Call a 'Taksea'

HAD it not rained the previous days, everybody could have felt the scorching heat and seen the blinding, midday glare of the sun with summer season fast-approaching, at last!

As the school year will officially come to a close in more than a month from now, Dabawenyos and tourists will once again flock in droves to the beach resorts of the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) and make it lively again with a slew of summer activities.

Being the nearby tourist destination of Davao City, Igacos has become a go-to place for families and “barkadas” who are plotting a trip to one of its white sand beach resorts. For one, the island is just few minutes’ boat ride off the coast of the city, especially now that there is a latest water vehicle, which works more like a taxicab, made available for the convenience of the visiting tourists.

It has been almost a year ago since the first-ever water taxi in the Philippine was launched in Sta. Ana Wharf in Davao City. Davao Express Water Taxi created the most buzz for several months, considering the booming tourism industry in the city and that of the Samal Island.

With water taxi, the exclusive and major beach resorts in Samal are all within easy reach at any time. Equipped with a Yamaha 150 Fourstroke engine, this water vehicle can run a head-snapping speed of 21 miles per hour.

Jheannie Callao, manager of Davao Express Water Taxi, said they brought home the concept of putting up a water taxi from Sydney, Australia to offer equally the same convenient travel experience to the local tourists here. Each water vehicle can carry about 12 passengers to any destinations, provided there is a docking area.

Just like a taxicab, each water vehicle has a fare calculator to always keep the fare in check and is servicing passengers from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Among the major routes of water taxi include Alohamoana Resort, Bali-Bali Resort, Bluejazz Resort, Camp Holiday Resort, Coral Garden Resort, Dayang Resort, Kaputian Resort, Maxima Resort, Pearl Farm, and among others.

For tourists who travel a fair bit, they can also enjoy the island hopping tour packages from Davao City to anywhere in Igacos, ranging from P5,000 to P15,000 for half a day or whole day island tour.