Iranian spice

This is the ambiance of a sidewalk food stall that caters Iranian dishes, in Rizal St. The owner is a stuntman from Iran. Sometimes I dine here for a treat of some spice.

Indonesian link

The intricate sculptured motif on a wall that cover the Indonesian Consulate complex in Ecoland area portray this neighboring country's rich culture, and adds a distinct mark to the Davao cosmopilitan scenery. There are close ties with Davao and Indonesia especially when the city initiated the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) designed to boost economic and cultural ties between these regions far from its capital cities. It actually revived centuries-old links when these regions once traded with each other way back in the pre-colonial era.

Chinatown arch

The recently finished chinatown arch adds up to the cosmopolitan flavor of the city scenery. Davao's Chinatown district is one of only two such places found in the country. The arch is a fitting tribute to the cultural contribution and business acumen of Tsinoys (of Filipino-Chinese parentage) who undeniably bring vitality to local and national economy.

modern school building

This is the campus of supposedly a premiere university in the city located just at the edge of Claveria St. It now presents an elegant and contemporary facade, which was a relief. About a decade ago its campus used to be, in my opinion, a drab, coldly utilitarian, seemingly art-clueless structure complex protruding from out of the downtown area. More than two decades ago it was a hotspot for idealistic radical students and academia critical of a dictatorial era.

There's an added scene at the lower left corner of the picture. It portrays the diversity of the local populace as one can trace Spanish, Chinese, Malay and Indigenous races intermixed in the Dabawenyo blood. I wonder what the scenario was all about, the sunglass peddler probably tried to convince a senior citizen that he looks pogi (handsome in local dialect) if he buys his shades.

urban blight

This is the other side of Claveria Street lined with some idle, vacant buildings. I expected urban blights to happen only in polluted mega-cities like Metro Manila, but this local version proved that it could occur even in a growing city like Davao.

Those concerned didn't seem, ironically, to 'bank in' on the Guinness nominee Title of the street (having the most number of banks) and make it part of the city's tourist attractions. Otherwise, blights such as these do not necessarily have to occur.

Anybody with a vision (and fat wallet) can transform this world record holder of a street into a revived attraction lined with cafes, or condominiums, or IT Park, or highrises, or...

Uhm, anybody?

street surprise

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This is Claveria Street.

Recently did I hear that this strip had nearly made it to the Guinness Book of World Records (1997) as having the most number of banks concentrated in a street.

(Really?!?!)