Date: July 22, 2024
Today started with a trip to the mini bank. After spending almost all my money this week, I needed to withdraw some cash. It's incredible how quickly money can fly, especially when you're tipping generously everywhere you go! This week alone, I spent around 60,000 PHP. It’s a reminder to keep an eye on my spending, but it feels good to share a little kindness with everyone.
After the bank, we decided to treat ourselves to some snacks from Bread Talk, a popular bakery nearby. Their selection is always tempting, and we couldn’t resist picking up a few goodies to take with us to Crocodile Park. Nothing beats munching on fresh pastries while enjoying a day out!
Then we took a taxi to Davao Crocodile Park & Zoo.
After getting our tickets, the first thing I saw was a bird in a glass enclosure. I thought to myself, “Oh? Is this from dinosaur times?” So, I asked the guy, “What’s the name of this?” He replied, “It’s a Cassowary.” I was like, “Hmm, cool!” Then he said, “There are two over there, and they are BIG.” I was confused because in my mind, I thought it was a dinosaur bird! Haha, pretty funny! I was a bit surprised to find out it’s actually a bird.
After a few minutes of looking at bones and other exhibits, I noticed a fence behind them. I looked closer and thought, “Hmm?” I was wondering what was back there. But if you look at the tree stump, you see nothing, right?
No, it’s a lizard—a very big lizard on top that actually camouflaged to the tree stump.
White Striped Wallaby
After walking a few steps, I saw a board that said "White Striped Wallaby." I was like, “WAA!” It looks like a bat/dog/kangaroo—kind of a unique, weird animal I’ve never seen in my life!
Sorry about the photo. I saw it was far away, so I had to zoom in, which made the quality a bit bad.
Northern Cassowary
Next, after walking a bit more, I saw the Cassowary! It was just as I had imagined in my mind—a dinosaur bird. It even looked like one, and I thought it was really cool!
Orangutans
As I came across the Orangutans, I couldn’t help but wonder, what are they thinking?
Palawan Bearcat
I spotted a strange-looking animal that at first glance seemed like a weird dog. Haha, definitely not a dog though! I found out it was a Palawan Bearcat.
After walking for a bit, I came across a statue in a bronze or brass color, hard to tell, really. Either way, I couldn’t resist taking a selfie with it!
Saltwater Crocodile
Finally, I arrived at the crocodile exhibit! The first thing I saw was a lot of baby crocodiles that looked like plastic toys. There were so many of them, almost like they were mass-produced, lying on the concrete. I thought to myself, “Damn, they must be burning up because it’s pretty warm in the Philippines!”
As I walked further to the right, I saw even more crocodiles, but these were a little bigger. It was like watching Pokémon evolve, which was kind of funny.
Then, after that, I noticed a VERY large one it was massive!
And yet again, there was an even bigger one. What was funny about this one was the green stuff on its face; it created the illusion that it didn’t have a face at all because it blended in so well with the green water.
Papuan Hornbill
Albino Tiger
Then, I saw an albino tiger! It was such an incredible sight!
Burmese Python
Next, I encountered a Burmese Python. It was impressive to see such a large snake!
Lolong
Next, I came across a life-sized sculpture of a saltwater crocodile named Lolong, Crocodylus porosus, the largest saltwater crocodile ever measured at 6.17 meters! Sadly, it died on February 10, 2013. You can read more about it in the photo.
After that, we walked around a bit more and then took a food break to enjoy the pastries from Bread Talk that we bought earlier.
After our snack, we decided to hold a crocodile and a python snake to take some photos!
Then, I visited a nice store inside the crocodile park and bought a tribal set of clothes, including pants and a jacket. Everything was actually very affordable! They had a lot of nice items there.
I kind of forgot to give a tip, which I usually do, because I was so eager to buy everything I saw!
After that, we took a taxi to Romantic Baboy, a Korean restaurant. It was my first time trying Korean BBQ!
After finishing our meal, we took a taxi home. Later, we went to the theater to watch the new movie Twisters.
After the cinema, we thought about going to the night market, so we took a taxi to the one in Davao City. But just as we arrived, a big storm hit! We ended up taking the taxi through a McDonald's drive-thru instead. It was my first time buying a burger from a taxi, which was kind of funny!
Watch the Video of Ep. 7
See you in the next episode of the Davao series!