Hot Technology in prison

The prison of Davao has a solar system

So, even Davao has a prison. It is located in the district of Ma-a. And  the technology was now introduced  by the Red Cross (ICRC) with a 1-million-peso donation. With this donation, a solar hot water system for a flow rate of about 1800 liters was installed in order to provide  the kitchen with plenty of hot water for cooking . Before the introduction of this technology the prison consumed  approximately 5 tons of wood / month and  the energy of  electric stoves  All  expensive materials.

Anyone who has ever looked inside  a Philippine prison may wonder whether such an investment of  the Red Cross in solar hot water is the right way. But you have to admit that it is a step in the right direction.

The prison was designed for about 380 times detainees. At the moment there are 2,190 men. The prison became overcrowded. Let us hope that the solar system is not limited to conserve the environmental and financial aspect , but also to enhance the stardard of living inside the prison walls.

With best regard,

Ludwig from Davao

Beach Wedding

Beach Wedding in Mati

When you are  invited and has pledged to it, than you also have to go: to a wedding directly on the beach, a beach wedding. And this is all in Mati and about 165 km away from Davao.

If you have overcome the stop-and-go in Davao and  are driving to the north, than you are  surprised  about the beautiful wide streets that come starting  from Panabo and Tagum with a few traffic. Here you can  really go well. The reason might be that  probably the streets were built first  and  later the places around.

In the middle of Tagum you have to turn right and drive on the other side of the Davao-Bay in the direction to the south . And now you can "learn how to drive": it goes on-and-off in many curves along the mountain and on the other side of the road  it drops steeply down to the beach. You have the feeling to have  a mountain pass in the Alps.

Sometime that's come to an end, and with  a wide panoramic terrace you look then at Mati, with its port facilities, which are being expanded greatly.

The wedding was on the next morning on the beach  in the district Dahican. And a wedding on the beach at sunrise and a registrar- judge  who then smashes a song for karaoke box. That's something special. These ladies were dressed in long, colorful dresses and wore big hats - not only because of the sun – the  men, however, in white clothing. It was served plenty to eat, incl.of 3 sucking pigs. In addition many small cakes, cup cakes  and tarts. The whole family of the bride side must have baked  vigorously  and garnished the last days. It was a really nice event.

And it culminated in the afternoon with swimming in the "Blue-Bless_Beach resort" in Dahican, where you get a place only by long reservation. And you are forced to eat again and to drink.And in between you take a bath  in the clear, blue water. Simply nice.  This event you will remember.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

An exceptional restaurant - Balik Bukid Davao -

An exceptional restaurant - Balik Bukid Davao -

 Like a cozy tavern in Swabia  – only in a Filipino style

We stood in front of the restaurant and thought: "Well, this is something new!". This establishment resembles from outside like a big bamboo house embedded with empty plastic bottles. From the outside, there is nothing much unusual – just a restaurant in a very ethnic and Philippine style.

But if you step in that bamboo house, you will be surprised and you start to believe to be have entered a Swabian "broom-local" (a little word game for non-Schwaben: A "broom"  is normally the living room of a family of a winemaker in Remstal near Stuttgart, where you drink  the indigenous, home-made wine of the winemaker and eat what the housewife has just prepared. Very lovely!) – or in a regular English, a tavern.

Here, in the restaurant Balik Bukid, the ambiance gives a cozy feeling. The wooden chairs are simple, the backrests are made of strings from plastic bags or rough sisal. The tables with glass top have undercarriages of old sewing machines or sometimes car tires. The lighting consists of lamps that are hidden in hand woven baskets, and the floor is made of colored tile pieces. Simple and yet so beautiful.

The menu - in Bisaya and English - was placed in wooden boxes, which were previously used for playing  chess. As drinks we could choose from fresh juices of papaya, guava or guyabano. The different food were served on wooden plates - which suit even more the ambience. 

We were particularly impressed by the yellow rice (colored by turmeric) and the blue rice which got the  blue color from an edible blue flower. Maybe they used  Anchusa azurea 'Loddon Royalist' (Ochsenzunge).

While waiting on the food, we enjoyed playing dice games. And when we had finished eating, we were offered "a fairy tale" about a Philippine legend - if you like to listen to it. And of course, we grabbed the opportunity!

The owners plant their own vegetables on farm near Calinan (Mt. Apo) in where all the proceeds are offered in the restaurant. Everything is free from preservatives. The prices are average, not overpriced. The food was refreshingly different! Balik-Bukid is a place of excitement and new discoveries! We really felt at home and will come back again. That we promise! Address: Ecoland, Quimpo Blvd., Davao City (beside Yellow Fin)

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Mercedes-Benz is recruiting in Cebu

German-speaking Filipinos have a good chance

A big celebration at Mercedes-Benz in Cebu was held marking the renaming of the company of "Daimler Group Services Philippines" to the name "Mercedes - Benz". The ceremony was graced by the German ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Thomas Ossowski, who was the guest speaker.

