Endings, Beginnings

Outside, the sound of noisy chickens trumpets an aura that seems so provincial. Listening to it exude a patina of calmness and makes you think as if you are living inside of the iconic paintings of Amorsolo. Truth be told, listening to it conveys one clear message: it’s a brand new day.

The sun just kissed the eastern sky when I grabbed a pen and started to write whatever comes to mind. One book I’ve read authored by Ricky Lee said that early mornings are truly the best time to write flowingly whatever that comes to mind. This is one of those mornings when straight from the bed, I’ll immediately go to the table and scribble until it’s time to go.

Feeling Good in Hijo Estate Resorts

At the heart of Davao Gulf is a place where coconut trees tower in rows, a sprawling forest remains untouched, and banana trees flourish. Vast lands lay between the quiet waters of Madaum and Tagum rivers, where local tribes share the riverbanks with white-collared kingfishers, each nourishing their home. A place where every morning is a view of the sun from the ocean's horizon, where nature and man commune, where everything is offered to your delight. ~ Hijo Estate resort brochure

The view from Lanikai, the heritage house of the Tuason Family.

Mention "Banana Beach" and good memories will surely play in my mind. My work in the Tagum City Information Office regularly brings me to this wonderful place and each time I set foot on its productive soil, new discoveries, adventures and memories are definitely made. The beach surely lets you go on a reflective break, providing you calm and serenity. Going through it means communing with nature in mere footsteps.


I've been here many times and the place have surely danced through the ballad of our time, and had continuously reinvented itself to make it more attractive to tourists clamoring for a perfect getaway from the noise of the metro. This has been hyped up through the launching of the Hijo Estate Resorts which includes the Banana Beach, which is undeniably the world's only beach resort inside a banana plantation.

The Lanikai Heritage House adds flare to the resort which is nestled in the 760-hectare, mixed-use tourist development along Davao Gulf in Barangay Madaum, Tagum City. In its press release, the resort prides that both Banana Beach and Lanikai offer resort accommodations and world-class swimming pools designed to cater to individuals who wish to indulge in seaside luxury. Indeed, Lanikai stands up to its Hawaiian meaning of "heaven by the sea."

The Hijo Estate Resorts also boasts of The Spot, which is a perfect for family or group of friends who wish to enjoy the peace and quiet of fishing. The Spot offers wide varieties of fishes in its pond: talakitok, bangus and if you're lucky, a barracuda.

The exciting part of the resort, for me, is the ecotourism tour where you will have a chance of a close encounter with monkeys and occasional sighting of wild boars, and most importantly, the 200-meter canopy walk where you will have a good view of the 60-hectare second-growth forest abundant with dao and anahaw, the country's national leaf. It is also where we released the pythons rescued by DENR last year. This what makes this part of the tour exciting. I was told that probably, these pythons are now gone in the wild since they are favorite "pulutans" of the wild boars or baboy ramo that are roaming free in this forest.

Just recently, the resort offered its river cruise where guests will surely have a great time traversing the Madaum River made beautiful by the towering century-old mangroves on each side, with only the sound of your jetty and the singing birds accompanying you.

True indeed, the wonders of Hijo Estate Resorts can be described as such: a vibrant plantation, rich foliage, a long stretch of pristine beach and a heritage home. It's a roll-in one with its own beach, its own forest, its own private fishing spot, twin rivers within  the estate that opens to the Davao Gulf, and accommodations that range from casual, open-air huts along the beach to private, exclusive rooms in a heritage house.

It also resonates with rich history. Erstwhile known as Hijo Plantation, the resort rise within its soil a historic and still-functioning banana plantation within its property. It is famous for being the first banana plantation to start exporting Cavendish bananas to Japan, with its first shipment made on May 21, 1969. It's the sole company in Davao that offers banana plantation tours that show the public how bananas are propagated, raised, harvested, and packed for export to markets all over the world.

Whenever time permits, I would surely go back to Hijo. It's the best place to indulge in calm and serenity in Tagum City.

The Spot, perfect for fishing. 

The Casitas (cottages) in the Banana Beach

Lanikai, meaning "Heaven by the Sea" is the heritage home of the Tuason Family.

Madaum River

Bungi, the tribe leader of one of the barrels of monkey roaming freely in the forest inside Hijo Estate Resort

Lanikai

Infinity Pool in Banana Beach...

...which features a mini-bar in the middle.

Wild Boars roaming in the forest of Hijo Estate Resorts.

Feeling the Sun in Kopiat

White Sand Beach in Kopiat Island.

The past week has really been very busy and exhausting, so when we had some little opportunity to saunter into the island, we grabbed it. As I’m writing this post, I can feel the muscle pains I got from the very strenuous things I did during our very short trip. To give justice to the pains, here I am chronicling what went well and wrong during this trip.

I have a penchant for little-known or better yet, unexplored territories. And so out of nowhere on a very hot Sunday, me and my officemates ventured into a three-hour island hopping in one of Compostela Valley’s tourism gems: Kopiat Island.


This island is one of the many attractions that solidify Davao Region’s claims of adventures from islands to highlands. From the Pindasan Boat Landing Port—built with the help of the United States Agency for International Development—the sight of white sand excites every tourist waiting for an adventure. As one approaches the island, blue-greenish water awaits. The 87-hectare island, I later knew, was part of the Maco-Mabini Protected seascape and landscape. Based on an article by the Philippine Information Agency, Kopiat Island is  known breeding ground of the hawksbill and leatherback turtles. Sea travel around Kopiat Island takes about 20 minutes by motorized boat, while in-land tour in the 87-hectare island takes about 45 minutes. A portion of the island encircles a seven-hectare lagoon. Unknown to many, the island hosts unspoiled reef areas with rare coral beds that house exotic marine life.

Snorkeling is fun to do there. When I did, two little fishes seem to join me in my plunge into its cold water. You can also tour the island via a pumpboat for only 300 pesos.

When you’re living in Davao del Norte or in Compostela Valley like me, Kopiat Island in Pindasan is indeed a nice place to go to take respite from the hustle-bustle of the metropolis without spending a big amount of money.

As what I coined when I toured the island, it’s really more fun to feel the sun in Pindasan.

Feeling fisherman upon arriving in Kopiat Island. Photo by Leo Timogan of Tagum Exposure.

A kid proudly showed me a star fish.

The 87-hectare Kopiat Island in Compostela Valley

at the Back of the Island