Davao Oriental

For our first anniversary, Mike had to stay in Mati for work so I flew to Mindanao to spend the week with him. On the day of our anniversary, we went on a road trip and explored Davao Oriental. Truth be told, prior to dating Mike, I’d never heard of Mati. So it’s nice getting to explore this part of the Philippines. Our first stop was Carolina Lake. Took a dip and swam for a bit. As we were heading out, we realised we parked on muddy terrain. The car was stuck and we couldn’t drive out. Thank God for the kindness of strangers. 6 men pushed the car while Mike manoeuvred the wheel. Took us a good hour or so just trying to get the car out. I was bracing myself for Mike to be in a foul mood once it was all over. To my surprise, Mike simply brushed it off and we drove on. Cheese alert but I knew then that he’s someone I’d like to do life with.

We stopped for lunch at a random restaurant along the way. Nothing fancy but I do remember enjoying myself. If I’m not mistaken, we had kambing ( local goat) adobo. Then we made our way towards our real destination: Aliwagwag Falls. Along the way, we found a roadside tree graveyard. We pulled over to check it out and take photos. We had several pit stops prior to arriving to the falls. Some of them just to admire the view. I think that’s what I truly love about trips with Mike. We always have a plan but things come up, we readjust and figure it out along the way, all the while enjoying ourselves and each other’s company. In the end, we always find ourselves where we intended to be. Seems like a metaphor for life with him, y’know?

Carolina Lake, Davao Oriental

Camille for scale

Aliwagwag Falls, Davao Oriental