May 30, 2022
After two years of virtual conventions during the pandemic, our professional organization had decided that the coast was clear enough to hold our midyear convention 2022 in General Santos City in a hybrid format. Only the fellows from Mindanao can attend the meeting in person at the Greenleaf Hotel, while everyone else can only attend via the online platform.
I am from NCR, but I was invited to attend in person because of a position I held in the organization. Since I have not been to GenSan before, I decided to go. It was my first airplane ride since January 2020. This was only the fourth city in Mindanao which I had visited, after Zamboanga, Davao and Cagayan de Oro previously.
The way the scientific program was designed, there was still ample time for delegates to visit various tourist sites of General Santos City and its surrounding towns while still being able to attend the lecture sessions at the convention site. Here were the places I was able to visit during the five days I was there:
1. Strawberry Guyabano Farm in Tupi, South Cotabato
This picturesque farm was located on the slopes of Mt. Matutum, an active strato-volcano which dominated the landscape of this area. The inner road on the way to the farm was quite memorable because it felt like a caterpillar amusement park ride as your car went up and down a long wavy stretch of road. This was because the road was built on the irrigation system serving the pineapple plantations on both sides of it.
Aside from their strawberry and guyabano plants it was named for, there were plenty of activities for tourists in there. There was a giant swing overlooking a high cliff. There are a few colorful cottages available for overnight stays, or "glamping." There was a scenic red barn near a small waterfall. There were plenty of ethnically-designed eating areas where meals are served. There was also a light and music show at 6 pm and 8 pm nightly.
2. Isla Grande del Mar Beach Resort in Glan, Sarangani
The drive from GenSan going to this remote beach resort, practically at the southern tip of Sarangani province (and the whole country), was about 75 km. When we reached the town of Glan, there was a viewpoint on the side of the road called "Tour Town Glan" where there was a colorful statue of its Gong Dugong mascot and a view of the peak of Mt. Matutum from the other side of Sarangani Bay.
When we reached the beach, we saw that it was at low tide, and people had to walk a long distance out from the beach before they can swim. They report that there was a lot of coral out there so it was hard to walk or swim. Some even came back to shore with wounds. Our driver told us that the beach further up from where our activity was set up (near the main clubhouse) had much smoother sand.
The highlight of our activity there was when two newly-caught tuna fish were brought in to be carved for all the participants and served as sashimi. Being freshly cut directly from the fish, this sashimi was so fresh and sweet. My first serving was cut from from the pectoral area of the fish, and then a second serving cut from the belly section. I don't think I had ever eaten that much sashimi ever before.
3. Lake Sebu in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
To reach Lake Sebu from GenSan, we had to take a roadtrip of about 100 km that went through the whole city of Koronadal.
The first stop we took was to see the Seven Falls. I was told that to be able to see all seven waterfalls there, you need to ride a zipline that gave you a bird's eye view of the entire valley. There are two ziplines, one 740 m long for a good view of Falls #2, and a second one 400 m long to see the other waterfalls. A friend who took the zipline told me that the ride, with video and photos, only cost him P500. He received the video and photos by email.
Because of time constraints, we decided not to take the zipline to be able to have more time to do more activities. We just decided to visit the first two waterfalls which can be reached by car -- namely Hikong Alu (the broad and strong Falls #1 which you can see up close) and Hikong Bente (the tall and majestic Falls #2 which you see from afar). I certainly did not expect to see these two beautiful yet powerful natural wonders one after the other.
Next, we went to Punta Isla Lake Resort on the shore of serene Lake Sebu itself. The grounds were awash with colorful flowers and native T'boli motifs for some Instagrammable photo backgrounds. We decided to eat an early lunch at their floating restaurant well ahead of the noontime rush. Even if we were the only ones there at that time, it still took them 30-40 minutes because they still had to catch the tilapia straight from the lake.
Notable in their menu was their tilapia section which enumerated the 15 different ways they served their staple catch. My personal favorite was their chicharon tilapia, which was so tasty and crunchy that I could not get enough of it. Their kinilaw and their sinigang recipes were also very good. Some T'boli tribes people came on board to entertain and educate us (their elderly leader spoke very clear English) about their musical instruments and dances.
We left Lake Sebu just when the bulk of tourists were arriving for their lunch. Our next destintation was the workshop of the late Lang Dulay, a traditional weaver of t'nalak (the delicately-designed abaca cloth of the T'boli tribe which told stories using its patterns). You can see how the fine abaca fibers were stripped, what plants the color dyes came from and of course, some weaving in progress. They have a small gift shop for souvenirs to buy.
On the way back to GenSan, we passed by a couple of famous food places along the highway. First stop was at Apareja in Koronadal City, noted for pioneering the buko halohalo. One generous serving of halohalo with ube ice cream served in a half-coconut shell cost P100. It is said that they use up to 1000 coconuts a day. Our next stop was Melts in Polomolok. One of their delicious premium cassava cakes cost only P160.
Before going back to the hotel, we asked the driver to bring us to see Plaza General Santos, which was located right in front of the City Hall of General Santos. There we saw the memorial statue of the general, while the plaque told the story of this military man who gave his name to this city previously called Dadiangas (after a local tree). It is always refreshing to see a green park with plenty of trees in the middle of a bustling city.
