Northern Mindanao: From CDO to Camiguin

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WALK FLY PINOY:
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This Northern Mindanao trip was only to be done in three days and two nights. At this point, we have covered a lot, what with Cagayan de Oro's white water rafting and Bukidnon's zip lining. But there are roads that are yet to be treaded. So the next day at 5 a.m., we left CDO, and headed towards this region's island paradise, Camiguin.


To get to Camiguin from CDO, we rented out a van that took us from our hostel in the city center to Balingoan Port, Misamis Oriental. Travel from CDO to Balingoan takes around 1 to 1.5 hours. It was really early in the morning, so we got there within 40 minutes.


Balingoan Port is the port on Mindanao mainland closest to Camiguin Island. Ferries to Camiguin leave the port at around 1.5-hour intervals. So plan ahead. The ferry ride takes about 1 hour. You'll find yourself in Benoni Port, Camiguin in no time.


The hotel we stayed in the island was the Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. Quite a poshy resort, I must say. It set us back 1.3K pesos each to stay here. A bit pricy, yes. But I would say that that's reasonable. For that price, we got pretty decent villas with well-designed interiors and a very nice, clean shower room.



What luxury in accommodation they had in excess, though, they lacked in food quality consistency and service. On the one hand, the pizzas and the eggplant parmagiana were outstanding and worth the money. On the other, you get 150 to 200-peso pasta dishes you can get for 30 pesos back at home. Food quality does not apply across the board is what I'm saying. And let's not get started with the breakfast buffet. Too few dishes and too early they stop serving. But anyway.


Now, Bahay Bakasyunan is on the eastern side of Camiguin island. So don't expect a romantic sunset in the evening. Quite a spectacular sunrise, though. But more on that later. For that night, I contented myself in calming the angry waves through my camera lens.

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Northern Mindanao: White Water Rafting & Zip Lining

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Travel, Photography, Asia
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It was all so fast. A few minutes after we landed on mountainous Northern Mindanao, we were whisked away higher up the mountains to the starting point of our white water rafting course. We chose the advanced one (even though none of us really had white water rafting experience) solely because people who have tried this adventure told us so.


The starting point of the advanced course begins at some bridge by the Cagayan de Oro-Bukidnon border (CDO on one side of the river, Bukidnon on the other). We went with Kagay Adventures for this activity. They arrange these things for a fee, which may cover transfers, instructors, a photographer following you around, rafts, paddles and gear.


The advanced course runs for 4 hours. Of course, not all of time you'll be rafting through rapids. For the most part, you'll be floating along the river, which is very nice. Now I know, the prospect of being thrown off the raft, face smashed onto rocks, drowned by rapids, will seem frightening. Haha. But the experience is really enjoyable than what it seems. Photos above are from Kagay, which I don't think will ever do the experience justice.

~ o 0 o~
Right after the rafting course, we were again whisked to an even higher part of Northern Mindanao. We headed to Dahilayan, Bukidnon, around 1 to 1.5 hours from CDO proper. On the way there, you'll pass by what Bukidnon is known for. Hills upon hills upon hills of pineapple plantation. No kidding. Make sure to bring a van or any closed vehicle, though. The road is dusty as hell. We learned that the hard way. Don't ask.


The Dahilayan Adventure Park features, among many things, what they claim to be Asia's longest zip-line at 840m. From the park entrance, you need to be taken by 4x4 to the launch tower higher up the mountains. That's how far it is. You're strapped on the wires, prone position (i.e., Superman position), and when the safety personnel get the signal, away you go.


I think it's the closest thing you'll ever get to flying like a bird. You'll be soaring through fields and above trees. The ride (because ultimately that's what it is, an amusement park ride, just really amped up) is scary but by the middle of it, you'll learn to enjoy it. The best part is, the heavier you are, the faster you'll go. And faster is better. For me, at least.


