Best Choice Ever

On April 26, during a random chat with my friends, I jokingly told them that I along with Arnita will be going to Davao. Unknown to them I was talking to someone who was from Davao at that time and was curious about his hometown (and of course pretty much interested in the said man). It was just a passing idea but in early July when I got word that I am going to start my residency on August 1 (yes, I was successfully accepted to train in Surgery), and when I found out Arnita has a 1 week leave, I thought “let’s get out of Cebu because who knows when the next opportunity will come”. It’s unfortunate that Shena and Dorlen could not join us, but our 1st international trip would definitely be with our complete group. So, after securing our parents’ permission, I booked our tickets 2 weeks prior and there’s no turning back.

 

It's been 2 years since my girls, and I gathered and 4 years since our last getaway. Supposedly, we were going to fly to Korea right after our graduation and before starting our post-graduate internship. Unfortunately, the pandemic happened. We didn’t have our graduation nor were we able to see each other off as each of us embarked on our next phase in Medicine. Excited is an understatement for how we felt as we looked forward to our getaway. We set up a meeting to prepare an itinerary and of course to plan our OOTD (which wasn’t followed because of our very short preparation time). But despite a long time of not seeing each other my girls still feel like family to me.

 

Early morning of July 23, Arnita and I flew to Davao while Wynje traveled from Bukidnon the night prior. And because we were too excited to see each other, Arnita and I forgot to bring snackable that we could’ve munched on. Another testament to our excitement is Tinay forgetting that she was planning to make a TikTok video like that of the popular video online with Jed Nadela’s Forevermore, as soon as she saw us. The three of us squealed and jumped up and down, ignoring our surroundings and forgetting that we were proper ladies. The same is true when we picked up Wynje.

 

The first day of the trip’s theme is the “Rich Tita” look. Wynje was dressed as a tita who spends her time in the gym, and hikes for a past time; Arnita was dressed as the tita who’s strict but is generous and willing to show off a bit of skin (aka Hubadera); Tinay was dressed as a rich tita who’s down to earth (aka Skwaa) and updated with the latest trends; lastly, I was dressed as high maintenance tita (because I am literally). Our first stop was breakfast at Anniepie found at General Malvar Street, where they served us a hearty breakfast. Being a “tocino” person, I had to order one, which I did not regret one bit. Their tocino was soft and flavorful. My friends also had good feedback on their bacon and bread. Aside from the food, the overall ambiance of the place was so pleasant. We wasted no time and went to our next destination which was Samal Island. I, along with the rest of us was surprised by how long the line was going to Samal, and what surprised me, even more, was the port dynamics and the fare. For two hundred fifty pesos (250), a four-wheel vehicle with its driver and 3 passengers can already board. The barge was big enough to accommodate around 10-15 vehicles and perhaps 50 plus passengers. The vehicles also did not need to board tail first. Then we drove a few kilometers to Villa Amparo, a picturesque resort worth every peso we paid for. When we arrived, we were immediately given our welcome drinks, the staff were so accommodating and welcoming. Their serving was a bit on the small size but the taste, the staff and the place made up for it. The room that we booked was spacious enough for the four of us. We had a short rest and freshened up before changing into our second outfit which was, I guess a failure but nonetheless we changed into more comfortable clothes. We then spent our afternoon taking photos and then drove to our next destination which is to Don Lorio’s Grill & Resto Bar in Babak where we had unli Samgyupsal. And again, the place is very quaint and the staff were so accommodating. Though we didn’t enjoy the chicken that we grilled but their seaweed soup and tteokkbokki were A+. Our last activity for day 1 was a night swim in the pool. The resort’s infinity pool was probably just around 4 ft deep since we were still able to touch the floor despite our 4’11” average height.

 

