Davao Wildwater Adventure

Davao Wildwater Adventure Logo

We know we have been silent for quite a while, we've actually been busy with our day jobs and for the most part just hanging out, and we also forgot to bring out our cameras in instances we wanted to talk about an experience.  But we have not been that lazy we've actually been doing stuff that we never thought we'd be doing.  First up from our chest of adventures come Davao Wildwater Adventure, a.k.a White Water Rafting or Shooting the Rapids.

Davao Wildwater Adventure, Inc.


Meeting Place
Davao Crocodile Park
Diversion Road
Maa, Davao City

Reservations may be made online here.

The Adventure
Tamugan Davao City

How to get there:

Map to Davao Crocodile Farm

The meet up place is Davao Crocodile Farm, just in the outskirts of the downtown area (busiest part of the city).  Every Cab driver in Davao City knows where it is.

What we had and Cost:


We availed of their regular package worth Php2,000.00 which includes:

• Transportation (From Crocodile Park to Rafting Area and back)
• Packed Lunch & Bottled Water
• Use of Gears & Equipment
• Raft guide
• Souvenir Shirt
• Documentation (2 Disc per group of 6)
• Ticket to ZIP CITY, Tribu K'mindanawan & Butterfly house

Davao Wildwater Adventure Rafting Company Logo

Itinerary:

• 800   am Assembly at Crocodile Park
• 930   am Departure
• 1030 am Arrival at Put In area, Tamugan
• 1100 am Start of Rafting
• 1200 noon Lunch
• 300   pm Arrival at Take Out area, Purok 8, Lacson
• 330   pm Departure for Crocodile Park
• 430   pm Arrival at Crocodile Park

For more details you may check here.

We were also informed that for experienced rafters who want to avail of their "Extreme Adventure Package" you may inquire with the company directly as they are seasonal depending on the current and depth of the river.

What to wear:


General:  Sporty attire.

Though we recommend wearing long sleeved shirts/top or you may choose to wear sleeveless shirts/top, but don't forget your sunblock as you will be under the sun for a number of hours.

Also wear shorts not jeans (maong pants) as the latter would make you heavier to lift back into the raft in case you fall in the water.

Wear rubber sandals preferably with straps.  Refrain from wearing shoes as they will get wet during the trip, but you may do so if you don't mind wearing wet shoes for hours.  Also, please white water rafting is a recreational activity, do not, we repeat, DO NOT wear high heels!

What to bring/do and not bring/do:


Don't forget you sunblock, for the body and the face unless you want to get burned.  The guides have a joke that the only injuries any of their guests have suffered have been sunburns, so don't be a part of the joke.  If you choose to wear sleeveless shirts/tops put some on your arms, put some on your legs as well if you are wearing shorts and don't forget to put some on you face.

You don't have to bring food, the package includes packed lunched and water.

You don't have to bring cameras, the company will take the pictures for you.

Bring clothes.  You may leave them at the lockers.

Assembly Time


When you arrive at the assembly area at Crocodile Park, you will be required to execute a waiver and you will will be suited up for the activity.  They will provide you with life vests and helmets.

DWA Helmets

DWA Life Vests

DWA Paddles

They also have lockers where you may deposit your valuables and other items.  You may bring your own locks for additional security.  Though we would advise against bringing unnecessary items to the activity.

You are not expected to arrive until around 9 am, but if you do not want to rush, be their early so you can enjoy the crocodile park which opens at 830 am.  In our case, we waited longer than usual because some people were late.  A piece of advise: don't be part of that group that everyone remembers came late.

When all participants have arrived, you will be given an introduction and you will be briefed on what to expect and what to do in certain circumstances.

Travel to Tamugan from Davao Crocodile Farm

After the short briefing, you will be separated into groups and will be assigned your guides and you will travel  from the Davao Crocodile Farm to Tamugan together with your guide and rafts.

DWA Transportation

DWA Transportation

We travelled around 45 minutes to an hour to get to Tamugan.  If you plan to bring your own vehicle (we strongly recommend against it, be sure that it can survive very rough roads traversing large rocks.  The travel to Tamugan is mostly along a highway, but the rough road from the highway to the river is really rough and would certainly damage your suspension.

Arrival in Tamugan:


Upon arrival in Tamugan pictures will be taken and you will be briefed again on what to do and and what not to do.

NOTE:  LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.  It would mean you know how to be safe in all instances and by doing so you would be able to enjoy the activity more.

The adventure begins:

The Calm Before the Storm

Before we head on to the rapids, we were instructed on how to rescue other participants in case they fall on the water.  At this point, everyone on the raft gets wet!

