THE MARCO POLO HOTEL

---

HELLO STEEMIANS!!

Today I’ll bring you to another place I often visit during night time in Davao City and this place is the “Roxas Night Market”. (This is in continuation on my last blog and if you haven’t read it yet, you can check it out here.)

Roxas Night Market

Starting from 6 o’clock in the evening, one of the busiest streets in Davao City is closed off to become a street market for the vendors. Roxas Night Market is very popular among the locals and even foreigners of Davao City because of the variety of the things you can find here while having the cheapest price. CHEAP foods, CHEAP clothes, CHEAP shoes, and many other cheap services but never CHEAP in quality. Every night this place is crowded with students, professionals, foreigners, and policemen (to ensure the safety of the people) to enjoy delicious foods and to buy different things without draining your pocket. Roxas Night Market is indeed a NIRVANA for all people on a tight budget. (LOL)

Busy street during night time along Roxas Avenue

How To Get There

Roxas Night Market is situated along the Roxas Avenue and can easily be found because it is in front of Marco Polo Hotel and Ateneo De Davao University. Almost all jeepney routes pass through Roxas Avenue and just a walking distance from Gaisano Mall and People’s Park. Also, you’ll find policemen and soldiers at the entrance, exit, and borders of Roxas Night Market so it’s very easy to notice.

Ateneo De Davao University

Along The Border	Inside Roxas Night Market
Entrance	Exit

Foods That You’ll Find in Roxas Night Market

When you’re here to dine and eat, do not expect to have a fancy table, chairs, and spacious area for your group because you’ll only be disappointed because what they have there are just food stalls/carts, small tables, wood chairs, and low plastic stools. We refer to this as “Inato” and you’ll see many people just grab and bite while standing on the food stalls. You’ll have more or less around 50 different food stalls to choose from. Here are some of the foods you’ll find delicious and satisfying.

Barbecued - Baticolon (Gizzard), Pork, Atay (Liver), Chorizo (Sausage), and Chicken

Grilled Seafood – Squid, Tuna, Milkfish, Barilis (Yellowfin)

Street Foods - Kwek-kwek, Tok Neneng, Fish Balls, Tempura, Squid Balls, and other Fried Delicacies

Tok Neneng are boiled quail eggs dipped in the orange batter and deep fried then served with a side of seaweed salad while Kwek-kwek is basically the same but is made from boiled chicken egg.

They also have fruits and drinks.

Two things to expect when coming to this place is that, first, the place is crowded and smoky especially in the food stalls area but you'll never feel stranger because the locals are very friendly and hospitable. Second and most important, "NO SMOKING" anywhere when you're in Davao City.

Let’s Go Shopping

After filling your stomach with various street foods, a good past time to help digest and burn those calories is by going to the Ukay-ukay section. Ukay-ukay generally refers to rummaging through piles of things, whether it is clothing, shoes, sandals, bags and stuff toys. All of these items came from different parts of the world and if you're a good seeker you can buy branded items like Nike for shoes, Louis Vuitton for bags, and many branded items for the price of just 100 php to 200 php (around 2-4$ USD). And if you're not lucky enough, you can still buy many second hand items for the same price.

Relax and Enjoy the Massage

If you're tired from all the shopping and stress from your day's work, you can visit the sidewalk massage station in Roxas Night Market to relax without worrying about the price. For 30 minutes, you only need to pay 70 php for a leg massage and 80 php for back massage (less than 2$ USD).

There's a lot more to find there like the famous Mang Dany's Dirty Ice Cream, organic ice cream, artistic pillar, accessories, and a memorial marker for the victims of the 2016 bombing in the place.

Victims of the September 2016 bombing in Roxas Night Market. (God bless their souls)

The Roxas Night Market is definitely a place you should visit when you're in Davao City and i recommend the best time to visit there will be during weekends. (They are open every night by the way.)

---

Thank you for your time reading this and please look forward to my next episode. If you enjoyed it, you might also like to read my other posts on the link provided below.

1. Kuya J’s Diary Episode 6 –A Night in Davao City Part 1
2. Kuya J’s Diaries Episode 5 - An Epiphany on Last Night's Super Blue Blood Moon