ILIGAN CITY | MARIA CRISTINA FALLS

Hello my fellow Nomad Travelers!!

In conjunction with my Lanao del Norte trip, this entry focuses on Tinago Falls' sister, Maria Cristina Falls..

Located 9.3km Southwest Iligan City of Barangays Maria Cristina, Ditucalan and Buru-un. Well known for it's 320ft high natural beauty and grandeur, it is sometimes called the "twin falls" as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall. It is also the landmark of Iligan City and most importantly, it is the primary source of electric power which supplies 70% of Mindanao's electricity harnessed by the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant operated by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR).

Swimming is strictly prohibited. Do not attempt to try either.

HOW TO GET THERE

BUS. Hailing from Cagayan de Oro, head down to the Westbound Terminal at Bulua and take a 2hrs bus ride to Iligan City. 

• Super 5 Transit  - P85
• Rural Transit  - P70 

JEEPNEY. Drop off at the bus stop and take a jeepney ride bound for ZOEY POBLACION. Drop off at Zoey poblacion and take another jeepney ride bound for Buru-un. Buru-un is the last barangay of Iligan City. Jeepney fare is at P7.

Alternatively, you can hire a multi-cab or jeepney service for a much higher fee. Feel free to haggle about the pricing.

But for a much hassle free "how to get there" take a bus from CDO bound for Pagadian. And drop at Maria Cristina. Easy and simple.

Once you've reached Maria Cristina entrance, you will be required to pay P35 entrance fee. There's a shuttle (minimum of 5 visitors) to help you get around. You'll need the shuttle. It's a long walk inside. Shuttle fee is at P85.

First stop is the Botanical Garden and Mini Zoo. The last time I visited, the Botanical Garden and Zoo seems legit enough to be called as such. However, on this visit it was not the same. The zoo only consists of Monkey, Crocodiles, Ducks and Ostrich which looks very poor of health. Not quite the zoo you may think of. Botanical Garden case was so-so. I can't say much because there was nothing to say too. 

Next stop was the main attraction, the waterfall itself. You'll be dropped at the cafe area. From there you will have a clear view of the falls. They also sell some refreshments and souvenirs. You will have to go up to the hydro plant for a much more better view. I remember last time we went inside one room which serves as a mini museum. They have pictures and other historical stuff all about Maria Cristina.

Take photos as much as you please. It's not everyday you get to see a very beautiful sight. 

THINGS TO BRING

• Cash. (very very important)
• Camera
• Rash guards / long sleeves (It tends to be very hot specially for visiting at mid-day)
• Hat
• Sunblock
• Water

Maria Cristina Falls also offers Tree Top Adventure. I am not sure though if they also do zipline. It can be quite risky. 

This is probably my last stop for summer. It was a great summer for me. Starting off with our Pinatubo Adventure, followed by Antique,  General Santos, and Bukidnon. I have not blogged about Iloilo and Camiguin but I've been there for summer. Although for Iloilo I was there for an overnight stay only en route to Antique while in Camiguin I was there for a family reunion and an outing to Kibila Giant Clam Sanctuary.

A great summer for me this year following my decision to quit my job. So now, I am packing my stuff for another road trip tomorrow. It is a bloody 12 hrs trip so I'd better update my music library and charge my gadgets.. 

We can always earn money, but the chance to travel around, explore and create adventurous & fun memories will only come by once. It is never fun to travel once we are old and cane-supported or wheelchair bound. 

So pack your bags and walk. Till next time!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TO LATELY?!?!

Much Love..

LANAO DEL NORTE | TINAGO FALLS

Hello my fellow Nomad Travelers!

Today's journey takes us to the province of Lanao del Norte in Mindanao.

Founded in 1952, Lanao del Norte is a province located in Northern Mindanao. It's capital is Tubod. The province borders Lanao del Sur (Southeast), Zamboanga del Sur (West), Illana Bay (southwest), Iligan Bay (North), Iligab City (Northeast), Misamis Occidental by Pangui Bay (Northwest). That's a lot of borders there!

Although I have traveled Lanao del Norte on separate occasions, today's entry is more of a trip to Tinago Falls (Linamon).

This is a day trip. After our trip to Tinago Falls I went straight back to Cagayan de Oro City. However, if you wish to stay overnight, there are a lot of hotels in Iligan City that you can chose from.

HOW TO GET THERE

BUS. Coming from Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City is only 2 hours away.

• RURAL TRANSIT - P70.00
• SUPER FIVE - P85.00

Head to the Westbound Terminal in Cagayan de Oro. Bus leaves every hour for Iligan so no need to worry.

We took Super Five Transit just because it was super comfy! I love how comfortable our bus ride was regardless of paying P15 extra. I seriously don't mind traveling 12hrs if the bus I'm taking is Super Five. 

