Iligan, Bukidnon, Cagayan De Oro

As always, I was very excited for my Northern Mindanao trip.  I left the house at exactly 5am to reach the MRT North station.  Luckily, I arrived just in time for the first trip and I arrived at Ayala Station at 5:45 am.  Then, I took a cab in going to NAIA3.  The cab passed the SLEX and there was a slight traffic due to the on-going road construction.  Before 6:30 am, I was already queueing at the airport gate.  Usual, my flight was delayed due to airport traffic congestion.  I arrived one hour late against my strict itinerary. From the airport, I asked the assistance from a policeman on what route to take in going to Bulua Bus terminal.  I was told that I take the jeep (fare Php10) at the other side of the road then alight at the Petron station and take another jeepney ride to the terminal.  As soon as I entered the terminal, the bus conductor encouraged me to take the Super Five bus (mobile number 0917.7042564) (fare PhP85).  The ride was smooth except for some unexpected delays due to road rehabilitation.  I arrived at the Iligan Bus terminal after 1.5 hours of travel.  At the terminal, I noticed the tents of the affected typhoon last year were still there and the people were still living in the area.  I took a jeepney ride in going to the hotel.  I immediately checked-in and I asked the receptionist on the available transportation in going to the falls.  She offered to just hire their employee which I agreed.   Before we left, I had a quick lunch at the Chowking located at the ground floor of the hotel.  At exactly 2pm, my guide Ernie Sayre (mobile 0912.8332592) left the hotel. While riding the motorcycle, my cap was blown by the wind.  I immediately asked the guide to stop, I was able to get the cap that was picked up by one of the motorcycle drivers.  On the way to the falls entrance gate, I was asked to register and pay PhP35.  At last! I saw Maria Cristina falls which I only read and saw in my school books.  The waterfall was powerful in a sense that it supplied the majority of the electricity in Mindanao.  I noticed the water was brownish which was due to heavy rains yesterday.  The water from the falls directly exited through the sea.  As an added bonus, I went to Tinago falls.  We parked the motorcycle and walked for minutes.  One has to take the 500 steps in going to this hidden falls.  Once we reached the place, I was awed with the magnificent falls with the rainbow in front of me.  There was a floating raft so that people can pass the raging waterfalls.  There were also kids who jumped from the tree towards the water.  The life vest was a requirement for those who intend to swim the waters.  The water during my visit was brownish again due to heavy rains.  The local government should preserve and take care of the place.  I was unhappy with the garbage around the falls due to undisciplined visitors and lack of initiative from the local government.  At the entrance, I was asked to place a money donation for the maintenance.  I hope the donations were put to use.  When we left, I was again asked to pay for the parking of the motorcycle for twenty pesos.  On the way to the hotel, we passed by the other side of Maria Cristina falls but I was barred by the security personnel from taking photos.   

In the evening, I went to Gaisano mall for my dinner.  I had my dinner at Big Dipper worth ninety-eight pesos.  Then, I went to the grocery to buy local delicacies as pasalubong to my family.  At 8 pm, I went to the town plaza to see the night market.  There were a lot of locals buying items and food tasting.  I only bought a sunglass worth PhP50.00 which was a good buy.

Day 2, I left the hotel at 5:30 am to catch the trip back to Cagayan De Oro.  I took a jeepney in going to the bus terminal.  When I arrived, the bus was about to leave but the conductor still accommodated me.  Wow…just in time for another 1.5 hour land travel.  The Super Five bus back to CDO was full of mosquitoes.  Since I was prepared, I made sure that I have my ever reliable Off lotion. When I arrived at CDO, I took another jeepney in going to Divisoria.  The first jeepney I rode asked me to transfer to another jeepney.  The fare to Divisoria was PhP7.  From the Cathedral, I followed my map and asked for directions to Cagayan Park View Lodge (tel. 088.8571197).  For one night, my accommodation only cost PhP595.  Upon check-in, I asked for directions in going to Dahilayan, Bukidnon.  I left my things and I went to a nearby fast food chain for a quick breakfast.  I took another jeepney in going to Agora Market Terminal (fare PhP7).  From Agora, I took a van in going to Camp Phillips (fare PhP50).  It took 30 minutes for the van to leave the terminal.  At the Bukidnon boundary, the van passed the check point and asked some passsengers to alight for inspections.  I arrived at 10:50am.  Initially, I thought I was already lost since the van already passed the Del Monte signage but it turned out that it only went around the camp.  From the camp, I asked the lady from the store for directions and she referred me to Jojo as my guide (mobile0920.3005688/0916.9297511).  As agreed, I paid PhP300 as guide fee.  I took the motorcycle and passed by the pineapple plantations.  There weas no public transportation in the area.  The ride lasted for 30 minutes.  We arrived at the Dahilayan Adventure Park (0917.6223204) 11:45 am but the personnel were on break and the activities will resume by 1pm. To kill time, my guide and I had snacks and watched the Pacquiao-Bradley game live at the park.  At 1:15 pm, we were asked to board the 4x4 vehicle.  It was a 15-minute rough road in going to the zipline starting line.  I was asked to go first together with the kid since it was a dual zipline.  I was very excited but afraid that I might lose my slippers.  The zip was more than a minute with the distance of 840m.  The PhP500 was worth it since it was the longest dual zipline in Asia.  On the way back to the camp, the rain suddenly poured.  When we arrived at the camp my jacket and feet were soaked with mud.  I washed my feet in one of the houses at the camp and for my jacket I just placed it inside my bag.  I was already at my hotel by 4:30 pm.  At 5:00 pm, I went to Limketkai Mall to shop for souvenirs and local delicacies. 

On my third and last day, it was just preparation for the trip.  I took a cab in going to the airport.  I paid PhP200 including the tip since the driver asked for it.  Anyway, I did not complain since the ride was smooth.  At the airport, my flight was again delayed for an hour due to NAIA traffic congestion.  If I will be asked if I would return to Northern Mindanao… it’s a yes for me.

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