It's the 75th Araw ng Dabaw and starting from March 16 and forward, I wanted to go out and see what's happening on the streets. Usually, the streets are filled with lots of Dabawenyos and tourists. There is always the "Indak2x sa kadalanan" which is a competition of native dance performed on the streets. Not only that, a lot of gigs of band are coming out to celebrate in this event and even top stars of the Philippines. In today's Araw ng Dabaw, singer artists like Eric Santos, Juris, Spongecola, Coco Martin, an actor, and many other famous stars of the Philippines visited here and joined the fun. Expectedly, the highways are on traffic.
There are really lots of fun and events to expect always in Araw ng Dabaw. I went out on the day of March 16 and I had so much fun with the things we did. Now, I'll share to you the enjoyable things you can do in Davao during "Araw ng Dabaw".
What I and my friend did first was to wait for the Kapamilya stars Eric Santos and Juris in Abreeza Mall. It was 6 pm in the evening when the singer artists came out. Eric Santos was the first one to perform on stage and followed by Juris. Afterwards, they both sang on a duet. It is really a lucky day when there are special events like this in Davao because famous artists that you only see on televisions and paid concerts were just right in front of you for free. So, I did not missed the chance.
Of course, not only famous artists and actors were invited but also native artists that performs tribe music that shows historical music and dance of Davao. Through them, you can learn more about the city. Thanks to them, the history of Davao are preserved.
Next stop is San Pedro street. This street has always been the center of events. This is where the government usually showcase free concerts, fun and prizes to everyone. Also, different kinds of street wise foods are laid here. That's why we ran immediately here to taste all the affordable foods we can buy. On the other hand, a free live performance of artists were there like the ever great band "Aegis". I was impressed by the singer's very nice and high pitched voice singing their famous songs. We even forgot to eat and just listen to them. And since we forgot to eat on the sidewalk, we took a walk seeing the "ukay-ukay" or used imported clothing and other stuffs for sale. You can buy here all imported products on a low price.Other services were also offered on the streets like photography and henna tattoos. I even got a Henna. Well, ever since, I really wanted to have a tattoo. But because I don't want to have a real tattoo, I tried a temporary tattoo. At least for that, my desire came true.
As we continued walking from San Pedro St. to Illustre St., we reached the Davao's People's Park. It is the park that Dabawenyos are proud of and tourists must visit. It is a secured park but no charge fees. Since it is a special day for Davao, many people visited the park and the way to entrance is not easy. We were obliged to fall in line before we can enter the place. It seems like an audition event waiting for your turn.
Families, friends, lovers and even forever alone people witnessed the colorful dancing fountain and unwavering beauty of spots inside the park like the fish pond, the Baguio like trees, the man-made waterfalls and the miniatures inspired by a Dabawenyo artists. We sat for awhile watching the dancing fountain and happy faces of the people. We heard not only the laughs and chit chats of other people but as well as the cries of our stomach.
Thereon, we decided to go back to San Pedro street to eat. It was quite tiring walking back again to once we were. Hence, we hop on to an electronic vehicle and paid for only 10 pesos. I felt envious when I saw others on the electronic vehicle. This kind of vehicle is not usually used but only to special occasions as this.
Lots of sidewalk vendors are calling out for customers. I can also smell all the different and familiar sidewalk foods. There were kwek-kwek, cotton candies, barbeque, fried chicken skins, fish balls, hotdogs and many more. We ate kwek-kwek which is an egg covered by a flour and paired by a cucumber, salt, and vinegar when eaten. Delicious it is. I don't think other cities have this kind of food.
That was obviously a long and profitable night for sellers. On the other hand, that was a fun and memorable for many people, I guess. I was not able to take pictures of the happenings around me. But these things has marked on my mind and that's why I am sharing it to you. You have so many things to have fun here in Davao. So, choose Davao to experience Dabawenyo's pride. Next time, if you want to experience what I did, mark your calendars. March 16th, Araw ng Dabaw it is.
