cagayan de oro and bukidnon

The year J first celebrated his birthday with me, we didn't have anything planned apart from dinner at his parents' house. When 2014 came, we decided to tick off White Water Rafting in Cagayan de Oro from our list. We decided that his birthday will be a great time to do that.

And so we caught the first flight to Cagayan de Oro from Manila. It wasn't the best time to leave because it was too early and we were both very sleepy. But the sun rose while we were flying and it was so beautiful.


Bukidnon

When we landed in Cagayan de Oro, we took the Magnum Express shuttle to Limketkai Mall. From there, we bought tickets to Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon to kick off our November adventure. Since we were there very early, we had to wait for the shuttle going to Dahilayan which was scheduled to leave at 9am. It turned out that we were the only passengers. For the comfortable ride, I think the price we paid was reasonable.

It started drizzling when we entered Bukidnon and it was foggy when we saw the big strawberry statue by the side of the road that marked our entry to Dahilayan. I was already quite worried that we might not be able to enjoy as much due to the light rain. The light rain continued when we arrived in Dahilayan Adventure Park but the park staff assured us that it was safe to experience their Zipline rides. The Ropes Course, which I was so excited to try, was closed though.

Dahilayan, Bukidnon
November 20, 2014

Flowers in Dahilayan Adventure Park

We purchased the All Rides - Zip Package. This included three zipline rides. It was the first one that I enjoyed the most - the Asia's Longest Dual Zipline - where J and I rode the zipline at the same time. It definitely is the longest zipline I've ridden so far. That being said, it sure is fast but in no way terrifying (the zipline ride I experienced in Crowne Regency in Cebu is more terrifying). I guess the fresh air and the lovely scenery took away my fear. All throughout the ride my arms were spread out, I was imagining what it feels like to fly like a bird. The two other rides fell flat in comparison to the first one.

Ropes Course in Dahilayan Adventure Park

After lunch, we went around the Adventure Park. I was so taken by the pine trees. It reminded me of Benguet and the trails of Mt. Ugo. I especially loved it when after the light rain, the sun shone and the sun rays filtered through the pine trees. It was a spiritual and emotional moment for me.

Tree pose among the pine trees

Apart from the rides, the Adventure Park has some nice spots that captured my eye. It was so relaxing.

We decided we wanted to go back to Cagayan de Oro but we were told by the driver that we had to wait a few more hours for the scheduled departure. So we decided to enter the Dahilayan Forest Park because there really wasn't much choice. I didn't particularly find the Forest Park as appealing to our needs. It was more laid-back and suited people who weren't into thrill and adventure (save for the luge and the zorb) that the neighboring Adventure Park catered to. In fact, there were a lot of kids in the Forest Park. Nonetheless, the park was lovely and we had fun taking a lot of photos with random statues.

I love this quiet spot beside the restaurant. Zen.

Strawberries from the fruit vendors outside the park

Cagayan de Oro

When we left Bukidnon, it rained again. I fell asleep for the most part of the ride. When I woke up, we were already near the drop-off point in Limketkai Mall. We asked the driver for his recommendation on where we could eat. He pointed us at Kagay-anon, where we had grilled squid, the local dish Sinugba, and eggplant salad. The sinugba didn't really appeal to me (because I don't like eating fish) but J took a liking to it. He finished the whole plate (or should I say shell?). It was a very satisfying dinner and we checked in at the pension house with tummies full to the brim.

Kagay-anon's Sinugba, Ensaladang Talong, Inihaw na Pusit

The following day, J informed me that we were leaving for the White Water Rafting adventure by lunch time so we ate early. We signed up with Kagay and joined a group of females. The ride to the jump-off point was not very long.

What I liked about the tour was the the guide was very knowledgeable. Aside from teaching us the basics of white water rafting, he also talked about the Cagayan River and had a lot of other trivia on the side. The guide said that Cagayan River runs between Cagayan de Oro (on the left) and Bukidnon (on the right).

Cagayan River
November 21, 2014

The Cagayan River though wasn't white. It was more like chocolate. The guide mentioned that this was because it rained the day before and he assured us that there were days when the water is more white than brown.

The fact that there were three staff with us - two in our raft and one by his lonesome (he was in charge of taking photos) - made me feel safe. The guides assured us that as long as we listen to them, we will safely finish the course. And so off we went.

My expectation was that we were going to row the entire length of the experience but it wasn't the case. A lot of times, we just sat on the raft and enjoyed being drifted away by the water. But when the rapids came in sight, our guide expertly gave instructions.

At one point though our raft bumped into a flat rock and the impact cause me to tip over and almost fell on the water. The guides were quick to help though so I was pulled up even before I fell on the river. Thank heavens!

I like the thrill and the high of working with the rapids. The Cagayan River is indeed beautiful. It is also very powerful and in that sense, it can be dangerous to anyone tempting it. The experience was quite fast and at the end, I wanted to have another go. For me, this was the highlight of our trip.

Cagayan de Oro
November 21, 2014