My 2018: A tour around my town - Tagum City, Philippines

This is my entry for @anomadsoul's town tour challenge. 🌻

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If you are looking for a place with a good balance of urban and nature, Tagum City is the place to go!

Tagum City is known for so many things, but let me highlight these two:

• It is called the City of Palms because everywhere you go, you can see palm trees.
• It is also the known as the "home of festivals" since every year it celebrates around 16 festivals!

Tagum City, though small in size has so much to offer. The best thing I love about my hometown is that traffic has never been a problem, until recently, due to the construction of our first ever flyover. Nevertheless, it's still not that bad.

I also love the fact that we are still using tricycle as our means of transportation because it functions like a taxi. You get in, and you get out right at the door of your destination, but of course for a much lesser price. Our tricycles are pretty unique too because of their green color.

Aside from the things I've mentioned above, I love my hometown for the many joy it brings! In fact, there are so many places to go and things to enjoy here. Check out the list below!

1. Drive around town and enjoy the view of the Palm City.

This is not Beverly Hills. This is the City of Palms --Tagum City! :D

2. Go swimming, fishing, hiking, or be one with nature at Banana Beach Resort!

This is the resort's swimming pool. It actually has a minibar within the pool, though it can't be seen in this photo. But you can go swimming while enjoying your favorite cocktail. Isn't that cool? ;)

This is the resort's fishing village! If you are not into fishing, you can just enjoy its beautiful view!

You can also be one with nature at this resort. In these photos, we had a forest tour where we were able to see monkeys and wild pigs roam around the forest.

You can also go hiking. In the photos above, we crossed the series of eight hanging bridges which is 22 to 25 meters long each.

3. If you want a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can visit Botanical Park.

This is my sanctuary when I need to have deep introspection.

My friends and I also love coming here for a picnic. Airsoft players often come to this place to play.

4. Enjoy the beauty of nature at Energy park where you can rest, relax and do recreational activities.

Go biking around the 25-hectare park for only P20.00 or $0.50 per hour.

If you like extreme adventure, you can try rappelling!

If you don't like to do any activities, you can just sit, relax, and enjoy the view.

5. Experience and enjoy the festivals of Tagum City.

UGMAD festival. This is a festival to give honor to our farmers and a way of valuing the different agricultural products of the city.

Musikahan Festival is the signature festival of Tagum. It's the longest running music festival in the country. It is a unique cultural event that celebrates the excellence of the Filipinos in the field of musical performance, composition, and production.

There are other festivals in Tagum City that you can experience. For a complete list of these festivals, click here.

6. Take a dip and sip a drink at Big 8 Hotel pool area.

7. Take a tour at our City Hall and be amazed by its architecture.

8. Shop at the night market and enjoy a wide variety of food afterwards!

Your 500 pesos (10usd) here can surely go a long way!

9. Go river cruising at the Hijo river!

10. Visit one of the biggest churches in Mindanao, and the world's biggest rosary!

This is the biggest rosary in the world.

The castle-like new Cathedral of Tagum City.

11. If you're into fitness, you can enrol at Activo Fitness Gym and try out their different programs.

There are several fitness gyms in the city, a manifestation of how Tagumenos value their health.

There are also several food places that you can visit in Tagum City! Here are my top picks!

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1. Tagum City Food Park

2. Miko's Brew

3. Sabroso Cafe

They don't have wifi but they have board games which everybody can enjoy! This is a good place to go to have quality time with family and friends! Food is great too!

4. Fat Bistro

My friends and I don't like taking photos of our food. Lol! But the food here are really good, and their menu's quite creatively written too! :)

5. Night market food stand

Tagum City offers several restaurants for locals and tourists. Here are the other restaurants that you can visit.

• Yuyu Cafe
• Balai Coffee Shop
• Lantaw Resto
• Big 8 Hotel Resto
• 1 OAK
• The Healthy Kitchen

I love everything about my hometown: its friendly people, its lovely places, its simplicity! Wherever I go, whatever I do, Tagum is a place I will always come home to!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Xoxo,

Maine