comfortably nestled 3,000 feet above sea level is davao’s eden nature park & resort, which is covered with over 100,000 pine trees over 80 hectares of land. the mountain resort, which used to be a logging area before it was discovered in 1971, boasts of being 95% man-made. nature handled the rest of the percentage magnificently, tending the flora and fauna with the gentlest of hands.

because it is basically a man-made forest, it took the owners more than 25 years to grow the trees they planted and a couple of years more to develop the area into what it is right now.

and what it is right now is a haven for nature-lovers the likes of ram and me, who took the time to take corny photos of each other standing beside a tree that was silently screaming “awkwaaard!!!” for the whole 80-hectare forest to hear.

admittedly, the ride from davao city to eden nature park was a long one. or so it seemed to me, as i remember asking the driver several times if we were almost there already. if he answered me each and every time with increasing irritability directly proportional to the increasing altitude, i didn’t hear him as my ears were buzzing from the change in pressure. (i hate it when i get that. sometimes, plane rides are the worst.)

but the tinnitus was worth it! while waiting for the shuttle that would tour us around the area, we discovered a huge playground with swings and horseys and slides and other stuff that kids enjoy. ram loved it!

just as this kid loved the rope gliding which, for some reason, they called the “indiana jones.”

but really, it’s a great place for kids and adults alike. =)