Whenever we travel, souvenir stopovers are always part of the itinerary. We shop for pasalubong* for our friends and family. This is perhaps one of the most widely practiced Filipino traditions. It is customary to bring souvenir items from a recent trip.
Here are some souvenir ideas you can pass by on road trip from Davao City back to Iligan City. I did my best to document pasalubong stopovers and a few pictorial stopovers in between.
Stopover 1: CALINAN
Calinan is approximately 26 km from Davao City proper. It is said to be the fruit capital of Davao City, known for its durian and bananas.
Pasalubong Ideas: Durian and Pomelo
Tip: If you're traveling in an air-conditioned vehicle, bring an airtight container with you (or a cooler), newspaper, and packaging tape. Have the durian opened by the vendor, and place the durian flesh in a plastic bag before putting it in the container. Seal with packaging tape. Cover with layers of newspaper. ^_~
Stopover 2: SEAGULL MOUNTAIN RESORT
Seagull Mountain Resort is located in Marilog, along Buda (Bukidnon-Davao) Road. It is a perfect spot for bladder break and picture taking. They also have yummy muffins for sale.
And while you're here, you might as well take the chance to take beautiful overlooking landscape photos. At an elevation of 4000 feet, the view is unquestionably awesome. You can also help some of the kids here who sell souvenir items.
Pasalubong Ideas: Muffins from Seagull Coffee Shop (P35 each) and souvenir bracelets (P10 each)
Stopover 3: ARAKAN
Arakan is actually part of Cotabato. If you know someone who is into plants and gardening, along the highways of Arakan, you can find flowers and other plants available for sale. Sometimes, strawberry jams are also sold here.
Pasalubong Ideas: Plants and strawberry jam
Stopover 4: KITAOTAO
Kitatao is in the southern part of Bukidnon. Along the highway, there's an animal health quarantine in Lorega, Kitaotao for vehicles coming from Davao City. You can have a bladder break in their pay toilet here, and there are also a lot of souvenir items to choose from. ^__^
Pasalubong Ideas: Bracelets, wallets, baskets, cowboy hats, plants, etc.
To be continued...
*Pasalubong is a homecoming gift or souvenir brought for someone brought by a traveler returning from a trip. The word is a Tagalog term derived from the root word "salubong" which means "(to) welcome" or "to meet." The prefix "pa-" is roughly equivalent to the English suffix "-er". Thus, the word "pasalubong" can be roughly translated as "something meant for you when you welcome me back." [src]
Stopover 1: CALINAN
Calinan is approximately 26 km from Davao City proper. It is said to be the fruit capital of Davao City, known for its durian and bananas.
Pasalubong Ideas: Durian and Pomelo
Tip: If you're traveling in an air-conditioned vehicle, bring an airtight container with you (or a cooler), newspaper, and packaging tape. Have the durian opened by the vendor, and place the durian flesh in a plastic bag before putting it in the container. Seal with packaging tape. Cover with layers of newspaper. ^_~
Stopover 2: SEAGULL MOUNTAIN RESORT
Seagull Mountain Resort is located in Marilog, along Buda (Bukidnon-Davao) Road. It is a perfect spot for bladder break and picture taking. They also have yummy muffins for sale.
And while you're here, you might as well take the chance to take beautiful overlooking landscape photos. At an elevation of 4000 feet, the view is unquestionably awesome. You can also help some of the kids here who sell souvenir items.
Pasalubong Ideas: Muffins from Seagull Coffee Shop (P35 each) and souvenir bracelets (P10 each)
Stopover 3: ARAKAN
Arakan is actually part of Cotabato. If you know someone who is into plants and gardening, along the highways of Arakan, you can find flowers and other plants available for sale. Sometimes, strawberry jams are also sold here.
Pasalubong Ideas: Plants and strawberry jam
Stopover 4: KITAOTAO
Kitatao is in the southern part of Bukidnon. Along the highway, there's an animal health quarantine in Lorega, Kitaotao for vehicles coming from Davao City. You can have a bladder break in their pay toilet here, and there are also a lot of souvenir items to choose from. ^__^
Pasalubong Ideas: Bracelets, wallets, baskets, cowboy hats, plants, etc.
To be continued...
*Pasalubong is a homecoming gift or souvenir brought for someone brought by a traveler returning from a trip. The word is a Tagalog term derived from the root word "salubong" which means "(to) welcome" or "to meet." The prefix "pa-" is roughly equivalent to the English suffix "-er". Thus, the word "pasalubong" can be roughly translated as "something meant for you when you welcome me back." [src]
It looks like you have discovered the Pasalubong Trail from Davao to Iligan. Your descriptions of it reminds me of how it used to be here in the USA. When the Interstate Highway System came along and bypassed many former vacation routes people used to travel with all of the individual restaurants, shops and souvenier places. Many of them are long gone now. The famous Route 66 was an example of this.
ReplyDeleteHi Bob!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by my blog. Yep, I tried my best to document all stopovers in between. It helps keep me awake and enjoy the road trip more... :)
Masarap ang Durian..:)
ReplyDeleteKaya lang parang maproseso yung pagbabalot.. hehehe...
Davao is a great place to visit during the summer time. I enjoy their bazaars and native delicacies.
ReplyDelete@tripper: tama! pahirapan pagbalot. di bale... worth the effort naman. ;)
ReplyDelete@thailand villas: true that! ;)