It’s been 10 years since my last visit to this enchanting town where T’boli’s hail.

A T’boli lady in full regalia

I remember the highland tribes for their colorful costumes and intricate beadworks.  And that’s what excites me about this trip.  Revisiting the lake, taking loads of pixes, eating lots of tilapia, shopping for some beadworks were just a few things I looked forward to.

In between General Santos and Lake Sebu is the town of Polomolok.  It is the home of Dole Philippines, the biggest pineapple plantation in the world.

A bag of sliced pineapple for P5 (US$0.10)

And for that reason, we had to stop and get us some pineapples for the road and Lake Sebu.

True to its promise, the pineapples were indeed über sweet.  While at it, we also stopped for a late lunch of

truly tasty and juicy lechon manok (roast chicken).

We arrived shortly before dinner with our host Mayang warmly welcoming us with a bowlful of

boiled camote (sweet potato), tuwal (macopa-looking fruit), suman (rice cake), and native coffee.  Our succulent late lunch didn’t stop us from devouring what was supposed to have been our snack turned starter.

Dinner was a simple yet delicious dish of tilapia in soy sauce set on the floor.  Accommodation whilst in Lake Sebu was a traditional longhouse, Mayang’s home, which she turned into a home-stay.

Photo courtesy of A.Go

Made of rattan, palm leaves, cogon grass and bamboo, the longhouse is devoid of any furniture, the elevated sides serves as the sleeping zone

and the center of the house serves as living/dining area.  The bathroom is an outhouse and bathing under the stars, I found out, is quite liberating albeit not an easy feat.

Due to the altitude of around 1,000m the climate can be cold in December and a taking a bath in cold water with a breeze is not really my thing… I love my hot showers.

I was dead tired from the trip; I hit the sack ahead of everyone else and consequently woke up early enough to catch a glorious sunrise.

Contact Details:

Mayang Todi:

Mobile: +639187671063