Extreme Cagayan De Oro

     As the plane was about to land in Cagayan De Oro City (CDO), the province greeted us with beautiful rolling hills and green vast land.

     At CDO Airport, we rented a car for Php 300 to take us to Victoria Suites located at Tirso Neri St., Downtown of CDO.  The hotel is designed with a touch of Victorian style.  The rooms are clean, with LCD TV, air-conditioned, with hot and cold shower, and complimentary Wi-Fi.  Bath towels, soaps, and tissues were provided.  Staffs are very accommodating.  They always serve you with a smile.  We stayed here for 3 nights.

     The next day we rented a van at Kagay to take us to Dahilayan Adventure Park, Bukidnon.  On our way there, after Camp Philips, both left and right of the road are hectares of pineapple farm.  From CDO City, it only took us one and forty five minutes to reach our destination.

     Dahilayan Adventure Park - Zipzone lets you experience the greatest adventure of your life.  First, we went zipping at 350 meters zip line, then at 150 meters, and last but not the least at 840 meters zip line.  It was fun and exciting flying like a superman with their 840 meters zip line from a launch point at 4,700 feet above sea level, with speed up to 90kph.  We zipped through the lush forest and breathtaking views of Dahilayan’s mountains with cloudy weather, at temperature of 29 degrees Celsius and wind speed of 45 kph.

     Zipzone also offer ropes course and wall climbing.  But during that time, the ropes course is under renovation.  You can also rent an ATV for Php 500 only.

     Here are my videos from 350 and 150 meters zip line.  So bad, I wasn't able to video my ride at 840 meters zip line.

350 Meters Zip Line

150 Meters Zip Line

     Then, that night we dined at Kagay-anon Restaurant.  It is a fine dining restaurant with Filipino style ambiance.  They offer deliciously home cooked Filipino dishes at reasonable price.

     What I noticed in Cagayan De Oro City?  They have plenty of coffee shops and restaurants.  You can tell that the Kagay-anon loves to eat and loves coffee.

     One of the most famous activities in CDO is the white water rafting, which we did the following day.  It is an outdoor activity using inflatable raft to navigate a wild river.  We booked the advance course rafting at Kagay.  The package includes roundtrip jeep transfer, inflatable raft, paddle, helmet, life vest, river guide, and meal.  The travel time from Cagayan De Oro City to the rafting site which is the boundary of Bukidnon and CDO is only 45 minutes.

     We took the advance course that consist 24 rapids.  The guide named Howard or “Tisoy” a half German and Filipino briefed us on the basic rules of this extreme sport.  He taught us how to hold the paddle, how to do the forward and back paddling, and when to stop paddling.  As well as the safety measures and rescue procedures.  This is very important especially when someone fall from the raft and when the boat capsizes.

     Since I never took the basic course, I was a bit nervous at first.  The first ten rapids were difficult to maneuver because of medium waves, large rocks, and considerable drop.   The rest of the fourteen rapids which is the beginner’s course have small waves, few rocks, and small drops.  We flipped side over side many times and my two companions fell twice during the first four rapids.  Every time we conquered the rapids we raised our paddle altogether and shout “high five.”  I’m glad I didn’t fall from the raft.

     Our river guide is very naughty and funny, that he tried to trick us many times in order for us to experience a fall.  But some of us were wiser that the three of us managed not to fall from the raft, even when larger waves engulfed us over.  We finished the advance rafting course in 4 hours and finally a delicious lunch was served.

     Since it was our last night in CDO, we dined at Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant located at Limketkai.  I like the ambiance of the restaurant with decorations from different countries.  They offer different cuisines of the world.  We ordered “Belly Buster Platter” and "Deep Sea Pasta."  "Belly Buster Platter" is a combo of their famous barbequed babyback ribs, grilled rodeo chops, smoky pork belly, with garlic rice, buttered vegetables, and crispy onion rings.  While the “Deep Sea Pasta” is a sauce of garlic shrimps and rich crabfat on spaghetti noodles.  The foods are delectable and with generous servings at a reasonable price.

     Of course the night wouldn’t be complete without a sip of coffee at Starbucks.  So we spent hours in Starbucks drinking frappes and espresso while surfing the internet with their complimentary Wi-Fi.

     We had so much fun with our two days adventure in Cagayan De Oro and Bukidnon trip.  Double thumbs up to CDO Tourism! :)


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Travel Dates: July 3-6, 2011