For day 2, per usual, I was the first one to get up. We agreed to wake up early to witness the sunrise, but I thought I should let my friends enjoy a morning with no alarm clock. But then, I remembered I can’t swim in the beach with the sun high up because of my Lupus so I woke them up eventually. And because it was low-tide we kind of did not enjoy having the water just reaching our hips. The water was very much clean which was nice. We took a bath and then proceed to have our breakfast which was a buffet. It was a full course breakfast which we all enjoyed. After having breakfast we then checked out of the resort and head to the port because we have a long day ahead. Which I guess was a good decision, because when we got to the port the line was already very long to the point that we waited 3 hours to get to the mainland. Because of which we had to adjust, we immediately drove to Magtuod where Wood and Coffee,  another picturesque place was found. We reached there at 3PM so we just proceeded to having our afternoon coffee and snacks. While waiting for our food, we had a chance to tour around their gallery displaying Mr. Gil Bumanlag’s wonderful wood and artworks. Their pasta, bread and cookies were so good which compliments the overall ambiance of the place. Our next stop was St. Francis of Assisi Parish where we attended a mass since it is a Sunday. We were supposed to attend the mass at Shrine Hills but we were short in time, thankfully the mass at St. Francis fit our schedule. From there, we drove to Jack’s Ridge  where we had our dinner. The place was so packed, but we were lucky to find a nearby parking space. We walked around and took a few pictures and then waited for us to be seated. We had a scrumptious dinner, though a bit pricey. Before finally driving to Tinay’s place, we dropped by Davao Doctors to visit our friend Aiko, who was on duty that night as an Ob-Gyne resident. We then head to Carmen, where Tinay lives with her family and retired for the night.

 

On our last day in Davao, I was the first one up again. I stayed in bed enjoying another morning of being a free person. From Tinay’s room I can hear the Church’s bells signifying that it was already 6 o’clock. Tinay got up at that time and prepared for work. We only got to meet Tinay’s parents that morning since we arrived late the night prior. We weren’t surprised when “Daddy” and “Mommy” already knew who we were knowing Tinay had talked about us to her family. We joined Tinay for breakfast and since she had to report early that day since it was a Monday, we dropped her off promising we’ll follow her to her workplace later after we prepared ourselves. We chatted more with Tinay’s parents before heading to the Health Center dressed in our scrubs and helped Tinay with her paperworks so that she can excuse herself for lunch. Before heading out for our lunch, we ordered iced coffee from TasteTea Treats Snack & BBQ which was the best iced coffee that we had for our 3-day stay in Davao. We then picked up Gong, Tinay’s boyfriend who joined us for lunch. We had our lunch at Maria Clara Restaurant in Panabo  where Tinay had her 18^th birthday party years back. Though the place and food were A+, the service was kind of sloppy that we weren’t even able to take a decent photo because we were late for our schedule. Unfortunately, Tinay couldn’t send us off because of her work. So, Gong drove us to SM Ecoland where we bought some souvenirs and then dropped off Wynje at the terminal where she rode a bus heading home. While Arnita and I were dropped off at the airport just right in time for our flight.

 

Overall, our weekend getaway was full of eating at different restaurants, making tiktok videos and talking nonstop. No matter where we were (except at church where we behaved), we never ran out of things to talk about (even when we waited inside the car for 3 hours at the port). We caught up with each other, our current plans like training and the likes, how we admired each other for taking big steps recently – getting out of a relationship, getting into relationships and maintaining good relationships. For my case, I was finally able to tell them how early 2022 went for me and they expressed how angry and disappointed they were and that they’re praying for the ONE for me. I am happy that their hearts are happy with whom they’re with now, the walking green flags (which sometimes makes my friends the red flags instead). But despite being the only single person in the outing, I did not feel left out. I am truly happy seeing how strong and capable my girls are. The four of us can now drive, so being the driver is no longer just my role (though navigation might still be my solo role) but everyone’s’. Not only am I proud of that, but I am also proud of the doctors that we are now. We used to just dream of where we are now, but we managed to pull through – despite the obstacles we faced like the pandemic – my girls were strong.

 

Davao was a pleasant place to be too. I can say that its land area is massive. The roads were so wide but despite being that wide already there was still traffic. Compared to Cebu, establishments in Davao were wide and low rise. And I guess drivers were more disciplined. I’m infatuated with Samal’s beauty so I’m adding buying a property in Samal in my semi-impossible bucketlist (but who knows I might marry someone from the area and accomplish that or be a super rich surgeon myself and achieve that, right?).

 

Unfortunately, the trip has to end. I need to start my residency in Surgery by August; Arnita’s leave is ending on July 30 and has to return to being an IM resident; Tinay need to concentrate on her municipalities’ health programs; and Wynje has to continue her duty as GP while she prepares for residency too. We are super thankful to Daddy Joel and Mommy Cesing who welcomed us with arms wide open, not only did you provide a roof for us, you also feed us and treated us like we were Tinay’s siblings. To Tinay and Bubbles (Tinay's brand new car) this trip wouldn't be possible without you two. And also to Gong who most definitely was stressed out because of me and Arnita. I look forward to our next trip together, I don’t mind our destination being Davao still (maybe for a wedding), or maybe Bukidnon (hi Wynj!) for as long as I’m with my girls, the trip will be one of my best choice ever.

🦋🦋