White Water

Rapids

 When we first saw the rapids, we had mixed emotions of excitement and apprehension.

But once we got our first experience taking it head on, we had to admit that it was truly an exhilarating experience and we couldn't wait for the next one to come.  The prospect on taking the rapids was no longer as daunting as we thought it would be, more like it was something wanted to experience over and over again.

Shooting the Rapids

The deeper we got into the rapids the more exhilarating it was.

DWA In the Middle of the Storm

Of course everything change when we fell into the water!

The guides were always busy looking after us so we had nothing to worry about or so we thought...

DWA - The Guide 1

The guides were busy assisting and reassuring some of the participants and taking pictures of the activity but they know the river enough to enjoy the white water as well.

DWWA - The Guide in the Rapids

We even had an opportunity to voluntarily get into the river and drift down with it in several portions of the river.  Then after taking a dip, we had our lunch in one of the most peaceful portions of the river.

DWA - Floating

We head on the the higher grade parts of the river, which means the rapids are rougher than what we encountered earlier in the day.

Into the eye of the storm we go...

Rougher water...

 The waters were surely rougher, the water is keeping us cool despite the warmth of midday sun!  We thought falling of the rafts was exhilarating at first, but have  we never thought what it would be like if the raft capsized.  Then again...

We just had to try it!

And this is the aftermath of when our raft capsized...

DWA Capsize

DWA - Capsize 2

DWA Capsize Aftermath

Luckily we weren't the only group that capsized that day...

We say luckily, because it meant that we weren't the only ones who enjoyed it as much as we did.  Capsizing is awesome!  And the best part is?  You can ask the guide for an experience when you assemble at the Crocodile Farm.  We recommend that you do, it would be a waste not experiencing it at least once!

Reprieve after the Storm

There are several rest spots we enjoyed and had our pictures taken.

Before we knew it we had reached the end of the adventure and we had to go back to Davao Crocodile Farm. We had a short shower before leaving to clean off the river water from our bodies and clothes but everyone went back to the assembly area wet.

Conclusion:

7: We had a great time with our group and the guides and it was truly an amazing experience we want to repeat as soon as we can!  After falling in the river at least twice and capsizing once, we could say "Sulit!" (It was worth it!).

Apartment 1B: Gourmet Comfort Food

Apartment 1B

Gourmet Comfort Food

One Lafayette Square

132 L.P. Leviste Corner Sedeno St

Salcedo Village, Makati City 1227

(632) 843-4075

How to get there:

Map to Apartment 1B

From EDSA going south:

1. Turn RIGHT to Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia);

2. Turn LEFT to Paseo De Roxas;

3. Turn RIGHT to Villar;

4. Turn LEFT to L.P. Leviste;

5. Turn LEFT to Sedeño (Apartment 1B should be on your right side before the next street corner).

First impression:

Apartment 1B's Second Floor Before Closing

The first floor of Apartment 1B looked like a well lit fine dining restaurant, classy and private.  When we got to our table on the second floor, we were amazed at the changed in atmosphere, it actually felt like we were fine dining in a Chinese restaurant!  The place looked real homey and comfortable.  The wait staff were very courteous and knowledgeable of the menu to boot.

Cuisine:

According to Click the City Apartment 1B serves French cuisine but it seemed more like a fusion of American, Italian, Spanish and French cuisines with a touch of Mexican mixed-in.  We think that's what makes it Gourmet Comfort Food.

What we had:

Apartment 1B's Corn Chowder

We started with a bowl of Corn Chowder (Php170) with herbed croutons.  The chowder tasted good and the serving, supposedly for one, was actually good for two.  It was also served in a lion crested bowl/cup which gives it a “not your usual” chowder look.

Apartment 1B's Chicken Quesadilla

We followed the chowder with a plate of Chicken Quesadilla (Php290) with tomato salsa.  The quesadilla was great by itself and the tomato salsa provides a good accent to the taste.

Apartment 1B's Grilled Baby Squid

 We also tried the new addition to Apartment 1B’s menu, Grilled Baby Squid, which was recommended by the wait staff.  The baby squids were grilled just right and were very tender and it tasted good too!  If you plan on dining here, this is a must try. 

Apartment 1B's Fresh Mint and Apple Shake

Since we like to experiment with our beverage, we asked the wait staff for a recommendation.  We wanted to sample their Apartment 1B’s special beverages, if any, and when we heard that the wait staff say Fresh Mint and Green Apple Shake (Php150) we were intrigued and we all ended up ordering it! We have to say we were anxious about what the taste of green apple and mint mixed together would taste like, and fortunately for us, it tasted great.

