Feeling Good in Hijo Estate Resorts

At the heart of Davao Gulf is a place where coconut trees tower in rows, a sprawling forest remains untouched, and banana trees flourish. Vast lands lay between the quiet waters of Madaum and Tagum rivers, where local tribes share the riverbanks with white-collared kingfishers, each nourishing their home. A place where every morning is a view of the sun from the ocean's horizon, where nature and man commune, where everything is offered to your delight. ~ Hijo Estate resort brochure

The view from Lanikai, the heritage house of the Tuason Family.

Mention "Banana Beach" and good memories will surely play in my mind. My work in the Tagum City Information Office regularly brings me to this wonderful place and each time I set foot on its productive soil, new discoveries, adventures and memories are definitely made. The beach surely lets you go on a reflective break, providing you calm and serenity. Going through it means communing with nature in mere footsteps.

Feeling the Sun in Kopiat

White Sand Beach in Kopiat Island.

The past week has really been very busy and exhausting, so when we had some little opportunity to saunter into the island, we grabbed it. As I’m writing this post, I can feel the muscle pains I got from the very strenuous things I did during our very short trip. To give justice to the pains, here I am chronicling what went well and wrong during this trip.

I have a penchant for little-known or better yet, unexplored territories. And so out of nowhere on a very hot Sunday, me and my officemates ventured into a three-hour island hopping in one of Compostela Valley’s tourism gems: Kopiat Island.