It was late in the afternoon when we finished all of our thrill-inducing adventures. We boarded our ride and started the journey back down the mountain to Cagayan de Oro City. We were all exhausted by then. It was unforgettable, though, because I witnessed my first Mindanao sunset on the way.

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Lakbayan Update: CDO-Bukidnon-Camiguin

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Another Lakbayan map update, yes.

My Lakbayan grade is C!

My grade just got better! I finally set foot on Mindanaw. Meatballs on a really good spaghetti really. Because the adventure I had the weekend past was unreal. That's a good thing, a very good thing.

Photos to come!

(Again, to get your own Lakbayan grade and map, please visit this website, created by one Eugene Villar.)

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Dumaguete: Walking Food Trip

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If there was one thing I would recommend that people do in Dumaguete, it would be a walking food trip. There are a lot of good eats in Dumaguete, foremost of which are chicken barbecue and sans rival. For our walking food trip, we went to Citiburger and The Sans Rival Shop.


The walking part is important here. One, even though Dumaguete is officially a city, it's a very walkable one. You can go from one foodie place to another without having to hail a trike (the king of the road there). And two, you'll need the brisk walk going from one place to another. Walk off the pounds you just gained.


For our chicken barbecue (I would not even dare to use inasal or inato here), we went to Citiburger. It is quite a famous joint in the city for chicken barbecue. They do have burgers, but I think people come for the chicken more. And they should.


What a friend advised that we do is to separate the meat from the chicken, cut it in small pieces and then mix those with the fried chicken skin served as complementary appetizer. I gotta say. With the atsara, that combination worked. This practice is highly recommended, yes.


For dessert (which for us actually came first), we went to the very famous The Sans Rival Shop. It is a very small resto-confectionery located along the city's bay walk. There were four of us and each ordered a different cake. We got leche flan, sans rival, tiramisu, and a cookie-like cake, the name of which I could not recall.


The sans rival was exceptional. It was moist and it had the right texture all over. The sweetness and the buttery-creamy flavor was just right. My mouth waters just thinking about it. The cookie-like cake was a surprise as well. It was something we all never had. It's texture is like that of a choco-chip cookie but flaky and sticky when you bite onto it. It was good.


For pasalubong, we got sylvannas, a very popular pasalubong in all of Visayas. If you see people carrying a blue-white box in Dumaguete, you can bet that's the sylvannas. It is so good, people from other parts of the country, Manila included, have it delivered. Anyway, the next time you know someone going to Dumaguete, request that as pasalubong.

That's it. That was our Dumaguete walking food trip. Now, admittedly, these photos have been stored in my hard drive for quite some time now. But hey, they remind me so much of why I considered Dumaguete to be a city I would like to retire in someday, or have a vacation house, at least.

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Baguio City: Oh My Gulay

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I was delightfully amazed when I first walked in Oh My Gulay back in December 2008. A year later, I'm still amazed at how the art fixtures and installations got up there. I mean, how did they manage to get a house and a boat on top of that building?


Oh My Gulay is an art gallery cum vegetarian restaurant in Baguio City, located on the topmost floor of the Azotea Building, found along the city's busiest strip, Session Road.


Upon reaching the staircase leading to the entrance, you'll really feel something, let's say, "unusual" is bound your way. When you actually reach the place, your eyes will get confused as to where to look first. A lot of interesting things. A whole lot. Hey, it is an art gallery.


The art gallery/vegetarian restaurant is owned by the famed filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik. I think he regularly visits the place because I believe I saw him the two times I was there.


You won't really find an organization, a structure, to the gallery-restaurant. The art works and sculptures are scattered everywhere. Most of them you'll think are actually part of the walls, pathways and pieces of furniture themselves.


Dishes are purely vegetarian. And they're good. Really good. That means something coming from someone who's very picky with the greens he eats. Case in point, I actually liked their cucumber salad. And I don't eat cucumber! Their pastas are good, too. Big servings. So be ready to load up.