Mercedes-Benz has been based in the Philippines with a Service Office since 2011. The company started with three employees - and today, counting 225 in their workforce, with an increasing number. "We are looking for Filipinos from the fields of accounting and finance. (Accountancy, Finance course), said Mr. Heiko Nitsche, head of "Mercedes-Benz Group Services Philippines" (MBGSP). The new employees are needed for further development of the company.

Filipinos with German language skills would have a great advantage, as the staff of the head office in Germany are not proficient English speakers. Asides, Filipinos are known for their linguistic skills.

So, those who are interested in a job at the Mercedes-Benz should quickly enroll at a German course! Here in Davao it's best done at the University of South-Eastern Philippines (USEP) at Obrero. The German program is headed by the Institute of Languages (ILs) which offers various international languages - German was one of the first languages to be introduced to interested students, linguists and professionals from different industries. They also know how to prepare the students for the German language tests at the Goethe Institute in Manila.

Well, do it from the beginning right and learn German from German nationals who love to teach you individually or with your friends or workmates in groups at your convenient time of the week! If you like to learn more, drop a message here at www.my-davao-diary.blogspot.com  (below) or email me: lrexrodt@gmail.com - I am more than happy reply to inquiries!

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Jeepney adventure

Hi, use the jeepneys in Davao

It was on a Friday night, somewhere downtown area, when the car did not want to start and it began to rain hard. We did not know what happened car why he let us down, but at the end we decided to call our daughter to inform her. We were really happy when she drove up with her boyfriend... rescue was near! And besides, since it was still  raining, it was agreed that they would take care of the car the following day.

On Saturday  the auto mechanic explained that he could only repair the car in his shop. So the car was towed. On the following Monday, the mechanic explained that the repair would be a bigger matter and that it would take him probably a week or 10 days to fix it.

 So what to do? Should we constantly take a taxi? Oh no, we thought. What a costly hustle! In the stop-and-go-traffic in Davao, it would cost a lot of pesos. So we decided something new: Do it like the locals! Lets ride the jeepneys!

 Driving with the jeepneys is really cheap: per person and route, it costs a maximum of 12 pesos. If it does not rain, driving is very airy and beautiful and  you are sitting close-to-close with the other passengers, like in a crowded Balikbayan box.

 The problem I encountered is my height. "Woah, dako kay siya!" meaning "Woah, he  is so tall!", I would hear the Filipinos 'complimenting' me, when we enter the jeepney. And because of my long legs I occupy more space than the Filipinos. The driver  does not like us much, because he does not come to the maximum passenger amount that can be up to 10-15 passengers.

 My personal problem is the design of the jeepneys: These cars are built for smaller people! It is my head  that is always to near to the metal roof. And there are times that in the roof space is a crossbar, a triangular iron, which makes riding the jeepney a bit more risky for me. I've gotten enough injuries in the meantime. Since some time I wear a hat in order to "reduce" the painful collisions with the vehicle's roof. The only good way out of the debacle is that I have sometimes the chance to get a front seat beside the driver. In front, I have enough space for head and feet - and the view over the Davao traffic is fantastic. Yet, I have to say that this place is quite popular! Getting the highly sought-after seat is like playing in the lottery, it is all about luck! So, my dear follow-giants: when in Davao, ride like a Dabawenyo - but, take the front seat!

 With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Is it worth buying condos in Davao?

Is it worth buying condos in Davao?

There is a lot of constructions in Davao already and more are to come in the next year. So it is no longer a secret place to make money. Many small and especially the big construction companies are pushing to Davao. First of all there are the big companies, like Ayala Land, Mega World and SMDC. The buyer can choose from a variety of purchase options.

According to a statement of the company LAMUDI DATA there are at the moment  about 2,400  offers for houses, townhouses and condos. And who wants to rent, there are about  130 options to choose from.

It is not surprising that in Davao there are a number of super homes that cost more than 40 million pesos, followed by about 130 deals, which cost 10 million pesos and more. Most of the offers are well below 10 million pesos. This explains that the average price is around 4 million pesos.

It is also interesting what is the price of  1 square meter of a new constructed condo . You must spend an average of about 71,000 pesos per square meter. According to a statement of the company LAMUDI DATA  the possible rent is about 650 pesos per square meter. This means a  return of investment  of just under 1%. Not much.

One should note that these are average values - but to compare the offers in Davao it is worth to know these actual numbers.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Meeting of the Gascal Clan in Makilala

Large family clan meeting

It's always nice to be at a meeting of the families there. It is a lot to see, to hear,   to examine the growth of family members (babies and in-laws) and just  telling the gossips and news.

The great-great-grandfather - he came from Bohol - was quite active in family planning and had 12 children. And the family branches were  increasingly diverse and at the present time one  can actually speak only of 6 branches of the family in Mindanao, who have a meeting once a year. The older ones, so 70 years and more, get fewer and fewer –but  young people are increasing strongly.

The connection to the family members in Bohol is active. The members are  visiting each other. It is planned that even a clan meeting will take place  in Bohol. Since the current clan is focused more to Kidapawan and around, it is not only a long trip to Bohol, but  expensive too. So, we'll see.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao.