P500 per night. It was recommended by our local partner, and the rates are really lower compared to other nicer hotels in the area.  I had a room with double-sized bed, a TV, air-con, private bathroom with hot shower. There is no free breakfast and no hooks or place to hang my clothes, and the towels are really thin (but you can ask them to clean your room and replace the towels everyday). It was a relatively nice place, given the price. At night it is usually packed with guests who have nice cars. Our partner said people from Red Cross also stay there. But I think some couples also use this for short-time stays because it is really just affordable.

Durian is cheaper here (I LOVE DURIAN!) it is only P25 per kilo. All other kinds of fruits are also cheaper and the sweetest (which is probably why it is called the "fruit basket" of the country). The most familiar place to eat is at Jollibee, which costs around P50-P150 per meal. There are also other nice restaurants, but I did not want to try them alone. Near JBL Lodge is Penong's (a famous chicken restaurant in this side of the archipelago). I ate there once for dinner and it cost P259. There is a nice buffet restaurant (Cucina de Miguel) we once visited for lunch, and it cost only P130 per person. It is located just downtown, near the market area.They have all kinds of vegetables and meat viands for everybody.

There is also a nice restaurant called Ga-Lor, which is located near Gaisano mall. Their specialty includes Australian Beef Cheese Burger and Palabok. They serve durian halo-halo and durian coffee, but they don't have plain coffee, sadly. I had dinner at Boyd's once, which is a nice pizza and pasta place located behind Jollibee. My meal cost only P200, for a small box of mushroom pizza and coffee. It tasted pretty good and also filling! They have wifi too, but by the time I ate there, they didn't have connection. Along the street where Boyd's is located, is the Serenity Thai Spa. It is a new place so it is still clean and neat. Swedish massage cost P300.00, and P320 for Hot Lava Stone Massage, which I really enjoyed. I was really sick that time with head colds, and they directly contact the hot lava stone all over your body. I was surprised at first that they directly contact the hot stone on the skin, but it was soothing and calming. They also serve tea after the massage. (Tea was sweet though).

There is also a quiet coffee place with wifi at Jicar coffee, which is part of Eva's Hotel at the 4th floor of Eva's Bldg. (a few blocks from Jollibee). They have a lot of supermarkets around the city, so it was not hard to find essential toiletries and food.

On a Saturday, I tried visiting Lake Agco (a boiling sulfuric lake) which is around 45 minutes away from the city proper. I took a tricycle to the terminal (which is right across the Iglesia ni Cristo church). I took a special habal-habal ride on my own, costing P250 per way. The driver was really nice and friendly (Kuya Toto). I agreed to text him so he could pick me up on my way home. Apparently, from Lake Agco, they do not allow the passengers to ride with other habal-habal drivers except those that are in line. So I had to ride from Lake Agco to Ilomavis gym, and then Kuya Toto picked me up there.

The steaming sulfuric Lake Agco - you can boil an egg in there!

The entrance to the jacuzzi resort (with steam bath) was P20.00. To visit Lake Agco and have photos there, entrance is P10.00. The nearby resort has swimming pools too, but I did not try it. I enjoyed the steam bath and jacuzzi, and then headed back to Kidapawan in the afternoon. It would be fun to spend the whole day, or even over night if I had company.

You have to pay ten pesos to enter, and this is the pathway leading to the Lake

The tricycles in Kidapawan are big and can accommodate around 6-8 persons! They are also especially appropriate for their mountainous terrain.

The marker in front of the city hall

City plaza

Kidapawan is known as the fruit basket, and I can prove why.

Of course, durian, my love! But there's also lots of mangosteen, lansones, rambutan, marang, and more!

I happened to also visit in Arakan, North Cotabato, where Fr. Fausto Tentorio, an Italian priest, was shot to death four years ago . He was known to actively speak against injustices in this community, and one day an unidentified man wearing helmet shot him while he was in the parking lot - on a Monday morning, in broad daylight. Until today, this man is still unidentified. This memorial below is the spot where he was found dead.

This memorial was built in memory of Fr. Fausto Tentorio