Celebrating a Decade of Friendship @ Danasan

It feels so great to be with these guys again after such a long time!

Three of our friends are on their annual leave having worked overseas for the past year. We were so glad that our schedules finally worked out and the barkada outing we have been longing for is finally realized.

It took us about 2 hours to reach Danasan Eco Adventure Park.

More details on their website http://www.danasanecoadventure.com/

With not a second to waste, we started with our first adventure of the day:

ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) Trailing

Just like it was on cue, rain clouds started to gather and minutes later, it began to drizzle.

But that did not stop us, off we go riding the mud and dirt!

It was so much fun!!! Everyone enjoyed it so much that we were so hungry after the ride.

And so we eat!

After our tummies were filled with yummy food, we took some time to relax and prepare for this ride.

This big truck will take us to our next adventure...

Wakeboarding!!!! The first of its kind here in Cebu.

Wakeboarding as defined by wikipedia is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques.

After determining who will be the first one to go and try...

That's me!!! Hurray! This is a proof that I did learn something from my first time wakeboarding experience in CWC (Camsur Watersports Complex). In fact, it was easier for me to wakeboard this time. I don't really know why. 

Wakeboarding was a breeze for my friend Dave too!

And on is first try!

That's Justin doing his best to balance and boy was he great!

The ultimate one-hand technique

And the epic finale! lol!

Off to our next location, still within the Danasan Park though but we have to take another ride using this one.

Scary ride!!!!

But we made it safe and here are my friends all smiles for waterfalls rappelling and tyrolean traverse.

We all had to trek all the way to the waterfalls

hello mother nature!

After several minutes, here we are at the top of the falls and everyone is getting ready for each of the activities they want to try.

View from the top

You have to hang on to this rope when you move around because the rocks are very slippery.

Oh..but you can always dive and take photos in midair like this one.

Or you can simply hang around and enjoy the cool water cascading through the waterfalls.

My friend Junna getting all geared up for her Tyrolean traverse.

According to http://www.climbing.com Tyrolean Traverse or Tyrol, involves

using a fixed line to cross from one point to another, often over water.

While wearing a harness, you clip onto the rope or cable to pull yourself across.

That's my other friend Debbi who is on her way to the other end of the rope.

That's dave having fun hanging on to the rope.

Since this sounded new to me, I tried the Tyrol too and it was really not hard to do.

Anyone who loves adventures can try this one.

The waterfalls that we had to cross. So beautiful!

This is also the same site for the rappelling. I decided not to do it this time because of the trauma I had when I first tried it in Mapawa. I suffered some cuts from this activity back then because I just can't seem to learn the technique so we let the boys try it out this time.

Looks scary but definitely one exhilarating experience for anyone who wants to try

Safety is a priority and a guide is rappelling with you. So no reason to worry (except for me haha)

First up is Justin..and that's Dave watching him from the top of the falls.

They managed to breeze through it in no time.

Waaaaah! Looks so exciting!!!

Woohooo! There goes the one-hand technique again!

Definitely a barkada outing to remember! Thank you Danasan for the unforgettable experience and for keeping everyone safe in every activity. 'Til our next visit!

Realizing A Famous Post Card from Grade School

Iligan Trip [Dec.15, 2013]

On the eve of our last day in CDO, my friend and I talked about what we wanted to do before our 1PM flight the next day. We planned to just go to Centrio Mall and buy pasalubong. We let go of the idea of going to Iligan because of how limited our time was. It just wasn't possible and we cannot afford to miss our flight.  After good night's sleep, we woke up around 6AM and began packing. While doing so, my friend and I discussed how much we enjoyed our trip but we were both sad that we missed seeing Ma. Cristina falls. A few minutes later we headed downstairs for breakfast and talked about other stuff. Secretly, my mind was wandering off to the possibility of still pursuing our sidetrip to Iligan. My mind was in a battle of all the pros and cons. When we were seated, the waitress came to get our orders and I asked her (again after asking several people already) about the time it takes to travel from CDO to Iligan and then Iligan to Laguindingan airport. Time check: it was already past 7AM. The waitress said we can go to the terminal and take the bus for maybe 2 hours and then the way back to the airport from Iligan would be just around an hour or so. While I was talking to the waitress, my friends just listened and did not show any signs of protest. I bet she was in the same stream of thought as I am. After we calculated the hours we have left, we thought, we could seriously miss our flight to Cebu. So, NO. We shrugged the idea off (again) and simply enjoyed breakfast.

