Last Wednesday the foreigner group I belong to, Friends of Mindanao, made a road trip to Agusan del Norte to visit the home of one of our members, Richard and Jesa. Their home is in Agusan which is about a 3 hour drive north of Davao. We arraigned for two private vans to accommodate the 20 members and their wives/girlfriends.

We met at a local shopping mall parking lot, where our cars would be safe for the day, early and we left about 7 a.m. Because of the early departure, we stopped about an hour into our trip in Tagum for a light breakfast at Jollibee. I was surprised with my order. I do not like fried eggs, which was on all their egg breakfasts except their Pancake Sandwich with sausage egg and cheese. I was surprised, the savory taste of the sausage and the sweetness of the pancake.

After our breakfast it was back on the road to Agusan. With all of us in the vans the conversation was good and the trip was not too bad. I was in the rear and it did get warm but tolerable.

After about 2 more hours we arrived. The house sits up on a hill and with the weight of the van they decided to leave the vans at the lower area. With this we had to climb the steps up to paradise.

Once on top I got to see why they named the place “New Eden” because it was beautiful. They had 2 huge aviaries; a long bamboo pole going from a high dog enclosure angled down for a cute little monkey chained but able to move around. The monkey at first intimidated us by his growl and jumping off the pole towards us until he reached the end of the chain. Eventually Richard came over and was holding and petting the monkey and showed how friendly he was. I took the challenge and walked over. The little guy climbed over to my arm and let me pet him until he decided to climb up my arm and around. He started giving me friendly love bites to my arm and I decided to put him back before he decided I might be a tasty snack.

Then I saw a beautiful landscaped area with a nice size pool. There was a covered sitting area to the side of the pool to relax and a big patio off the rear of the house.

Richard and Jesa made us at home right away with smiles, hugging and cool beverages for all. We all relaxed at the different seating areas and relaxed. After a while we were called in for the feast they put out for us and after a short prayer it was come and get it. They had of salad, fried chicken, spaghetti and chili con carne to pour over the pasta, there was a type of shell fish that looked like tiny conch shells and of course a huge lechon (grilled whole pig). There was also fresh pineapple and watermelon.

A little while after lunch some of the guests put on their swimming attire and went into the pool for some cooling fun and relaxation. I was just being lazy and just relaxed and enjoyed conversation with some friends I do not see often.
Well, the afternoon progressed and before we realized it, it was time to pack up and head back to Davao. With big thanks to our hosts and sad feelings of leaving such a wonderful place, we all got back into the vans for our ride home.  We stopped along the way at a nice roadside stop for a snack and then back to the traffic and congestion of Davao City.

Even though it was nice to be home, I sure missed the country feeling being so far away in such a beautiful location. If Richard and Jesa read this, I thank you so very much for opening your home for us all to enjoy. It was a wonderful day for us all and your kindness unsurpassed.