"Life is here!" This is Davao City's tagline.

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Davao is my second home. Looking back, Davao has given me so much. This is where I graduated from college, landed my first corporate job, learned how to live on my own, and gained genuine friends.

What I love about Davao is the feeling of security it gives me. For the times I have lived here, I was never scared to walk alone at night even on dark streets, or use my mobile phone in crowded places.

In Davao, discipline has been instilled in its people at the grassroots level; the very reason why Davao became the progressive city that it is today. It has been consistently included in the list of the most livable cities in the Philippines and last year it placed fourth. From business and work opportunities, friendly and disciplined locals, to great tourist destinations, indeed, LIFE IS HERE!

Last week, Davao celebrated its 81st anniversary, and with this, I would like to feature one of the many tourist attractions found in the city.

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From where I live, it only takes an hour and a half drive to reach Davao City. Since we wanted to join the celebration of Araw ng Davao, we decided to go on a little road trip. Heavy traffic welcomed us as soon as we arrived. Restaurants were full, as well as parking spaces. Almost all of the establishments were jampacked with people. It was fun to see so many people celebrating this glorious event, but at the same time, it was quite suffocating. So, instead of going to the malls and food festivals, we decided to go to a place where we could enjoy, relax, breathe fresh air, and eat chocolates!

One of the most visited places for educational tours in Davao region is Malagos Garden Resort. I remember the first time I was here, I was in kindergarten, for a field trip. The second time was in high school, for the same purpose. Having visited the place again after 15 years feels great and nostalgic. Flashbacks started to fill my mind, and I couldn't help but smile. :)

But what made me smile even more was the newest place this resort boasts of having -- the Malagos Chocolate Museum, the first and only one of its kind in the Philippines.

Aside from Kadayawan festival, Davao City also celebrates Chocolate Festival. Davao is known for many things, but what others don't know is that it is also the Cacao Capital of the Philippines. It has the biggest cacao plantations in the country with 6,000 hectares of land. With this, a museum that aims to showcase cacao and the process of making chocolates was built at Malagos Garden Resort.

The said resort has 24-hectares of cacao plantation that yield high-quality cacao beans, the main ingredient used in making chocolates. The chocolates produced at Malagos are already making a name in the international scene. It has received several international awards: 5th-time winner of Best Unflavored Drinking Chocolate at the Academy of Chocolate in London (2013- 2017), Great Taste Award in the United Kingdom (2016), International Chocolate Award in Germany (2015), and Asean Best Food Products Recognition Awards in Singapore (2013). This is truly something that Davawenos should be proud of! _source

Malagos Garden Resort is really big, and in order to get to the museum, a little hike is needed. Upon entering the resort, you will be delighted by all of its beauty -- flowers are blooming beautifully, the chirping of the birds are like music to the ears, the architectural designs of their restaurants are mesmerizing. There's so much to see!

_{When life happens, chocolate helps.}

Because of the beautiful scenery, I enjoyed our short hike, but when we finally arrived at the museum, I jumped out for joy upon seeing the giant structures of my favorite desserts. The child in me was awakened, and together with my mom, we struck our happy poses.

_{It is with great pleasure to let everyone know that my inner child is still ageless! :D}

We didn't take long to enter the museum since the aroma of chocolate was very inviting. Inside the museum, you can see interactive learning materials such as television and audio where you can learn the process of making chocolates starting from the cacao tree until they are made into bars. This is the very reason for their tagline -- The Tree to Bar Experience.

_{All you need is love chocolate! :D}

Aside from the learning, the museum also showcases some of the tools used in making the sweets. Here you can find traditional tools as well as modern and advanced tools. The history of chocolates and how they were made in different time periods were also discussed in the audio-visual lessons.

Getting around the museum plus the delightful aroma of chocolates made us hungry. So, we rested for a bit at the museum's restaurant and ordered some of their delicacies. Both of us ordered "tsokolate" or chocolate drink made out of pure cacao beans for 100 pesos each (2usd). Additionally, I ordered a donut for only 25 pesos (0.5usd), while my mom chose "suman" or rice cake wrapped in banana leaf for 50 pesos (1 usd). There are more food to choose from their menu, so don't worry.

The best thing about this museum is that anyone can try and and make their own chocolate bars for just 750 pesos (15usd). You will be given your own ingredients and materials to create your own sweets which you can take home once they're made. Unfortunately, we didn't try this activity since there were many kids waiting for their turn. We do not want to add up to the long queue.

_{I'm a big child at heart, and I intend to stay this way. Never lose the wonder of life! :)}

The place is filled with happiness! Any child or anyone who is a child at heart will definitely enjoy everything that this museum has in store. It was indeed an enjoyable and memorable experience for me and my mom!

To all chocoholics, this is the place to be! Come visit Davao! :)

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😉 HOW TO GET THERE

• For commuters

Once you are already in Davao City, ride a jeepney going to Calinan. Ask the driver to drop you at Calinan terminal, and from there ride a motorcycle (also known as habal-habal).

If there are about four of you, and you prefer convenience over affordability, just ride a taxi.

Or, you can just tell me. If I am available, I would gladly tour you around Davao City.

• For those with a service

In our case, we used Waze - a traffic and navigation app to guide us to our destination. From the city proper, it took us about an hour to reach the area. The road going to the resort had no problems, everything is cemented.

😉 ENTRANCE FEE

With your 200 pesos (4 usd), you can already enjoy all the amenities inside the Malagos Garden Resort, including the Chocolate Museum.

_{I would like to thank all my readers for your continued support. For those who are new to my blog, I usually write motivational and inspirational stories. You can check some of my works below:}

_{Inspirational story: How my mother became successful both as a career woman and an entrepreneur
Inspirational story: How I survived motherhood at the age of 18 and became the happy woman that I am now
Motivational story: How Steemit Changed my life ultimately}

_{I also write short stories -- fiction and non-fiction. Below are short stories based on true events that happened in my life.}

_{Chapter 1: The Beginning
Chapter 2: The Conflict}

_{Thank you so much. You are much appreciated. :)}