As we were heading back to our room, my friend said: "Too bad, I will not be able to wear the set of outfits I have prepared, like my favorite orange shorts and my new blouse..." And with that simple statement, all my worries disappeared (temporarily) and I just decided that we should go. We definitely should. And without any hint of hesitation, my friend agreed. We left our hotel in no time and reached the bus terminal in a matter of minutes! This was the amazing race (against time) that we chose to bring upon ourselves. Haha! More than being scared, we both were happy we did.

While on the bus, I hurriedly scanned through my notes and studied how we can reach the NPC power plant  the fastest way possible. I did not sleep through the entire trip. I just can't. I just watched the movie that was on. By the way, the bus that we took was really comfortable, very clean and the ride was very smooth all throughout. I wish I could say fast too, but heck, I was thinking fast and furious kind of fast just so we can  get there already. After the movie credits rolled, an hour and several minutes later, I realized we just have to be in Iligan by now. I checked my phone's GPS and it said we were still several minutes away. My friend and I just kept staring at the window and the road before us to get any kind of indication that we are near. Just closing in on the second hour of our trip, the driver finally announced that it was time we alight the bus and we did. We needed to look for a multicab to take us somewhere in the city where we can hire a tricycle to get us to NPC. We looked at the time and realized we only have 1 hour to spend. It was 10AM already and we had to leave for the airport before 11AM so we can make it to our 1PM flight. I wanted to scream and vomit my anxieties away. We found a multicab and waited for it to get full with passengers. It seemed like we were waiting forever! Two minutes of waiting seemed like an hour until finally we were on our way. Oh and take note, we absolutely have no idea which way we should go.Everything was all too unfamiliar with this city and with the rate this forsaken multicab was going, I was pretty sure we would not make it. I asked my friend if we have some money left to hire a taxi and get there faster. She said we'll see how much the driver would ask. So, in the middle of the city we alighted from the multicab and hailed the first taxi we saw. Negotiated for a bit and agreed to pay Php 300 for maybe a good 10minutes of just picture taking and that he will take us back to the bus terminal. The driver agreed and after maybe 20 minutes, we are finally here.

The minute our taxi came to a stop, we just dashed and snapped away!

Yes, we were running across the grounds of NPC power plant. People must have thought we were crazy.

I guess they were right. Hahaha!

According to the signage, we cannot go beyond this gate to get near the falls. The security guard motioned us to climb the stairs. Oh my! So we ran the stairs up to the second floor.

Her Majesty, Ma.Cristina Falls is a sight to behold!

She was worth all the trouble, worth the time and definitely the money!

You can stay under those huts for picnic with family and friends. Maaaybe not for us today. Remember, we only have 10 minutes to spend here and it was nearly 11AM!

After running to the 3rd floor and getting a last look at the falls, we bid her farewell and hurriedly left. Running and catching our breaths in between steps. Thank goodness manong driver was very kind and took us straight to the bus terminal. When we arrived, the driver opened his window and asked the terminal personnel if there was a bus going to the airport and he replied: 

The bus just left. 

Those words resounded in my ears and resulted in a heart-wrenching feeling and made my whole body numb and very weak at the same time. My friend and I gasped but didn't talk to each other. We're done for it. But then the next few words from the terminal guy sparked every inch of energy left in our system. He then said:

 But you can still catch it at the traffic light. Go!

And our driver sped away and went after the bus until we were just a few meters behind. Our taxi was honking and beeping and  our driver was waving his hand out just so the bus will stop and wait for us.  To cut the drama short, YES! we made to the airport in the most perfect time. Thank heavens! 

This last leg is one for the books. I will never forget this trip.

A Walk in the Forest Park

Just a few hundred meters from the Dahilayan Adventure Park is the Forest Park.

A place where the young and the young at heart can spend the afternoon enjoying the different attractions.

How nice for this park to have a vast space for everyone to roam around.

It also has this frame for photo keepsake. Cool!

There's also this man-made lagoon where real ducks and not-so-real crocodiles can be found.

Then, when you reach the thick forest, you get to see these wild animals..

We can only dream of real, living ones.

Haha! Poor thing!

They also designed a pool where vibrant colored Kois can be found.

And in the middle of the park they placed trampolines which I wish we should've tried.

Zorbing!!! is something I'll not try as of this moment. Just the idea of being locked up inside this orange ball and rolled all the way to the bottom of this grassy slope-- is too scary for me. So I'll pass.

The cool breeze did not disappoint even during the mid-day.

This forest park is well designed with all the secret walkways and stairwells.

When our legs grew tired of exploring the entire park, we paid their Forest Cafe a visit and ordered some snacks. It was almost 3 o'clock in the afternoon and we are nearing the end of our Dahilayan day tour.

All in all we had a very pleasant and enjoyable visit in the Forest Park. 

Goodbye for now Dahilayan!