The two times that I visited the place was both during lunch time/late-lunch time. I heard this place packs up at night, though. Especially when the stage features local bands and artists. And where there's music, there's dancing. So that's a must-see/must-do. Maybe next time I'm in Baguio.


This was our first destination after a seven-hour bus ride from Manila. We were a little tired and hungry. It was worth coming here, though. We were just in time for Baguio's mountain sunset.

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2009: Travel

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If there was anything I could say about 2009, it would be that it was the year that I fulfilled my dream of traveling, of getting out of cramped and congested Manila, of venturing out into the rest of the country. I can seriously say that I enjoyed every single minute of it.


And every scene, every landscape, every road I stepped on, every boat I got into, I tried to preserve in images. Really, the next thing I would say about this year is that it was the year that I finally held a camera, my own camera (at least for the most part).

Coron, Palawan


I have said it again and again. Coron is one of the most beautiful places in the world, not just the Philippines. Some well-traveled non-Pinoys will agree with me on this. Its serenity is incomparable. I of course plan to go back, before it becomes the tacky-touristy place it may unfortunately soon be.

Anawangin, Zambales


Anawangin is an unusual one. First, it's isolated being that it's a cove. Second, its beach wasn't made of sand from a coral reef, but rather from volcanic ash. Three, it had pine trees. Pine trees. The place is magical, though. We woke up early morning to the warm light of moon. Yes, the moon. It was so bright, eerie and well, magical. (Photo by fellow traveler Angelica Cruz.)

Cebu ~ Bantayan


I enjoyed this Cebu trip due to the small amount of money we had to spend to get to these places. It wasn't just Cebu City we went to. We got out of the provincial capital, went north, specifically, to a small island north of Cebu. We spent no more than 6K pesos, all in. Yes, including plane fare. We backpacked. We really did. We did not even get on a taxi to get to the airport. Unforgettable.

Los Baños, Laguna


Los Baños, and along with it, UP LB, Pook Bathala and the Philippine High School for the Arts, will always mean something to me. It's the weekend retreat that's not Tagaytay. It's the UP that's closer to nature. And even with my misfortunes and inopportunes, it will always be happy and peaceful.

Dumaguete ~ Siquijor


When the goal is to get away from the tourists, a place where 99 percent of the time, the people you'll see are locals, make sure to consider Dumaguete and Siquijor. Dumaguete is a city where I really felt like I was in a small town and Siquijor, I could just pity those who would pass up going fearing its folklore.

Baguio City


Baguio is a place I'd revisit many times over, if only for the weather. It's one of the few places in this tropical country where keeping warm is a task. It offers more, though, I discovered. Views of mountains upon mountains are something else. And who would've thought that a city, a modern city, could exist smack bang on top of the Cordilleras? I have yet to publish photos from Baguio. So stay tuned. ;)

What Next?

So what's next this 2010, this new year. I am hoping that even with a tighter schedule, I could travel more. I have to, don't I? I've got two trips already planned. One is onto an island I haven't set foot in. An island south of the country. The other is bigger. Quite bigger. It will be the first time I will get to use my passport. Think temples, or should I say wat.

Let's hope they'll all push through. Heck, they must push through, even those trips I haven't booked yet. I'll make them push through. So here's to 2010. May it be as full of adventures as the year before it.

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UP Diliman: Lantern Parade 2009

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Every December, to mark the culmination of the year (and the beginning of the holiday vacation), UP hosts a parade of sorts featuring colorfully lit floats created by various members of the UP community. Some of these floats have lanterns on them, some are the laterns themselves. Then, of course, there're the costumed folks who decorate the streets in all pomp and pageantry. All make for a festive Christmas event.


I make it a point to attend the parade every year, if only for the fireworks. Now, it will be obvious to those who attended this year that all the pictures here feature only lanterns and floats created by the College of Fine Arts. One, I arrived late and two, they're the only college worth watching. (I kid! Haha.) Enjoy.

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