I always told myself that I should see more of the Philippines.  Not just the usual Boracay, Palawan, Batangas, Tagaytay, Cebu visits, but discover more of the not so popular places in our country.

A few years back, my friend invited me to visit her hometown of Butuan City in Agusan del Norte.  I had heard of Butuan from my aunt who grew up there, but I never thought I’d visit.  At that point, all I knew of Butuan was that my favorite Brownie Thins and Cornflakes Meringue came from a coffee shop called Margie’s Kitchen which started in Butuan.

I didn’t really know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at how modern and developed the city is.   My friend’s family owns a hospital there and her dad proudly showed me around the facilities and it was a truly impressive and modern hospital that could compete with those in Manila.

We visited several local restaurants and coffee shops but of course, we just had to visit Margie’s Kitchen.  The diet was soon thrown out the window because I just had to try the Red Velvet Cake and buy several jars of the Meringue for myself, plus a few for the family.

Of course we just had to go to the beach so my friend’s sister took us to a nearby resort and I was so jealous of the fact that in less than an hour, we arrived at a beach.  In Manila, you’d have to drive at least 2 hours to even see the coastline.  We plopped ourselves down in a cabana and ordered a sumptuous Pinoy meal.  They served us this yummy Pinakbet, which is a big deal to hear from someone who doesn’t always like that dish.  Knowing what a “singer” I am, my hosts asked if I wanted to sing, and I readily said yes and asked where we’d go, they said just stay there.  And soon, they were wheeling a videoke machine to our cabana.  Yes folks, we had our very own machine!  Poor resort guests who had to suffer through my caterwauling.

YES THAT’S INDAY IN TALISAYAN

The next day, we again drove for an hour or so to eat at a seaside seafood restaurant in Talisayan, Misamis Oriental.  I was treated to the freshest crab and fish feast that made me dread putting on my swimsuit in our next stop, Duka Beach.

AT DUKA BAY

I really did envy how easily accessible all these places were from Butuan City.  Even Davao, Siargao and Cagayan de Oro are just a few hours away.  Not only was there stuff to do, and Durian to try of course (which I liked, much to my surprise) there was also so many other places to visit.

Butuan really is a fast growing city and in fact has caught the eye of big retailers so much so that Robinsons Place is opening there this year.

We’ll be heading back to Butuan City soon for the Balangay Festival, that’s the big town fiesta that I’ll be attending for the first time.  And since I’ll be there for a while, I’ll tell you more about it soon.

That’s all for now…bow.