Around the World with Felicidad Orchard & Garden Organics Farm - Agri Tourism and Innovations in GenSan!

I'd like to take you on a virtual farm tour of Felicidad Orchard & Garden Organics Farm in Gensan! Captain James Reamon has a wealth of experiences in aviation (former commercial pilot), technological inventions (inventor and winner of numerous awards here and abroad for 6 products) and farming (organic) so if you have time to spare, I suggest you spend a few days here to immerse yourself in agriculture and to chillax at the same time =) This farm, not only is a pioneer of vermiculture in Mindanao, it is also the first to be accredited as a Farm Tourism Site by the Department of Tourism in Soccsksargen (SOX Region 12) and a School for Practical Agriculture accredited by the Agricultural Training Institute of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Reamon is also the president of the SOX Farm Tourism Association! When you go here, you'll see and hear technology-based natural farming - science in convergence with agriculture and tourism! Imagine the DOST, DA and DOT all working together with farmers living in a region filled with culture, bountiful harvest of fruits and natural resources ;)

How to Make Vermicast, Simple Vermicomposting Tips, Itik Pinas Housing and Planting Rice at Felicidad Organic Farm in Mindanao

Let’s learn how to make vermicast fresh off African night crawlers from the pioneer of vermiculture in Mindanao! Captain James Reamon was kind enough to do a demo for us at his ATI-accredited School for Practical Agriculture - the Felicidad Orchard and Garden Organics in GenSan. He also showed us his new project that will make easier feeding of Itik Pinas ducks. And, we were in for a surprise when he let us experience planting black rice first hand in his paddies! No hard work, no dinner! Hahaha.

Farm Tourism: GerNil's Organic Farm in Koronadal City, South Cotabato

I wish we had more time to spend at GerNil's Farm for this year's 10th Organic Agriculture Trip with ATI (Agricultural Training Institute). Gawad Saka Awardee Mr. Gerardo "Boy" Cordero is a wonderful host and conversationalist perhaps due to his wealth of experiences in organic farming. His farm is an accredited School for Practical Agriculture under ATI-RTC XII in SOCCSKSARGEN (SOX). We were here in SOX for 4 days to learn about more agricultural practices and farm tourism activities straight from the farmers. I highly recommend passing by this farm to eat, walk around and let Mr. Cordero impart some of his learnings, experiments and wisdom, especially if you have that dream to plant someday even in an urban setting like Manila! He loves coconuts, mangosteen, cacao, palay, isdaan, pigs and other farm animals. But first, let me tell you about the food there! Hehe.

Visiting South Cotabato's Sunflower Field at Blooming Petals Agri-Tourism Park

Arturo Mariano's Blooming Petals Agri-Tourism Park is one of the new attractions near the Tupi Fruit Market and GenSan. They just opened to the public in 2017. They plant sunflower seeds imported from Jakata, Japan, aside from chrysanthemums, anthuriums and roses. They were featured in Tripzilla's list of beautiful flower fields in the Philippines. 

Things to Do in Lake Sebu Overnight Itinerary and Other Nearby Places in South Cotabato - Centro Ultimate Water Tubing, 7 Falls, Sebul Farm, Blooming Petals Sunflower Fields and Tupi Fruit Market!

If you've just booked that GenSan plane ticket and considering where to go, you can head to South Cotabato for a road trip and use this as your guide itinerary! It is still part of Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), which is blessed with nature, farms, fruits, traditions of the T'boli weaving, waterfalls and fish. For our trip, we first headed to Sebul Farm where we stayed for the night, then some of our mates tried the newly opened Centro Ultimate Water Tubing experience! We weren't able to have interactions with the T'boli people since we ran out of time but you can also arrange to add that as a memorable cultural experience. Check out my first Lake Sebu trip here where we got closer to the lake. For when to go, September to November are the season for durian, mangosteen and marang if you'd like those hehe. Check out other places below:

Sebul Organic Farm in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

I returned to the Land of Dreamweavers this week in Mindanao. Recently, Lake Sebu and the indigenous people of South Cotabato the Tboli was put in the spotlight again after Ms. Universe Catriona Gray's promotional video but still, people are apprehensive to go there. I remember being a novice blogger in 2011, I bravely went to Davao first then went back to GenSan for The Soccsksargen Experience Tour. We went to Gensan, South Cotabato and I even hopped on a bike to Sarangani. That time, it was always fish, as the highlights were the the tuna festival, the salmon tour and the fish port tour. This time around, I came back for the 10th season of the Organic Agriculture experience hosted by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture! These experiences slowly endear me to this often feared southern part of the Philippines. We specifically went to SOX or SOCCSKSARGEN, which is part of Region 12 and comprises of South Cotabato, (North) Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos or Gensan. The region is rich in tradition, cultural assets, natural resources and farmers who are very passionate about organic farming like Mr. William Enriquez Sy and Ms. Mayette Sy of Sebul Farm in Lake Sebu! By visiting ATI-accredited organic farms, you get to see different farming methods and even get lots of tips and best practices from the owners ;)

Some of you may not know yet but the ATI is a very important branch of the Department of Agriculture. They reach out to farmers and equip them with technical know-how (farming, skills, marketing and even communication) so that these farmers may help out other struggling farmers in their community. ATI also helps in identifying and accrediting outstanding farms to Learning Sites, Extension Service Providers, Schools for Practical Agriculture and Farm Tourism Sites so that other people can go there and learn first hand. Like me, you can also tour around the Philippines and visit organic farms (read all the way to know how, check out my label Organic Journey to see where I've been since 2012)! Wouldn't you want to have this view?

Sa Chun Sung Korean Chinese Restaurant in Pearl Drive Ortigas!

I've searched again and again for Korean jajangmyun (black noodles) in Manila and failed each time for years. This time, thanks to my sister and Ryan Bang (haha), I finally found somewhere good and just in Ortigas, Pasig that can satisfy my craving! You can only find this dish in Chinese restaurants in Korea and they eat it during Singles Day. Koreans also order jajangmyun via delivery when they move to a new place then the dishes get picked up afterwards (according to the Korean series on Netflix Let's Eat that I just watched). Originally adapted from the jajiangmien in China, it was brought to Korea and the once salty dish became sweeter and lighter, which I like very much. Sa Chun Sung is open Wednesdays to Mondays from noon onwards ;) 

Guimaras Mango Festival Harvest and Manggahan Eat-All-You-Can Experience!

I've been thinking about going to the Guimaras Manggahan Festival for years. Finally, my long-time dream to go with Jeff has come true! My grandma used to feed the sweetest mangoes during our weekly visits to her and we usually couldn't reach it freely since she would ripen it on top of the warm part of the fridge. Haha. I brought these memories with me and prepared for the Mango Eat-All-You-Can activity (by not eating mangoes for a few weeks)! Luckily, I found about the Mango Harvest and Pay Experience as well, which was the best part for me. The festival happens from May 11 to May 22 every year.