Toril, Davao City

Bobby, Cyril, Nang Letty, and I boarded a non-stop bus in Agora, CDO bound for Davao City via Bukidnon... Manolo Fortich... Sumilao... Malaybalay City... Valencia City... Maramag... Musuan... Quezon... After 7 hours of travel, we reached the largest city in the world, Davao City. We went straight to Toril where Bobby's only brother and his wife are staying. The dining table filled with different kinds of fruits welcomed our arrival. Rows and rows of vandas and dendrobiums in an orchid farm Aboard a different kind of tricycle

Whitewater Rafting at CDO

Every time I read the Smile magazine of Cebu Pacific, it always states that the must-do in Cagayan de Oro is whitewater rafting in the Cagayan River. We wanted to try it during our last visit in 2005. The package cost P1,200+ per pax then. This time, it's already part of the itinerary and we're fortunate that the beginner's course package costs P700 per pax consisting of transportation from the pick-up point to the first station and from the endpoint back to the city proper. The beginner's course covers a 12-km stretch of the river with 14 rapids and an average of 3 hours of travel from start to endpoint. The first station. We almost backed out after seeing the first rapids... We're a group of 12, 6 in each raft... all geared up for the extra challenge... Oh no, we were the first raft to brave the first challenge... forward paddle... forward! That's it! We survived the first rapids! High five... awu! awu! I thought the first one was the most difficult because I didn't know what to expect. After that, I said to myself that the rest would be easy. Actually, braving the next 13 rapids was a much more daring, exhilarating yet fun-filled adventure. Thanks to In-in, our very able guide. And Maldo, our cameraman aboard a kayak, for the documentation. On to the next rapids with interesting names that describe the nature of the rapids or the rafting experience... face the wall... rodeo... etc. Getting a free massage from the waterfalls that we passed by... All wet and sunburned from the 3-hour energy-filled rafting adventure... Awu! awu!

Fruits of Gingoog City

After four years, we were happy to see some improvements in the city. The "fruits" of the city near the plaza...




The city plaza,



And the baywalk.

White Beach, Medina, Misamis Oriental

Viewing the underwater environment from a fiberglass-bottomed boat and fish feeding

Life's a Beach

Buko juice in the morning straight from the coconut tree in the yard. Eating sugba, tinola, and kinilaw seafood. Enjoying the better-than-Chowking halo-halo from Mariet's. What else? Swimming on the beach... Bobby and I planned our morning ritual for our stay in Gingoog. It's going to be a walk to the beach for a swim before having our breakfast. On our first trip, we were dismayed to see the status of the nearby beach. Bobby sorely missed the beach that he used to frequent when he was still a kid. We were told to try the beach in Punong, which is around 5 km from the city proper, so the following day we rode the motorela and enjoyed our swimming spree. The idyllic Punong beach in Gingoog City, Camiguin island in the background