The media reception in Davao was a major success. Thanks to Governor Dominguez of Province Sarangani for arranging that. He has been of great help to the expedition. We kayaked to Samal Island and spent a wonderful evening at Sonni Mendoza’s nice resort called Hayahay, meaning refreshing. Sonni is another great friend of the exedition. He has been helping with logistics. Unfortunately, my laptop died that night. It got splashed by sea water while the battery was being charged.

From Samal Island, we crossed 27km of open water to and landed at Lupon, our first municipal in Davao Oriental. We were given a warm welcome and taken on a motorcade parade to town to meet Mayor Domingo Lim. He presented me and Buzzy each a nicely framed certificate. The accommodation was sponsored by Gina of Aroma Beach Resort. Joel Tenchavez is the main coordinator for this part of the leg.

The next stop was Jamboree, 52km away. A long day. It was hard fighting the Habagat wind.

From Jamboree, we rounded the Cape of St Augustin, a major milestone. This is where we finally meet the Pacific Ocean. Luckily, it was kind to us on that day. From here, after 11 days of paddling, we are finally northbound. The Davao Gulf was a BIG circle. That night, we met Juancho Serrano, the tourism official of Davao Oriantal. The support and coorination of this Province towards this expedition is nothing less than impressive. We are told there some tricky and sensitive sections ahead. We are so thankful for them.

I got separated from the support team and Buzzy at Luban, supposedly our night stop. Due to a miscommunication, they carried on to the next village which is 9km away. I spent an hour walking the beach and trying to communicate with the locals to determine if they had seen the support team. Luban is a tiny remote fishing village. I decided to continue. It was 5pm by the time I arrived at Cabuaya. 58km, the longest day so far. Luckily, the Habagat was pushing me from behind, giving me a much needed lift. Cabuaya means crocodile (same as Buaya in Malay). This is the place of the Philippine Eagle Sanctuary. We met the ranger.

We continued northward to Mati, the Capitol of Davao Oriental. Mati means death in Malay but in Greek, it means the 3rd Eye. Our accommodation is sponsored by Gregorio Beach Resort. A nice resort on stilts.

Today is our 1st rest day after 2 weeks on the move. My body will definitely appreciate the rest.

Sonni Mendoza arrived this morning with our supply of 100 Plus powder and a laptop for me to use for today. At last, I could download data. He drove 3 hours all the way from Davao just to meet us. We owe him a lot. I will send some pics later.

This expedition has been aptly called Friendship Kayak. It’s the friendship of the people of this land that has made it possible for us to come this far.

Last night, we plotted the itinerary to Cebu. ETA at Cebu is 5 Oct.

The voyage continues…