Apartment 1B's Crab Cakes

We were having a great time with the starters so we decided to order Crabcakes (Php250) before we order the main courses.  We were not disappointed with the crabcakes.  The pieces were made of fresh crabmeat and apart from the minimal breading/batter it had no noticeable extenders.

Apartment 1B's Grilled Prawns

Our first entrée was Grilled Prawns (Php730) topped with crab-fat and was served with mixed vegetables and lemon pasta.  We thoroughly enjoyed this dish! The lemon pasta was mildly spicy with a hint of lemon.  But what made this dish amazing are the grilled prawns and the crab-fat sauce.  Well the wait staff did say the prawns were large, but we didn’t think it’d be this big!  The three large prawns were perfectly grilled, keeping the prawn meat tender and juicy and the crab-fat sauce just takes this dish to another level.  Another must try.

Apartment 1B's Meatloaf

We decided to ask Apartment 1B’s wait staff for popular dishes even as we ran through the menu since we had no idea what to choose for our second entrée!   The wait staff recommended Meatloaf (Php340), at first we though the wait staff was joking.  Really, meatloaf in this restaurant?  But since the wait staff looked serious we decided to look t up in the menu and saw a Meatloaf priced at Php340.  When we asked the wait staff how many slices was on order, we courteously informed that it was one very big slice. 

We thought that 340 bucks for a slice of meatloaf is a little pricey.  We wandered off it at first but ended up ordering it nevertheless.  Our curiosity got the better of us, we thought.  When the meatloaf was served, we realized the wait staff was not kidding when he said it was a very big slice!  The meatloaf did not taste nor had the texture of meatloaf at all, it had the texture of really tender steak and tasted like one too!  The mushroom gravy and the mashed potato served with the dish complement the meatloaf well.  This time our curiosity paid off.

Apartment 1B's Grilled Blue Marlin

We also tried Apartment 1B’s Grilled Blue Marlin (Php500) topped with chorizo tomato relish and was served with pesto pasta.  Like the prawns, the marlin was perfectly grilled.  It retained its freshness and tenderness and was not dry.  The chorizo tomato relish was an excellent accent to the marlin.  The pesto pasta not bad, but compared to all the dishes we sampled, it tasted ordinary.

Apartment 1B's White Toblerone Cheesecake

For dessert we tried Apartment 1B’s White Toblerone Cheesecake (Php180) served with raspberry coulis. We think the raspberry coulis was good for the presentation, but it did not add to nor complement the flavor of the cheesecake.  Still, we enjoyed the cheesecake!

Apartment 1B's Apple Crisp

We also decided to try Apartment 1B’s Apple Crisp (Php190) served with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup.  If you like apple pie and ice cream, you’ll love this dessert.  The apple crisp was served warm and the melting vanilla ice cream complemented its taste.

Estimated cost:

A budget of Php500-Php1000 should be adequate to try some of Apartment 1B’s dishes.


To check out more of the menu, you can get it here.

Note:  Prices Inclusive of 12% VAT.  You will be charged an additional 10% for Service Charge.

Conclusion:

7: We haven’t enjoyed a new restaurant as much as we have Apartment 1B in quite a while.  It seems that you will never go wrong with anything you order!  The wait staff are courteous and knowledgeable of the menu.  The place is cozy and comfortable.  Before leaving we were already checking out Apartment 1B’s menu for some other dishes we might be trying on our next visit!  Even though the food is a little pricey, we believe it is commensurate to the value of the dish and the experience.  A must try.


If you want to know more about French Cuisine, you may want to check this out at Amazon.com

New URL

Welcome to Lounging Out's very own website.   We finally decided to buy our own domain!  We have to admit that linking it to the existing blog is a little difficult and may take some time to normalize, but we are quite pleased with the results!  Our next post will be about Apartment 1B: Gourmet Comfort Food, we are just finalizing the article.  We hope that we will be able to keep you coming back for more!

Kai

Kai

Manila’s Home of Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

Unit I-112 Greenbelt 5

Ayala Center, Makati City

(632) 757-5209

How to get there:

Kai Map

From EDSA going south:

1. Turn right to Ayala Avenue;

2. Turn left to Makati Avenue;

3. Turn right to Dela Rosa Street (right after Ramon Cojuangco Bldg.);

4. Turn left to Greenbelt 5 Basement Parking or turn left to Legazpi Street for Greenbelt 5 drop-off point.

First impression:

Kai's Table Setting

The place has the feel of a fine dining establishment (a little classy) but had too many of its wait staff congregating near the bar.   It looked more contemporary with hints of Japanese culture fused into the design.

