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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental: Bus trip to Nothern Mindanao

The bus left Davao City at 2:30 a.m. I tried to get as much sleep as I could but it was quite difficult since the seats were too stiff. Good thing I had the whole row to myself since there weren't a lot of passengers. So I was able to sleep on my backpack. The next thing I knew was the bus was already in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. The sun was already out but the temperature was quite cool. The climate in Malaybalay is very pleasing since it is located in a high altitude.

It was back to sleep when we left the bus station and I woke up again when the bus stopped over for breakfast at a canteen in Impasug-Ong. The views of the nearby mountains were just spectacular. It reminded me that outside Metro Manila and its suburbs, so much of the Philippines is still pristine and untouched. I hope we keep these areas the way they are. From there, the road zigzagged up and down green mountains offering breathtaking views of the hilly agricultural province.

I arrived at the Agora Bus Station in Cagayan de Oro at about 9 a.m. and could distinctly remember the hot and humid weather which greeted me when I got off the bus. I was told CDO has exceptionally hot weather. I waited there since my SSEAYP batchmates MJ and Simone Moneva were picking me up for breakfast.

We went straight to Rosario Arcade in Limketkai for a buffet breakfast at East Wok, a Chinese restaurant. The food was filling especially after the long trip from Davao. After breakfast, we passed by the Misamis Oriental Capitol for a while since MJ had to meet a client. So I was able to go around the capitol grounds with Sim. There was a provincial tourism and trade fair on the grounds so we went around to check it out.

After that, we drove north towards Jasaan since I wanted to visit the church which was declared a national cultural treasure in 2001. On the way, we dropped Simone off at the Polymedic Hospital in Tagoloan since she had to meet her patients.

I was not quite impressed with the Jasaan Church. If it were compared to other churches in the country, it would look quite ordinary. It reminded me of my impressions of the churches in Tabaco, Albay and Bacong, Negros Oriental. I guess they declared it since it was the best-preserved church in Misamis Oriental and rare since it was in Mindanao. Built by the Jesuits in the late 19th to early 20th century, I think a more significant element of the church is its convent, an old wooden structure with huge wooden posts.

In Jasaan, I waited for a bus to the ferry terminal in Balingoan which was still an hour away. I spent PHP50 for the bus ride. There used to be fastcrafts from Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin but since some politicians in Camiguin wanted to earn from it as well, the operator had no choice but to increase his fare to accommodate this unnecessary expense. As a result, people still used the ferry service in Balingoan and the one from CDO was forced to close. So one has no choice but to use this slow ferry service to the island.

More photos of Misamis Oriental in Multiply.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous14.11.06

    hi mr. ivan, your travels are very interesting. By the way, reason why I posted a comment is because we are eyeing you to be the host of our event on november 27, at the manila hotel. It's a book launching. Can you email me of your contact details at specs.inc@gmail.com. By the way, Mr. Carlos Celdran referred you to us.

    Thanks and God bless,

    Ces Eugenio
    SpeCs, Inc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Ivan,

    Is it ok to ask which bus company you took from Davao to Camiguin? Thanks!

    Ryan Salvanera
    ryan.salvanera[at]gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous18.4.07

    hi ivan. i’m mark from manila. i will go to davao for the first time this coming friday. we are volunteers from an NGO based here in manila with communities nationwide. this is our pioneering training here in davao. we will be back to manila on Saturday, 6pm. but i have to stay behind and travel from davao to cagayan de oro to stay for a while in a friend’s place. i was actually searching about how i will go through from davao to cdo and i thank God i stumbled on your blog. tis really very helpful. but i would like to know some particulars. i hope you could help me on this one.

    first: i would like to know where can i get a bus trip from davao to cagayan at those hours: around 7pm or 8pm

    second: how much would it cost me if i will ride an air-conditioned bus

    third: how’s the safety in the ride?

    fourth: what are the preparations i need to do?

    i hope you could help me on this. my mobile is 09196981690. i hope to hear from you the soonest.

    i am thankful in advance for your assistance.

    mark

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous24.11.07

    It's great to see a traveling blogger. I hope to be back in traveling soon.

    I too am a great promoter of our country and country sites. I feel there's so much to explore in this archipelago, before many will go wasted and polluted.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi!

    Would it be ok to get the particulars of your trip? Like places to stay in Davao.

    I will be doing the same route this holy week. Cebu-Davao-CDO-Cebu. I would really appreciate it if ypu could help me with my itinerary.

    Thanks:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bukidnon's climate is the shiznit! \m/ :)

    ReplyDelete