From Cotabato City you can go to Gen. Santos City southward, Davao and Cagayan de Oro eastward, Zamboanga westward and Marawi City by north. A resident told me that the road to Davao is considered  very safe to travel, while the road to Gen. Santos has many checkpoints (which he didn't from which forces). Going to Marawi is risky since you must have lots of cash to pay your way pass through the "toll gates" along the way (P300/$6 for private vehicles I was told).

COTABATO to DAVAO - After our official business in Cotabato, we proceeded to Davao in the afternoon. We were estimating a 5 hour drive and expected to arrive in Davao by 7 pm.

And so we passed through SULTAN KUDARAT, PIGKAYAWAN, MIDSAYAP, PIKIT, the Muslim dominated towns. First thing I noticed was the numerous army detachment camps situated on high grounds along the highway. These remind me of the grim past of this region, the military-Muslim rebel encounters. I clearly remember the scenes I watched on TV, the fighting between the army and the Muslim rebels on this same road in Pikit. But it is so quiet now, with the green landscape of the rice fields on both sides of the highway a pleasant sight for us. Land is very fertile here. Also there is favorable climate for agriculture since it is not on the path of destructive typhoons. Small mosques was also a common sight along the highway. The majority of the road along the route are well-paved  which made our trip pleasurable. 

KABACAN - Reaching KABACAN, North Cotabato, we are almost halfway through our journey. KABACAN is a university town, being the home of University of Southern Mindanao, reputedly the best state university in Mindanao. Life in Kabacan revolves around this university specializing in agriculture with a sprawling 1,000 hectare campus. I And if your are into bat and snake hunting, then you should explore PISAN cave. But since I am not too comfortable with both animals, we didn't entertain the thought of stopping over. 

MAKILALA - Reaching MAKILALA, one can already grasp a view of majestic Mt. APO, the highest mountain peak in the country. Our host said that the best time to pass by Makilala is during late afternoon so you can see Mt. Apo at its grandeur. We were unlucky as it was already dusk when we reached the vantage point. And if only I had the luxury of time, how I wish I could climb up that mountain. I have already scaled the third highest peak in the country, Mt. Canlaon in Negros years back, so Mt. Apo would have been an interesting challenge.

I was also told that Makilala offers some interesting spots for tourists such as barangay NEW ISRAEL which is known for its numerous monkeys and Flortam Hot Spring. The hot spring resort is also called the "Fountain of Youth" as its regular visitors who are mostly old folks who have arthritis and rheumatism have been reportedly cured of their sickness after taking a bath in the hot spring. This reminds me of Pansol in Calamba, Laguna where numerous hot springs abound. Another resort that was recommended to me to visit is the La Reve mountain resort which has several swimming pools and a lagoon for boating. 

DIGOS - Upon entering DIGOS, we were held up by the traffic due to an ongoing road construction. This was the only drawback during the whole trip. DIGOS is the capital of Davao del Sur and if you pass this during daytime, you can see the magnificent sight of Davao gulf. DIGOS is also the starting off point if you want to climb Mt. Apo. I also have to mention that a town before DIGOS is worth a visit. BANSALAN has the provincial nursery where all varieties of Philippine fruit trees can be seen. Reaching DIGOS means we have reached 90% of our journey. DIGOS is a junction point turning left would lead northward to Davao City while turning right direct you to Gen. Santos City.

DIGOS is well known for its fresh sea foods due to its location along the coastline. And if you want to cool off, there are numerous beach resorts in DIGOS and nearby town of STA. CRUZ, where you can take a quick dip on the sea.

We stayed at the Royal Mandaya which has excellent accommodations except I was mistakenly given the wrong key  to an occupied room by the front desk. Good thing the guests there were the not violent types, they were just surprised to see me trying to open their door. Except for this misstep, my stay at this hotel was most pleasant.

There are so many places to go to in Davao. You can visit the Philippine Eagle sanctuary, the orchid gardens (Davao is the orchid capital of the Philippines), the Pearl Farm Resort Samal Island. If you plan on visiting a place in Mindanao, I recommend DAVAO since it has many tourist spots to go, hotels to choose from based on your budget, taxicabs to get you around and lots of restaurants.

Food is no problem in Davao. Restaurants of different cuisine abound in this biggest city in the country (in terms of land area). We prefer of course to sample the famous grilled tuna caught in nearby Davao Gulf.

Nightlife is also very active in this city. Sadly this also meant high cases of prostitution. Just as I experienced, walking along the streets near APO VIEW Hotel, you will be immediately approached by pimps and girls all offering companionship for the night. This is a very depressing reality. Suddenly, I realized that Davao is no different from Manila or Pasay in this case. My companions preferred nightlife was to go to entertainment places such as karaokes or music bars, etc. and return to the hotel safe and sound. But for this night though, we were too tired to go out and so we just stayed inside our hotel.

