CDO & Bukidnon 2015 Adventure Trip

My trip to CDO was work related, we had a photo shoot for  Limketkai Luxe Hotel. We arrived in the City of Golden Friendship via the new Laguindingan airport which opened in 2013. It is considered a first class airport  and hopefully more flights can be accommodated soon. The road to the city proper was smooth and since it's my  first time in CDO I couldn't wait to see the sights.  It took an hour to get from the airport to the city proper.  I wasn't able to see much of the city due to work but from my 3 day stay, I noticed that there is an  old part of town similar to Escolta where there are prewar  buildings and a new district where malls like Ayala Centrio  and Limketkai Center are located. Limketkai Luxe Hotel is just within the Limketkai mall and stands solid gold literally. Oro means gold in Spanish.  It is the tallest structure in the city with 21 floors and 213 guest rooms. You can see the whole city and the sea view from there. Facilities include an infinity pool, restaurants, function rooms, gym, dance studio and a business center. To know more about the room rates, visit www.limketkailuxe.com On our first night, we had an al fresco dinner  in Sattae Grill at the corner of Justo Ramonal and Corrales Street. It offers barbecue buffet and hotpot for just P149 per head. DIY barbecued chicken, pork, liver, isaw within our table  as we listened to an acoustic band playing E Heads. I fell in love with CDO that instant.   The street also has an interesting artistic vibe while "motorela"  zoomed past. It's a motorized tricycle or a trike jeepney since it can  hold 9 pax. It can only be found in CDO since it was invented there  in 1964 . Cagayan de Oro is famous for whitewater rafting. The Cagayan de Oro river  spans 3 provinces - CDO, Bukidnon and Iligan. Whitewater rafting is an extreme  water sport where you ride an inflatable rubber boat and follow the river rapids.  Beginners usually have to allot 3 to 4 hours or half day to engage in this activity. It is safe since there is a guide per boat with a maximum capacity of 6 persons. I wanted to try this activity and we did for about 10 minutes because we just  didn’t have enough time to do the whole experience. We got our safety helmet  and life vest plus a short paddle orientation and off we went to check out 2 small rapids.  I would go back and do this right next time! Great White Water Tours provided our  complimentary tour and their rates are affordable for P700 to 900 basic course and  P1,000 to P2,000 advanced course. Visit www.riverraftingcdo.com for the packages. Near the river is a historical and scenic cave called the Macahambus Cave.  It was the site of the Battle of Macahambus, the first encounter where Filipinos won over Americans in 1900. It is a short cave but with many crevices and a haven for bats. We went inside using a rented flashlight from the cave keeper /tour guide and got rewarded with a stunning view of the CDO river at the end of the tunnel. Below it is the Macahambus gorge wherein many Americans died during the FilAm war. The fee is just a tip to the guide. Bukidnon On our 2nd day we went to Bukidnon and passed by the Del Monte pineapple plantation in Camp Philips. The rows and rows of pineapples were such a delectable sight to behold since I’m a huge fan. The houses inside the camp reminded me of Teachers’ Camp in Baguio. Dahilayan Forest Park is located in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, about 2 hours from CDO. A mountain top resort and leisure park, it offers fun outdoor activities for the entire family such as giant zorb, tree top adventure, hanging bridge, pine forest picnic areas and a playground with an american indian theme. It also has a mini golf course, perfect for kids. Unfortunately we went there amidst heavy rains and fog so we weren't able to try the luge ride. A luge is a gravity wheeled ride and gives the driver a thrilling experience. We met the gracious owners, the Paras family and they have a lot of plans for the facility that are still in the pipeline. Check out www.dahilayanforestpark.com for details. The well known pasalubong from CDO is the pastel bread with creamy yema filling inside. I chose the malunggay version and it was good. Another favorite is the Jamon de Cagayan which I didn’t get to buy. But the best find was Cheding’s peanuts. It has peanuts, banana chips and garlic bits - sweet and spicy all at once. Ahhh I love it. CDO is also the jump off point to Camiguin, as McArthur said (a park is named after him there), "I shall return."