*I am not in any way paid or whatsoever, nor am I endorsing Super Five. I am just merely stating my bus ride experience and the comfort level of my travel. 

JEEPNEY. Upon reaching Iligan City, you will need to ride a jeep bound for Buru-un, the last barangay in Iligan City.

• Bus Stop to ZOEY POBLACION: P7.00
• Zoey Poblacion to Buru-un (last stop): P14.00

HABAL-HABAL (MOTORCYCLE). Once you reach the last jeepney stop in Buru-un, you will need to ride a habal-habal. P40.00 per head.

**Best take the bus from CDO bound for Pagadian and tell the driver to drop you off at Linamon going to Tinago Falls. Easy!

TINAGO FALLS

Tinago Falls is a Filipino term meaning "hidden", the falls being hidden in a deep ravine. To reach Tinago Falls you have to travel to Iligan City. From there, you can go via Buru-un route (300 steps) or Linamon route (400 steps). We took the Linamon route because we unfortunately missed Buru-un route.  

The falls is 240ft high and 65meters deep. The falls was quite cold with clear Blue waters and was totally relaxing after going down 400 steps just to reach the "hidden" falls. 

TIP: Do some warm-up exercise prior to treking or do some squats everyday 1 week before going on a trek to Tinago Falls.

You will be required to pay P25.00/pax for entrance fee. Swimming is for free, however, if you wish to swim to the center or under the waterfall you will be required to wear a life vest for safety purposes regardless if you know how to swim or not. The current can be quite strong just like the day we went there. Just a little extra precaution. 

You can also hop on a bamboo raft for a fee if you wish to go under the waterfalls and chill inside the cave. That's like one of the coolest thing ever! But let me just remind you that it hurts.. Having water pouring like nobody's business so heavily hurts! I'm thankful for having a life vest and at least I wore a shirt. But head was not so thankful. The splashing water hurts. But it's okay. At least I can say that I've done that before and it was awesome!!!

Here are some estimates if you wish to visit Tinago Falls someday.

• Bus CDO-ILIGAN (Super5)                                         P85.00 (oneway)
• Jeepney ride: Bus stop to ZOEY Poblacion                   P7.00
• Zoey Poblacion to Buru-un                                            P14.00
• Habal-Habal ride to Linamon                                        P40.00 (per head)
• Entrance Fee                                                                  P25.00 (per head)
• Life Jacket                                                                     P25.00 (per head) 
• Balsa (Bamboo) Ride                                                    P10.00 (per head) 

Just for a total of P206.00 you can enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature at it's best. A little tip though. You might wanna go earlier in the day as it tends to get crowded in the afternoon.

WHAT TO BRING

• Sunscreen (very important)
• Swim wear
• Cash (utterly important)
• Water
• Snacks
• Clothes (to change)
• Towel (it is not a resort, so nobody is providing towel)
• Camera (GoPro (any underwater) | DSLR | Point & Shoot)

Going down was quite easy although by the time I was 350 down my knees were already shaking. But it was all worth it when I saw the majestic Tinago Falls. One of the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And frankly, this is my first waterfall experience. 

The water refreshly cold which was what we really need after our little excursion under the hot sun. Before coming to Tinago Falls we went to Maria Cristina Falls and it was a very very hot day. We stayed at Tinago Falls for about 2 hours. My brother said that we should've been there in the morning so that we can see the rainbow. Water plus sunshine you'll definitely get a rainbow according to him. Well, had we woke up a little bit early, and had we left CDO by 6am, I think we can enjoy Tinago Falls even more longer.

By 3pm it was raining. So we had to pack our stuff and head back up to that gruesome 400 steps. I was super tired. 

Anyways, we were able to to do this DIY trip because my brother is currently based in Iligan City so he knows the way around. If in any case riding jeepney is complicated, you can hire a jeepney just for this trip. Hiring a jeep will cost you about 1k. You can however negotiate with the driver, but if this is the case, best if you will go with friends or family so you can divide the cost. 

Other than all this costing issues, just have fun and swim to the freshness of the water.. It is not everyday you get to swim on natural waters. Jump off a tree or a cliff like the kids we saw there. 

Most important of all, ENJOY your adventure!! We only live once.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TO LATELY?!?!

Much Love...

MISAMIS ORIENTAL | DAHILAYAN, BUKIDNON

Hello my fellow Nomad Travelers!!!

This entry has been long overdue. I went there last April and now, geez, It's already June! SORRYYYYYY…..

The Nomad Travels welcomes you to DAHILAYAN, BUKIDNON..

