Davao and Ponce Suites

What do you do when you are stuck in Davao for five hours waiting for a connecting flight to Manila? Look out for something unusual to do.

The Ponce Suites is located in an unlikely intercsection inside a sudivision surrounded by typical subdivision houses. A case of a building purged with artworks that one is assaulted by a battle of colors and shapes. I attempted to find meaning in the chaos of blues and reds and yellows and greens, but the secret I understood only when I arrived on the second floor landing is to let the art come as it presents itself. A piece of art hang on every inch of space, the walls and the stairs. Even the ceilings have giant black ant sculptures that will guide your way up to the restaurant.

The restaurant is sourrounded by Gaudi like concrete scultpures of animals and nooks that vary in inspiration from detailed black and white drawings on ceilings, bats sculptures, baskets and capiz shells, and the voltes eagle on the stairway.

The building is surrounded bronze sculptures that are similar to those in the UP foundry when I was in college. Kublai the owner-artist finished fine arts at the UP. I was told the place was a hit eight years ago when it opened but sadly is now a forgotten wonder of the largest city on the planet. If only they decided to put all those sculptures in the different parts of the city which would serve as landmarks then it would make riding from one point to another in this town more of a pleasure. Too bad it seems that Davao has forgotten its own. Somewhere in London or Paris or New York, this would have been a hip place.