18th April 2016 - Eden Park - Mindanao

Monday 18^th April 2016

Indigenous tree ferns

Friday was Excursion Day, funded by the marina and the rally organisation.  Twenty of us hopped into a small green bus and off we went through the long hot streets of Davao, heading for the slopes of Mt Apo (highest mountain in the Philippines, recently devastated by bushfires.)  Davao goes on for ages and is very very same-y…It took FOREVER!!)

But we had aircon; we had good company. 

Liz and Chris (SV Rumrunner II (Airlie Beach)

Eden Park is 80 acres of beautiful thick bushland.  It is all newly planted, since the 70s.  At lunchtime we chatted with Kevin (NZ) and Mel (Philippines) about paradise lost…Mel said that when she was a little girl she lived in a village with her cheery family.  At lunchtime her father would wander down to the gently tinkling creek and would pull out large crabs and prawns.  There were birds tweeting in the trees, wild pigs in the hills, clean fresh water.  Now the creek is dead, there are no birds, no prawns, no crabs, no forest. 

Kevin (SV Moonrise, NZ) and Mel

And Mel is only thirty one…

Mangosteen tree (so symmetrical!)

We had an early lunch in the large shady dining area and then spread out to explore the park.  Pete and I walked down to the flower garden, quite a long way down sloping gravel paths.  I managed to skid and then fall with my left leg twisted like a pretzel underneath me.  Very undignified, very painful.  This is not the first time I have tested my bone density… the good news is – my bone density is fine!  Nothing broke, and although I was in a bit of pain it is now all just about completely better.

We looked at the flowers and said Golly and Gosh and then we clambered back up the path.  Next we went up behind the dining area to look at the aviary.  I was not impressed…I always think that no cage is big enough…and these cages were quite small, with one poor sad bird in each.

I cheered up considerably at two.  We had booked to go on a shuttle tour of the park.  This was great.  First stop – the flower garden… Pete and I looked at each other a bit bleakly; we had DONE the flower garden.  (Golly and Gosh!)  But…the flower garden was so much better with a guide!  Our lovely girl gently showed us this and that…

A beautiful orchid-type flower from India

A jade vine, indigenous to the Philippines, and just gorgeous.  (We hadn’t noticed these things at all, when left to our own devices.)

Our guide posed our group in front of a rainbow arch and patiently took photos for us with all of our cameras.

Next stop we had dancers to welcome us. 

Our guide told us they are students from the local high school, and that they do this every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  All of the money they collect is their to keep; I am glad I dropped some in their collecting bowl!

There was a cute little indigenous hut to look at; I loved it all.

At the wishing well I made a wish for our poor hostage friends…