Considered as the "Food Basket" of Mindanao, Bukidnon borders the Northern Mindanao starting from Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

CREDITS: Google Map

The name "Bukidnon" means "Mountain Dweller" or "Highlander". Home to some Philippines high peaks such as Mt Dulang-Dulang (2,938masl), Mt. Kitanglad (2,899masl), Mt Maagnaw (2,742masl), and Mt. Tumingunan (2,400masl). With so many mountain to climb, the name Bukidnon does fit the description. 

And being up in the mountains, there are no seaports nor airports. To travel to Bukidnon means you have go by land travel coming from Cagayan de Oro City or Davao City as entry points. 

It's provincial capitol is Malaybalay City and the people are called Bukidnons (Highlander or Monutain Dweller). Our destination today however is miles away from the capitol Malaybalay. 

Dahilayan is a barangay under the municipality of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. In the recent years, much upgrading has done to promote tourism starting with the opening of Dahilayan Forest Park. Since then, Dahilayan has become the summer capital of Mindanao with it's cool climate and resorts offering fun and adventure for the entire family.

Altitude: 4,700ft asl          Temperature: 17ºC-24ºC

It has been a difficult choice for me between sunny Camiguin or refreshing Dahilayan to spend summer with my family. After all, summer is supposed to be "fun under the sun". But the weather in Philippines this summer seems to be rather too hot for summer with temperatures ranging from 31º to 34º in Cagayan de Oro alone. So I decided to spend summer with the family at Dahilayan.

Just over an hour from Cagayan de Oro, we took our family car for a drive to Manolo Fortich passing through the famous Del Monte Plantation and finally reached Dahilayan Forest Park on a rainy afternoon. It was really cold and wet and we have 2 kids in tow plus 1 baby. 

WHERE TO STAY

DAHILAYAN FOREST PARK. Not my first choice of stay but due to the season (Holy Week) my first choice which was Pine Groove was already Fully book.

The place was huge though with playground for kids. Fish ponds full of Koi's. Jacuzzi. Huge rooms and comfortable beds. Hot and cold showers. Tons of activities for the entire family.

Accommodations range from: 

• Family Suite good for 6pax (we went for this room) P5,000
• Standard Room good for 2 or 3pax P2,800
• Deluxe Room good for 4pax P3,200
• Forest View Suite good for 4pax P4,500
• Barkada Room (Min. of 12, Max. of 25) P500/pax

Check-in time will be at 2pm. Check-out is at 12nn. 

For check-in privileges: waived entrance fee, 10% discount in Forest Park Activities and 50% discount on Jacuzzi use.

Please take note that bringing of food and cooking inside the room is strictly prohibited. No smoking inside the rooms as well.

They do have the Forest Cafe which serves food until 9pm, however, based on experience, I do not recommend eating there. Worst food I've ever tasted. 

ACTIVITIES

• Bungee Bounce                             P150/pax
• Net Trampoline                             P50/pax
• Tree Top Adventure                      P250/pax
• ATV                                              P650/pax
• Buggy Ride                                   P800/vehicle
• Mini Golf                                       P150/pax
• Zorb                                               P250/pax
• Luge Ride                                      P600/pax

For zipline rates please click the LINK.

Day 1 for us was a rainy day. We arrived in the afternoon. So once checked in we stayed in our room the entire afternoon.  Kinda boring because they do not have any TV. The only place with the TV was the Café. 

At night, we headed down to the Forest Café for dinner. We did not enjoyed the dinner at all. The food was horrible. It tasted horrible. What a shame…

Day2. Woke up to a nice morning.. Fresh air.. Clear blue skies but with cold temperature. I know there's no cooking and no bringing of foods allowed but we have kids so we brought some noodles and rice, we brought our own rice cooker and portable thermos. Had our breakfast and then off to explore the resort. We rode the Luge as well and played mini golf. It was really fun! Plus my niece really enjoyed feeding Koi's (P10/pack of pellets). Then come afternoon, it was raining again… 

At night. my aunt and my dad brought food and it was heaven!! We didn't stock so much on food you see and since the resort's café serves horrible food, we were quite hungry that night. 

All in all I would rate the place 5/10. The café was really really disappointing and no TV inside the room. 

But what's important is the time spent together with the family. It has been a long time since we went on a vacation as a whole family with me being away for 7yrs.

I would still like to go back to Dahilayan but on the next visit I would like to stay in Pine Groove Lodge. I went in there and it was way way way more comfy than Dahilayan Forest Park. 

And since the road going to Dahilayan you have to pass by Del Monte Plantation, why not grab some photos?! I used to go with dad every time he goes to Del Monte for some business transaction and it's really amazing to see so many Pineapples everywhere!!

Have a great day ahead guys!!! 

