Davao City: Humidity, Halo-Halo, and Honestly, Just Trying to Find a Plug
okay, so davao city. it’s…a lot. i landed yesterday, and immediately felt like i’d walked into a *steam room. i just checked and it’s clinging to everything right now, like a second skin, hope you’re cool with that. the weather report said twenty-seven point three-one degrees, but ‘feels like’ twenty-nine point two? yeah, no kidding. my hair has officially surrendered.
i’m here scouting locations for a low-budget indie film - think gritty realism, lots of rain, and characters who look perpetually exhausted. which, honestly, is me right now. i’m an indie film scout, and let me tell you, finding decent wifi and a power outlet that isn’t held together with duct tape is proving to be a bigger challenge than finding a compelling story.
the people are…intense. in a good way, mostly. super friendly, always offering you something. i was offered a durian within five minutes of leaving the airport. i politely declined. someone told me that the durian vendors are basically mafia, and if you refuse their offering, you’ll get cursed with bad luck for a week. i’m not taking that chance.
i’ve been wandering around People’s Park, which is…a park. it’s got sculptures, and a lot of families, and a general vibe of ‘chill’. i overheard a group of students arguing about the best halo-halo place. apparently, it’s a serious debate. i’m going to investigate. i found a good review on Yelp for a place called ‘Snow World’ - sounds promising.
“Don’t trust the tricycle drivers who offer you ‘special tours’,” a woman at the market warned me, while expertly peeling a mango. “They’ll take you to overpriced souvenir shops and then try to sell you fake pearls.”
my accommodation is…an experience. it’s a guesthouse run by a woman named Lola Elena, who seems to know everyone in Davao. she keeps offering me herbal tea that smells suspiciously like dirt. but she’s sweet, and the price is right. plus, she has a rooster that starts crowing at four am. it’s…motivating.
i tried to find a co-working space, but no luck. apparently, ‘remote work’ is still a relatively new concept here. i ended up bribing the cafe owner at ‘Bean Bliss’ with a promise of free publicity to let me hog a table for three hours. their coffee is…okay. i’m a bit of a coffee snob, so my standards are high. i’ve been reading about coffee farms around Davao on TripAdvisor - maybe i’ll take a day trip.
“The traffic here is insane during rush hour,” a taxi driver grumbled, while navigating a chaotic intersection. “Just accept your fate and pray you don’t get stuck for three hours.”
i’ve been trying to get a feel for the local film scene. i heard that there’s a small but passionate group of filmmakers who are working on some really interesting projects. i’m hoping to connect with them. i found a local film forum on Reddit - might be a good place to start.
if you get bored, Samal Island is just a short ferry ride away. Lola Elena says it has beautiful beaches, but also a lot of jellyfish. apparently, you need to wear special shoes. i’m still trying to figure out where to buy jellyfish-proof footwear. i also overheard someone saying that the Aldevinco Shopping Center* is a treasure trove of weird and wonderful things. i’m definitely checking that out tomorrow. i’m also looking at Davao City Tourism for more ideas.
honestly, davao city is exhausting. but it’s also…interesting. it’s messy, and chaotic, and full of surprises. and i think, maybe, that’s what makes it special. now, if you’ll excuse me, i need to find another power outlet.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/san-antonio-a-tired-travelers-ramble
- https://votoris.com/post/amsterdam-a-messy-sleepdeprived-street-artists-diary
- https://votoris.com/post/lost-in-trujillo-honduras-a-digital-nomads-messy-week
- https://votoris.com/post/seoul-after-midnight-a-coffeestained-wanderers-diary
- https://votoris.com/post/skateboard-diaries-pembrokeshire-75c-rotator-fixes