That evening I have decided to take the bus to Butuan and travel along the eastern part of Mindanao instead of flying back to Manila. The following day was a Friday so I thought I should take advantage of the weekend to travel in this part of the country. I even consulted my friends from Davao about my plans the next day and was assured that it was definitely safe to travel along that route. Good then.

In Mindanao, you have these integrated bus terminals located just outside the city proper where you have all of the buses plying to different routes to and from the city. So at the Davao terminal, you have buses going to Gen.Santos, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Mati, Butuan (my destination) and even Manila (Philtranco). In these terminals, you can also board the jeepneys going to different small towns nearby. Tricycles and taxis takes you to the city proper or to your hotel. This is very convenient for travelers. My only wish is that they maintain it clean and safe from hustlers. It is not always the same situation in other towns and cities. Of all the integrated bus terminals that I have seen so far, Surigao is the most cleanest terminal while the Butuan and Cagayan de Oro terminal are the dirtiest.

In Mindanao, bus trips are classified the number of stops on the terminals it will take along the way. You will see 5 stops, 6 stop signages on the front of the buses. This meant it will stop on 5 or 6 towns or cities along the way. My trip to Butuan has a minimum of 5 stops, the fastest available. It is airconditioned though but the seats are not comfortable enough, unlike the buses going to Baguio or Bicol in Luzon.

You also have the aircon vans that takes you to different places. These aircon vans (L300, Vesta Vans, etc.) could be a more convenient mode of transport to some but it has to filled with passengers first before it can depart to its destination. And when these vans are filled with passengers with big luggage, you really feel like sardines packed in tin cans. Also if you have a schedule to keep, the buses are more advisable to take since they leave at designated times even with only a few passengers. There was no van going to Butuan so I had to settle for the bus.

TAGUM, Davao is a junction along the Maharlika highway where if you go eastward, you will reach Mati, Davao Oriental. I was told by a friend that this is a beautiful place to go to and the roads leading to it resembles like the zigzagging roads to Baguio City. I leave it as my destination sometime in the future.

PROSPERIDAD- The Maharlika highway initially was good and well paved but upon reaching Agusan province, a logging country, the roads somewhat disappeared. For the next few hours, my body was subjected to a torturous swaying as the bus negotiated the rugged roads. As much as I would like to get a nap, the constant sideway, upward and downward motion of the bus kept me awake. I also noticed cut logs along the roadside ready for pickup. Once in a while, we pass by trucks filled with logs and this is probably why the roads here are so bad. However, the beautiful countryside scenery, the mountains and the remaining forest compensated for the rough travel.

When we reached Prosperidad capital of Agusan del Sur , we were almost 3/4 of our travel. This town seemed to me as the logging capital of the country. Agusan provinces' major industry is logging. This region is the country's main source of paper, plywood and matches.

BUTUAN CITY is the capital city of Agusan del Norte, a province in the northeastern side of Mindanao. It also belongs to Region XIII also known as the CARAGA region (composed the towns and cities of Agusan and Surigao provinces). The origin of the name BUTUAN has three versions; one is believed to have originated from the sour fruit Batuan while the second is it came from a certain Datu Buntuan, a chieftain who once ruled Butuan. The third version as scholars believed, was that it came from the word But-an, which literally means a person who has a sound and discerning disposition.

The city has a rich historical and archeological background. This region is probably the one of first in the country to have contact with the European colonizers in the early days. But even before the Europeans came, Butuan already has its own organized communities dating as far back as the 4th century. It was in Butuan where the remnants of a prehistoric boat was found. Other artifacts collected around the area showed that it already has a thriving commerce and trade between neighboring China, Japan and even South Vietnam (then known as the Kingdom of Champa). In fact during the 11th century, Butuan City was the center of trade and commerce in the Philippines. The city historian is also disputing that the first Catholic mass celebrated in the country was held in a nearby Masao and not in Limasawa as history books indicated. Various other artifacts were also discovered in Butuan and how I wished I could have more time to visit the museums that housed them.

I find Butuan a peaceful place. In contrast to my reservations in Cotabato, I can feel safe walking around the streets of Butuan even at night. I have also observed that strangely, the city proper has plenty of bakeries at every corner. This I found out the next morning as I took a leisurely walk around the city. Bakeries are side by side and at every block...strange indeed. 

Butuan is accesible from Manila by air (via PAL) ,by sea ( via inter-island ferry ship) and if you are more daring, by land (via PHILTRANCO).