Cuisine:

Kai offers contemporary Japanese Cuisine with some American dishes and Steaks mixed into the menu.

What we had:

Kai's Maguro "Tuna" Sashimi

We were having a late dinner and while waiting for the rest of the crew, we ordered Maguro “Tuna” Sashimi - 5 slices (Php220).  The Tuna was fresh and served in an appetizing manner, in fact it was so appetizing someone ate a slice before we were able to take a picture!  But yes, they do serve 5 slices; someone was just faster than the one taking the picture!

Kai's Lychee Shake with Lime

The wait staff recommended Lychee Shake with Lime (Php80) surprisingly the shake went well with the dishes we had for the evening.  Primarily, sashimi and rolls.

Kai's Hamachi - Aji - Shake Sashimi

When the rest of the group arrived, we ordered Hamachi “Yellowtail” (Php360), Horse Mackarel “Aji” (Php180), and Salmon “Shake” (Php220) Sashimi – 5 Slices of each order.   The sashimi were really good, you can taste the freshness in every slice.  But the slices were a little thick for us.  The entire bunch would have been better served in 6 slices rather than the 5-slice order.  Then again we were only paying for 5 slices, so we really didn’t think of complaining much.

Kai's Dragon Roll

We tried Kai’s Dragon Roll (Php 240) since it sounded cool!  We were not disappointed.  The roll slices were just the right size and the combination of the ingredients mixed well with one another. And again, the group was faster than the one taking the picture!

Kai's Jumbo Prawn Tempura Roll

We saw a Jumbo Prawn Tempura Roll (Php390)  and we just had to order it as well!  We are sure glad we did.  The Tempura roll slices were a little big and almost missed the point of being bite-sized(!), but we have to say the roll tasted great.

Kai's Soft Shell Crab Roll "Spider Roll"

Our last roll for the night is a Soft Shell Crab Roll “Spider Roll” (Php330).  We loved the old presentation better than the current one, we have to say, however, that the current order offers more pieces.  Not to take anything away from the great taste, but the slices of the roll are a little too big for comfort.  We had to take two bites to finish one slice/piece.

Kai's Cha Soba

Kai's Ebi Tempura

And our only non-sashimi/roll order for the night was Kai’s Cha Soba (Php270) with Ebi Tempura - 2 pieces (Php140).  This was truly a delightful experience.   Cha Soba is cold “soba” noodles that you dip in a sauce.  The combination with the Ebi (Shrimp) Tempura added the flavor that the soba lacked.  Where else can you eat soba deliberately served cold right?

Kai's Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar

We started dessert with Kai's Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar (Php110) which was very disappointing.  This dessert was too sweet for us.  You could hardly taste the peanut butter and the chocolate has vanished due to the sweetness of the chocolate bar that made it almost tasteless.

Kai's Banana Nutella Harumaki

The Banana Nutella Harumaki (Php180) is Kai’s version of the banana split with the bananas cut into 4 small slices and rolled in a sesame filo and topped with small “tablespoon” scoops of vanilla, chocolate, caramel and strawberry ice cream.  It is slightly better than then the Chocolate bar, if you like the taste of sesame and ice cream, this one is for you.

Kai's Tofu Cheesecake

We were a little disappointed with the two desserts so we had to order our all-time favorite Tofu Cheesecake (Php180).  We know what you are thinking, how could you mix tofu and cheesecake to make it work?  Trust us, you have to taste it to believe it.  The texture is unlike any of the cheesecake you’ve tasted before.  Truly one of the best cheesecakes we’ve tasted so far.

One of us had to abstain from this one due to personal issues (ahem!) and had to suffer a disappointing dessert the rest of the night, but the rest of us had a blast.

Estimated cost:

A budget of Php400-Php1000 should be adequate to try some of Kai’s offerings.


For more of Kai's menu, you can check it out here.

Conclusion:

5.5: We have to say the desserts, apart form the Tofu Cheesecake, were disappointing.  The wait staff congregating at the bar was an eyesore and one of the wait staff was overly eager in cleaning up our table that she took the tempura sauce away just as one of us was about to dip in it!  But overall, the wait staff were courteous, though a little lost and distracted at times.  The overall experience was good.  The food is a little pricey, but they have some great dishes.  The roll slices should be reduced and the desserts improved, but the Tofu Cheesecake is a must try.