After two years of online celebrations devoid of face to face revelry due to the pandemic, the Kadayawan Festival returned to a resounding drumming rhythm and a colorful street dance parade with a bang. In a fitting sense, this year's edition welcome back the whole city of Davao and its residents to normalcy. I had the privilege of joining other travel writers and Cebu Pacific Air in witnessing the revival of the city's annual festival, which has been known as the "Kadayawan Festival" since 1988.

My curiosity about this large patch of greens fronting Manila Bay is always piqued every time I see it from a window of a plane whenever I fly into or out of the city. It stands out as an oddity in a cityscape chockfull of concrete.

Some of the cleanup volunteers poses for a group photo

When citing gentrification success stories, the neighborhood of Chow Kit in Kuala Lumpur should come to mind. Even though it has a history that walks a fine line between exhilarating and dark, the once-infamous red-light district has seen tremendous transformation in recent years.

Photo: Chow Kit Hotel

Entering a non-descript building atypical of the ones where popular restaurants are usually located, puzzled us a bit as to where we're heading. It was only when the elevator door opened that finally revealed our purpose when a wide entrance leading to a buffet table greeted us.

A pop of colors and an explosion of culinary aroma instantly welcomes guests