Wake[board] Me Up @ DECA

WAKE[BOARD] ME UP @ DECA

The last day of our Davao City tour was marked with further excitement because that day we are scheduled to try Davao’s first wakeboarding park located DECA Homes, about 20-30 minutes away from our hotel. We however woke up around 730AM due to last night’s activities so all 3 of us decided to go shopping for ‘pasalubongs’ first prior to the wakeboarding activity. My list showed that Lola Abon’s sweets are a must-try.

Janyl was the first one to the shower room, Sheila online and me talking to the lady receptionist at DECA Wakeboard Park. When all of us were all geared in our wakeboarding outfits, we went downstairs and hailed a cab. The lady guard of our hotel instructed the cab driver to bring us to Lola Abon’s which is located along the highway near Wilcon’s. Good thing he knows the place and we’re off in no time at all. Traffic was from light to moderate so it took us about 20 minutes to reach Wilcon’s. We however was not able to locate the store near the highway and ended up at a small store inside a village. Inside Lola Abon’s store, durian stench was all over the place. And in all honesty, I was engulfed by the aroma which almost made me want to puke right then and there. Good thing smoking was allowed outside Lola Abon’s air-conditioned store which gave me enough time to muster my guts into coming in again. We were also given free mangosteen candies by the owners. And I loved it! Janyl and Sheila each bought 2 bags full of goodies which were composed mainly of durian and mangosteen candies. While waiting outside under the scorching heat of the sun, I told them to buy me the same stuff they did because I really can’t take the smell inside. They obediently followed and once done with our Lola Abon’s experience, we hurriedly took off for some lunch.

The cab driver amazingly knows the way to Lachi’s which some of the drivers don’t. Unfortunately, the store does not open until 11AM. So we decided to scout the area looking for a place to satisfy our nicotine craving. After about 10 minutes, the driver called us and told us that the store is open. Too bad, we weren’t able to bring our cameras, batteries’ life were drained from yesterday’s experience. Lachi’s is but a small restaurant serving meals and pastries. According to the cab driver, it was a good choice for lunch. And he didn’t faltered at that. Janyl had patatim, Sheila had chicken and pork adobo while I had pork stew. All of us were satisfied with our meals then came our desserts. We tried their sans rival and blueberry cheesecake. It was heaven! To top it all, the meals and desserts cost us less than P200 each. Quite affordable for a sumptuous meal and heavenly dessert!

We checked-out of our hotel room at exactly 12PM. The lady from the desk allowed us to leave all our baggages at the hotel and promised to keep an eye on them. Great! After paying our dues, we were off to DECA. It was a long drive from the city to Cataluna Grande. The cab fare however reached no more P200 from the hotel to DECA. The park was silent,  still closed for lunch when we arrived so this time we took pictures of us and the entire place while waiting for it to open for the afternoon session. It was a clear Saturday afternoon, our excitement growing as time ticks by. We paid P300 each for a half-day session (that includes the entrance fee plus use of helmet, life vest and wakeboard). I noticed that people are growing in numbers every minute and I realized it would be a jampacked session after all. Noise grew as well. Enthusiasm doubles every minute. At 1PM the park is officially open to wakeboarders. A mixture of Hip-hop, R&B, reggae, techno and house music started blasting on the powerful speakers allowing the sports enthusiasts to succumb themselves into the wakeboarding spirit. The party begins!

outside the DECA Wakeboard Park

inside the park

my friends looking like a pro

wakeboarding merchandise

our half-day pass

Stoked Inc.

it's time to wakeboard!

all set for some adventure

We by the way were lined up for a quick orientation prior to engaging ourselves into wakeboarding. The operators gave us a round of do’s and don’ts for the knee-boarding which by the way is your first step to wakeboarding. We need to finish 3 rounds of knee-boarding before allowing us to succumb ourselves into wakeboarding.

orientation

Janyl on the board

was I even paying attention?

The orientation finished after about 30 minutes. We hurriedly fell in line for the knee-boarding of which Sheila was the first one to try. She flunked, and fell even before reaching the first quarter of the course. Then Janyl who finished 1 entire round of the course. When my turn came, I was filled with mixed emotions. I was planning to finish the entire 3 rounds because I was intent on pursuing a wakeboarding career after. Nah! that was a joke. When I saw how pricey the gears were (which by the way ranges from the cheapest P20,000 and can get as high as P50,000 a set) I dropped the idea altogether. And geared myself towards enjoying the afternoon. After all, that’s what we came for. But we’ll never know.

I was only able to take a picture of Sheila’s first successful round and the rest were photos of regular wakeboarders of the park. After 2 rounds of knee-boarding, Janyl and I were allowed to use the wakeboard. Great! But since the park was crowded, I was able to wakeboard for 2 rounds only.

Sheila's first successful round after 3 tries

wakeboard finally!

wakeboarding enthusiasts

And here are some of the actions around DECA Wakeboard Park including their equipments.

The entire afternoon was totally awesome! All three of us had our own share of fun and aching arm muscles, not to mention to waiting patiently in line for our turns. It was a fun-filled experience and all three of us agreed that this is the highlight of our Davao City trip.

So long Davao City, and wake[board] me up ’till then!