Mindanao New Media Bloggers' 1st Summer Safari and Food Appreciation Tour (Part 2)

(Last Part for Two Parts. To be edited…)

My trip to General Santos City for the Mindanao New Media Bloggers Summer Safari and Food Trip hosted by SoCCSKSargen Bloggers’ last Sunday was a one great perfect summer escape- with all the ingredients of a successful destination. It was fun, free and full of possibilities – to a nature wonderland. GenSan has proven enough to a non-native General like me that there is more to GenSan aside from the usual image our local media create. The people, the spots, the foods, the fun… surely, GenSan will always be a part of my summer destinations.

Breakfast at Dolores Tropicana Resort. Luscious green grasses and leaves greeted us as we arrived at Dolores Tropicana Resort for a breakfast and sight seeing. They served us with tasty bangus and crispy tilapia. Dolores Tropicana Resort is a refreshing sight to behold. This resort located at Polomolok is an example of a well- planned, properly maintained resort you could find just few minutes from General Santos City. Planted to Durian, Dolores is a landscape of orderliness and convenience. It is a haven to a wonderful varieties of durian you can’t just ignore. Swimming pools yields fascinating insight. Going through the resort, it will give you the impression that you’re not just in a resort, you’ll see different animals like wild boar and birds. The area is not just refreshing to the eyes, it also manifest the keen adherence to functionality, comfort and elegance. Hotel with air-conditioned guest suites and function rooms is available. The resort has been a venue for bikini open, a haven for dignitaries and celebrities. They also have a magic show every weekend.

Trek and Zip at Seven Falls, Lake Sebu. Our second destination was the famous Lake Sebu in South Cotabato. Travel time of 3 hours, we felt the mists and saw the dews clinging on the tips of green blades along the highway, a coned- shape mountain and a wide pineapple plantation of DOLE. A trip to Lake Sebu is not just a pleasure trip. It will always be an educational experience. According to GensSan Gazer, Lake Sebu, the nearly four-square-kilometer freshwater lake that helps feed the equally famed Seven Falls in the municipality named after the lake itself, is a placid inland sea located in Alah Valley near the municipality of Surallah South Cotabato. T’boli and Ubu Tribes have been the traditional inhabitants and caretakers of the lake.

In an entrance fee of 20 bucks, we proceeded to the two highlights of our visit to Lake Sebu- the zip-line ride and the trek to the Seven Falls. Zip-line ride is an exciting, breath taking challenge designed to propel a person by gravity from the top to the bottom of an inclined cable over a canopy of forests that will make you wish you could do it yourself. Not all of us able to zip due to untoward circumstances which makes for a very good reason to come back. However, our friends from Cagayan de Oro was given a chance to experience one of the longest zip-line in the country. Busy taking photographs, my fellow bloggers stepped on closer to falls.

Lunch at Punta Isla Lake Resort. For lunch, we had a feast at Punta Isla Lake Resort. But before that, a T’boli music performance entertained us.. It was a presentation of their identity as a proud people with history and culture through dance and music. It gains fuller appreciation of the many facets of our native culture that together shape the Filipino identity and character.

Punta Isla Lake Resort is a perfect example of entrepreneurship with a social conscience. They gave us a sumptuous lunch. The place is perfect for couples, families and friends looking for time together.

Snacks at Merl Garden Spring Resort. While some of CDO friends enjoying the adrenaline rush of zip-line ride in Seven Falls, we headed to Merl Garden Spring Resort for our free snacks at Barangay Lahit, Lake Sebu. Merl Garden is perfect for a family day. There is a monkey bar, hanging bridge, banca ride, horse backriding, 40 feet monkey ladder, 2-way zip line, slide for life and bagging challenge.

Afternoon break at Sa Balai Bistro. After an exhausting but memorable adventure and travel from Lake Sebu, we went back to Gensan and dashed to Sa Balai Bistro to loosen up and chat while sipping Sa Balai’s drinks which included Pandan Shakes, Mulberry Tea, and Home-Brewed Coffee. It was a perfect time to have a short rest. Sa Balai has a nice ambiance with artistic pieces from different ethic cultures in a mix of European architecture and Asian art.

Dinner at Red Tent Steakhouse. Our tour ended with a dinner at Red Tent Steakhouse. The food was great. They served us with crabs, beef steak, pork, garlic tuna, among others.

South Cotabato is much deserving to be one of the country’s best tourist destinations. It was a memorable experience that I’ll be treasured forever.

Of course, every endeavor has its places, things and other stuff to be thankful for.

A bunch of thanks to the following sponsors:

• Mr. Rey Billena of The Ice Castle Experience
• Piyesta KTV and Restobar
• Pacman Sports Bar
• Le Jardin Arnevel
• Dolores Farm Resort
• Francis Sablon of Zion Travel
• Seven Falls Zipline
• Punta Isla Lake Resort
• Merl Garden Resort
• Sa Balai Bistro
• The Red Tent Steakhouse
• Rolee’s Bakeshop
• Coffee Club 101
• Kuya Chito’s Takuyaki
• SOCCKSarGen Bloggers
• Avel and Orman Manansala

Til next time!

Brazil Butt Lift

Turbo Fire Workout

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Photos above courtesy of Lyle Santos of www.LyleSantos.com and Meiyah of www.meiyah.info