I gotta do justice to Cotabato City. It's not as bad as thought it was. Save for the proliferation of small arms and petty crimes, Cotabato City is actually a fun place to be in.
Cotabato City has all the "basic necessities" that a normal city person would look for.
For one, it does not run short of good food. There is Jollibee, Greenwich, and Mister Donut. It also has its own array of great "native" restaurants. My favorite so far is Manong's where you can buy really nice fruit shakes for P12.00. They also have the best (and I'm not exaggerating) cheeseburger that I've tasted in the whole Philippines. Also, contrary to my first impression, there is night life in Cotabato. Almost every night now I'm out looking for new gimiks here (Yes, I am now able to walk at night here). Just the other night, some of my new friends and I went to the rooftop of Hotel Castro where, to my surprise, there was a bar where bands play (Too bad though that we went on a Wednesday cuz bands only play there on Fridays). Alleluiah!!! Finally, beer!!! It's a good thing too that I'm here during Ramadhan because there is a Ramadhan Buka Fair every night at the center of the town. There is a fiesta every night during Ramadhan whenever the Muslims' fast is broken (trivia: buka is the term Muslims use for "breaking the fast"). It's like an all-night tiangge here.
Aside from restos and fairs, Cotabato also has nice places to visit and see. One nice spot to visit is the centro of the town where the Buka Fair is held. Over there you'll see two pillars with some words of wisdom written on them (too bad though that whoever wrote these flunked his or her elementary Language subject). Here are some examples: One says "To much kindness can kill a child". Another quotes "Be functual even when everybody else is not." Aside from such educational trips, one can also visit spots that are good for the spirit. I got to go the "the Grotto" right outside the city proper. There is a small zoo there with lots of birds I've never seen before. Aside from birds, lovers also flock to the place, kinda like Luneta. The cheeziness stops in the zoo though. Past the zoo, I got to enter the the grotto itself. The grounds are big and there are lots of tall trees. There are fourteen stations here where one can pray. The last station is ontop of a high flight of stairs. As one climbs these steps, you get to see, little by little, a very tall sculpture of a Risen Christ. Very beautiful and very inspiring. It's a nice place to regain one's peace.
The best thing though about Cotabato City, and this I've seen is true for all the places I've been to, is the people. I've made lots of good friends here (both Christian and Muslim) and they've made this place cozier than it used to be for me. I realized that the people here aren't that much different from the other people I know. I don't feel like I'm in another planet. I guess the biggest difference is that I got to make friends with lots of Muslims. I like this fact though because our differences in religion allows us to have interesting conversations. I'm surrounded by fun and kind people.
I think Cotabato City just got worse press than it deserves. It's an interesting and fun place. It has a way of growing on you.
