Well, it was already a month ago when Valerie, Hannah, Noemie, Cristyl and I have planned to try something different for this summer. This time, we have decided to go on a vacation to a place away from Davao City. And after some planning and deliberations, we have decided to try the beaches of Gumasa, Glan, Saranggani Province!
It was a beautiful Friday morning of May 6, 2011, when the group have met at Ecoland Bus Terminal. The time was 7am and we need to take 3-hour bus drive from Davao to Gensan.
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| @ Ecoland, Bus Terminal with (from right) Valerie, Hannah, Noemie and Cristyl |
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It was suggested to us by a friend to choose Yellow Bus for a non-stop ride to GenSan. The fare was 254 pesos and we took the back seat.
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| I suggest, if you don't want a dizzy ride, don't choose the backseat =) |
Luckily, going to GenSan doesn't require passing through some rough roads. So a quick nap along the trip is possible. Plus, you'll be able to enjoy beautiful scenery and take some photos of it.
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| road to GenSan |
We reached GenSan around 9:50AM. We rode off the bus along Gaisano Mall of GenSan. We took a 5min walk from there to KCC Mall. This time, we need to take a van that will take us to Glan, Saranggani Province and the van terminal is near beside KCC Mall. But before that, we took our lunch first at KCC mall's food-court. The food was great and very affordable.
It was already past 11am when we headed to the van terminal. This time, the transportation fee from GenSan to Glan is 80 pesos.
Well the ride was a bit uncomfortable for there were 19 of us packed inside the van. The driver, 2 passengers in the front seat and 4 in each bench, and don't forget that we have our own baggage. So it was really uncomfortable. But the 40-minute drive from GenSan to Glan was smooth, so we have endured the trip.
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| overlapping shoulders inside the van |
After reaching the Glan terminal, the most common mean of transportation to Gumasa is the motorcycle. You can take the single motorcycle or tricycle at 30-40 pesos each. But the van driver offered to take the five of us to Gumasa at 300 pesos, so we took it. But before we went ahead, a tricycle driver gave me his number in case we need someone to fetch us at the resort. Well, thanks to him. because later on, we will realize how valuable he is to us. hehe
It was another 20-minute drive from Glan to Gumasa. The trip at first was smooth but upon passing the entrance to the beach resort from the highway, we have already encountered a rough and steep road.
Finally, we have reached the resort past 1 in the afternoon. The name of the resort is Coco Beach Resort. It is one of the resorts that share the long shore line of Gumasa Beach with other resorts.
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| @ the reception hall of Coco Beach Resort |
We were then ushered to our room, named Light Green room. The overnight rate of our room is 2000 pesos with 2 single beds, bathroom, air-con, 2 free entrance, and a table with benches outside the room. We just added extra foams with complete bedding at 200 pesos each. Entrance fee of the remaining three of the group, at 50 pesos each, were also added to the bill.
For the complete list of their room rates and amenities, here is their site for your perusal.
click here
Going back, we then explored the beach but to our dismay, the shore line was full of coconut husks and branches thus making the beach not as welcoming as the photos in the internet. Maybe our timing was not right because according to the receptionist, there was a great flood that happened a few days ago in the uptown skirt of the region that brought those coconut husks to the sea. But despite the scenario, there were still a number of tourists enjoying a dip in the sea. So since everyone wants to have fun, we took time taking photos and enjoyed the fresh breeze brought by the sea.
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| The Jump Shot =) |
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| Peter - the Rock |
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| The Fresh Breeze |
We got hungry after the photo-shoot, so we decided to take our dinner already. Sadly, Coco Beach Resort has no restaurant, which for us, was a mark down. They only have two stores which sells common goods like soft-drinks and junk foods. And these stores close at 10PM. It's adjacent beach resorts such as Rosal and White Haven have their own restaurants, so we tried to go to Rosal first.
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| The Unlikeable Rosal Resort |
Upon Inquiring to their restaurant, we have found out they do not offer food to those who have not checked in to their resort. Even if we asked for just a take out,they still don't. And much to our surprise, the owner of this resort is a sibling of the owner of Coco Beach, but they don't cooperate with each other. Hhhmmm we smell rivalry here. Anyway, that was not the greatest disappointment that we have in Rosal. It was when the receptionist asked us to pay for an entrance fee just for inquiring and taking photos inside the resort! I was really pissed off.
Well, enough of the Rosal. What we did is, we went back to Coco Beach and asked them to call White Haven and again, the owner of this resort is also their sibling, but this time, i was not already surprised. Our disappointment did not end at Rosal, because we found out that the cook of White Haven already went home, therefore they too, cannot serve us food.
I suddenly remembered the number of the tricycle driver in Glan! I dialed the number and asked the driver to fetch us and bring us to the nearest restaurant. After waiting for a couple of minutes, the tricycle came and took us. The travel was a little bit scary since it was already past 6pm, and the streets were covered with darkness. =)
The twenty minute drive which took almost eternity had finally ended when we reached the nearest eatery called Three Sisters. There were a lot of viands to choose from and the prices of each were very affordable. After dinner, we asked the tricycle driver to bring us to the nearest convenience store, for us to buy some midnight snacks. Then we went back to Coco Beach. It took us 50 pesos each for the fare.
Well the rest of the night was spent strolling, sharing stories and LAUGHING... I believe that wherever you are, as long as you are with your true friends, you will still enjoy the moment!
So in spite of the long travel, and the challenges we have encountered, we have still enjoyed our first day in the resort.
On the next day, we woke up at 6 in the morning. This time, we went to White Haven to have our breakfast. In all fairness, White Haven Beach Resort has a more appealing environment.
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| White Haven Beach Resort |
The place is larger and organized compared to the first two resorts. There were also more guests in their resort.
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| The Shells |
Then we went to their restaurant and ordered food for breakfast. We were asked about our room but I lied and said that we just stayed in an open cottage. Luckily, the receptionist did not mind and let us continue order. An estimate of 100 pesos each were spent for breakfast with drinks. Well, not bad.
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| White Haven Restaurant |
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After taking our breakfast, we went back to our room, changed clothes and finally, we decided to enjoy the beach. And it was really fun!
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| Gumasa Beach |
Around 11AM we started packing our things since the check out time is 12 noon. This time, we planned to conquer GenSan, explore the city and eat halo halo at Razon's, because sadly, there is no Razon in Davao. The same tricycle fetched us and this time, it caused us 40 pesos each back to Glan Terminal.
But before we reached the terminal, the driver proudly took us to their Golden Municipal Hall. And it was really shining in Gold. ehe
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| The Golden Glan Municipal Hall |
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Time check, it was already past 1PM when we reached the van terminal. And before leaving the place, I can say that Gumasa Beach of Glan is really a God's gift. With it's long shore line and white sand beach resorts, more development with the facilities and proper maintenance will surely attract travelers and tourists like us.
So good luck to this place!
Now on my next blog, I'll talk about our next wonderful adventure in General Santos City!
Till then...
God bless =)
