It's already May 30, 1 am, Day 2 of the epic Mindanao Food Appreciation Tour / Soccsksargen Summer Safari (MFAT). Yesterday (a few hours ago) marked a first, Day 1 of the first ever MFAT. The day started with the arrival of Cagayan de Oro Bloggers in Davao City, led by President Chiq Montes. CDO Bloggers and Davao Bloggers ate a sumptuous feast at Ranchero's Grill and Restaurant in Davao City. All thanks to the generosity of Paolo Sunglao and his family. Everybody enjoyed the cornucopia of seafoods and the very tasty and tender baby back ribs, among other dishes. It was a very filling lunch. After lunch the group traveled to General Santos City led by Davao Bloggers Project Lead Brendel Balaga. Upon their arrival they checked in at the official hotel of the event, the Ice Castle Experience where I am currently blogging from right now. It is a soon to open hotel which has really nice amenities. Aside from the free WiFi, have beautiful rooms with flat screen tv, comfortable beds, and clean bathrooms. SUPER NICE! After settling down and freshening up, the participants went to the Pacman Sports Bar owned by Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao where…
Category: travel
Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City Day 5
A day after the Kalilangan Festival 2010 closed, we celebrated it's success with a farewell beach shindig at Maasin, Saranggani. We hied off to the beach with Orman, Avel, Marell, Direk Dino, and Marz. We camwhored, chatted, and aaate. There was ice buko, lechon baboy, pansit, lechon manok, bopis, and many other food. I binged since it was going to be my last day before the no rice month of March. And I enjoyed eating. If only everybody else didn't eat so fast, I wouldn't have stopped. After the delicious lunch by the beach, we bid our goodbyes to our gracious General Santos City hosts. And with the promise of more adventures and festivals together, our group rode the van on our way home to Davao. Before going home, we dropped by Robinson's Place to buy pasalubong and some coffee to wake up our spirits. But our tired bodies and minds gave up and most of us slept on the way home. We were tired... but still looking forward to our next visit to General Santos City.
Kalilangan 2010 Street Dancing Competition
I managed to video snippets of the colorful and beautiful Street Dancing Competition of the Kalilangan Festival 2010: The Kalilangan Festival is the celebration of the foundation of General Santos City. The celebration is spearheaded by the City Government led by Mayor Jun Acharon and the GSC Chamber of Commerce led by its President Pilar Afuang. The Kalilangan 2010 is spearheaded by Festival Director, Orman Manansala. One of the highlights is the Street Dancing Competition in two categories: Kadsagayan for the General Santos contingents and Open Category for contingents representing other festivals in Mindanao. This was held on February 27, 2010. Congratulations to all the winners! :)
Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City Day 4
Wearing our Kalilangan shirts and our best mainit sa labas outfits, we headed to Marasa Grill for a sumptuous Filipino lunch. I had a hearty hearty hearty lunch as I ate kinilaw, ensaladang talong, grilled tuna, and mango float. :) Many thanks to Ms. Kring Macion for that wonderful lunch! And oh, we met some new friends... the Manila travel bloggers Dong Ho, Norman, Chidmark, and another one whose name escapes me right now. Sorry na po. We agreed to meet up in Davao after the Kalilangan. Ate Jinky, Kyaw, and Sheng also ate lunch with us. Siyempre, fab sisters Orman and Avel with Marz were there. After we headed to Pioneer Street to witness the Kadsagayan and Open Category Street Dancing Competition. I was deeply overwhelmed. The celebration of the rich culture of Mindanao was really, really fun to watch. And I admire the hardwork and determination of all the participants. And under the piercing heat of the sun, too. BRAVO! But wait... we proceeded to the Oval for the Street Dancing Showdown and Closing Ceremonies. And oh my goodness... what I saw amazed me even more. The contingents really gave all their best. Not just in performing, but…
Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City Day 3
We started the day early as Chattee, Dulce, and I were planning to eat early lunch at PiYESta! so we could be on time for our judging chores. Alas! Orman picked us up from the hotel to have a sumptuous Filipino lunch with Avel, Marz, Dino, and Sir Johnny Abad at Jams in Mt. Sabrina, Tambler Hills. The view was breath-taking. And even when the sun was working extra hard to make us feel its heat, the air lent a cool breeze which made our al fresco lunch very much enjoyable. And the food... well, how can you go wrong with Nilagang Baka, Grilled Tuna Belly, Grilled Tuna Jaw, and Steamed Pompano? Everything was yummy! After lunch, we headed to Donna Congson's Envy Me Salon to have our hair, make up, and nails done. I was initially hesitant to have my make up done since I have sensitive skin and I easily get allergies with heavy make up. But the guy who did my make up did it so well. It was light and very much complimented my sexy black and red look. Dulce, Chattee, Donna, Romarie Ivy Cunanan, and I were tasked to judge that day's pageant: the Queen…
Kalilangan Festival in General Santos City Day 2
I didn't really do anything Gen San yesterday, February 25, 2010, except enjoy its food and the company of its people. I started the day early with a cup of coffee and some online work at Coffee Club 101 at Robinson's Place with Angel and Chattee. Then, I had very delicious lunch at Grab a Crab with my cousin, Nina and her husband Abe. We had Baked Scallops, Hototay Soup, Veggies, and Deep Fried Crabs. SUPER YUMMY!!! My favorite was the Baked Scallops it was so delicious! The crabs were also meaty, tasty, and not dry or overcooked. Then, I met up with a friend at Blu Gre and we had a fantastic guy conversation. The rest of the Davao Bloggers group followed and we ended by camwhoring and working online while waiting for the Manansala sisters. I was also able to buy a new headband and a top for belly-dancing at the Lonely Planet store. And we tried out the really yummy Bacon Melt Sandwich at Ice Crops. I love bacon and cheese. <3 And the bread was super soft and tasty! I heard the bread was bought from Giacomino's Pizza. Then we headed to O-ohlang Fishing Village Grill…