When traveling to rural Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines, you will have an experience that is unlike that of popular travel destinations. Instead of chaotic areas, you will encounter many coconut trees and villages along the way as well as many quiet rivers and painfully narrow roads.
One of the first difficulties was finding gas. There was no proper gas station close by, so the only solution was to buy fuel at a small village store, going for gasoline sold in recycled Coca-Cola bottles. This is a sight one can see in several countries of Southeast Asia. For 100 pesos, one could buy enough gasoline and continue with the trip.
The roads were bumpy, so it was necessary to move slowly. While on the way you would pass by ducks swimming in the water near the side of the road, tuk-tuks acting as a mode of local transport, and many young people riding their motorcycles for the first time. The scenery was green consisting of palm trees and houses.
Swimming in a River
The trip also brought us to a river that Crishel used to swim in during her childhood. The water was unbelievably clean and quite inviting. Locals sometimes fished there, but we learned that electric fishing was also employed in the area.
A different section of the river served as a natural slide. Kids had fun gliding down the rocks into the water, while one must pay close attention to the current.
Next, we visited a relative’s farm, where sweet potatoes were being harvested among coconut trees and other farms. The family already collected several.KGs, which they would sell at a nearby market for about 30 pesos per kilogram.
Observing the Philippine Countryside from a Height
A regular journey landed a group of people at Mech View Hill where they could see the surrounding landscape. They only had to climb for a few minutes, but the view they got for such a short effort was definitely pleasing – green hills, palm trees, many scattered houses, and an ominous sky.
The entire area was blissful for people who like riding a motorcycle and discovering unexplored vistas.
For instance, Crishel recalls a funny moment when folks were informed by her family about the police checkpoint in the area. She was riding her vehicle without a helmet while many locals were worried about being punished by police.
A dinner in a Filipino Family
The whole family was invited for dinner as a token of their appreciation on the last night in the area. The restaurant has a very diverse menu consisting of fried chicken, pizza, rice, noodle soup, and more interestingly pizzaghetti.
Pizzaghetti is a combination of spaghetti served on top of pizza. It can be weird, but it was quite good to eat after all. Chicken noodle soup was another one of their favorite dishes, tasting somewhat like the chicken soup in Germany.
Dinner with the family was a perfect culmination of the couple of days of getting acquainted with the local way of life.
The last part of the day was occupied with visiting one of the biggest cockfighting events in the Philippines.
The experience of witnessing the event was challenging. The chickens were made to engage in combat, leading to one of them dying. However, even though the activity was disgusting to the traveler, the ambiance of the place was lively.
Instead of judging the participants, the experience illustrates that things can be interpreted differently based on one’s culture; even traditions can seem familiar to some and very disturbing to others because of cultural background.
In the end, the trip around rural Mindanao showed that it was much more than a simple trip: buying gasoline in bottles, swimming in childhood rivers, eating dinner with hospitable family, and observing strange tradition are part of the everyday life far from the typical tourist experience.