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TO LATELY?!?!

Much Love!!

GENERAL SANTOS CITY

Hello my Nomadic Friends!

This April I have been to a lot of places, traveling here and there and then there's some unplanned ones just like this one. 

Having been born and raised in Mindanao, and traveling a lot since the tender age of 3, I have been to Luzon & Visayas. But this destination is one that I've never been to. 

Known as the TUNA CAPITAL of the PHILIPPINES, home to our "Pambansang Kamao" Manny Pacquiao and other professional boxers, and raised actors such as Gerald Anderson, Ethel Booba, Melai & more. I was so happy to have hitched on a trip to GENERAL SANTOS CITY.

Part of the SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City). Formerly known as "Central Mindanao", Cebuano dialect is widely spoken but there are also Ilonggo settlers in the city. 

I would like to thank my parents for tagging me along on this trip. They were there for the annual BCBP conference. So while they were busy doing their stuff, I was with my other relatives hanging around.

One thing that is not really good though about this trip was that I didn't get to go where I wanna go. That's the issue if you're on a trip with family. I am the adventure type traveler. I like to go to places where there is adventure. I do not travel just for leisure and going to the malls and all that stuff. But I ended up like that on this trip anyways. So I swore that I am going back to Gen.San again this August.

Anyways, I did pester my dad for us to go to Lake Sebu since we are all in Gen.San and it's not a far drive. But we were not able to go there.

HOW TO GO THERE?!?!

FLY. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines flies directly to General Santos City. 

BUS. If coming from any point in Mindanao, it is best to travel by land. It does however take up a lot of time but road trip with friends I think will not be a problem.

CAR. Driving using your own vehicle I think is nice. Just divide the gasoline and print a road map or get your GPS going. 

Coming from CDO, it took us 7hrs to reach General Santos City via Bukidnon route using our own vehicle. It was a very long road trip. Kinda rewarding though if you are still awake once you've crossed  borders and entered North Cotabato. 

The scenery was amazing!!! Super! I was in awe. Too bad though I was not able to get a shot coz my camera was at the back seat. 

What amazed me was the rotundas they have. Probably for the entire Bangsamoro Region, I salute your rotundas. They were very beautiful. Again, no pictures were taken. What the fish?!?!

Another incredible thing was the road system, it was so wide!!! Although there were still some places where they were still doing the road. But it was really amazing and frankly awesome to have a wide road to drive on a very long trip. At least it was not so hard to overtake heavy trucks.

What I can truly say for General Santos City was that the people there were so nice and so helpful. The road system was so wide. NO RUBBISH ANYWHERE. The wet market was very clean (no rubbish littered anywhere). The people were so disciplined. And they are proud people mostly because Gen.San is the home of Pacman. 

I did get to see Pacman's mansion but didn't took any photos because we went there at night. Saw Mommy D's mansion. Went to the Fishing Port Complex REALLY LATE thus I did not get to see fishermen carrying huge Tuna's on their backs. They're really proud of their Tuna's.

Honestly, I got bored on my visit to Gen.San. Probably because it was not my kind of travel. 3 days and all we did was go to the mall. It was boring. I would've wanted to explore. But anyways, I can go back on August.

So I'd just probably leave some pictures here.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TO LATELY?!?!

Enjoy!!!

Much Love..

TIBIAO, ANTIQUE

Hello my Nomadic Friends!

I have been traveling a lot for the entire month of April. I have been to MNL, Tarlac (Mt. Pinatubo), Iloilo, Antique, CDO, Bukidnon, General Santos, Davao & Camiguin. Honestly, Davao, Gen.San & Camiguin was really unplanned. 

But this blog is all about my trip to Tibiao, Antique!!

I have been thinking whether to go on this trip or pursue the Northern most trip in Philippines. Anyways, I decided to pursue this trip. The Northern trip can wait till next summer. 

HOW TO GET THERE?!?!

FLY. If coming from places outside Panay Region, Philippine Airlines & Cebu Pacific flies directly to Iloilo. From there, take a van going to SM (P50) and then take a cab going to Molo Bus Terminal for a 5hrs bus ride (P170), tell the driver to drop you off at Brgy. Importante, Tibiao, Antique. 

It is important to inform your bus driver where you wish to be dropped off. Antique is very big. Or you can tell the bus driver that you wish to go to Kayak Inn. They know where to drop you.

BUS. If you wish to do a side trip, then Tibiao is only 2 hrs away from the party paradise of Boracay. Or if coming from any part of the Panay Region then it is very much accessible. 

WHERE TO STAY?!?!

THE KAYAK INN. 7km away from Tibiao's town center and way up in the mountain. P500/night. 1 bungalow good for 8-10pax. Meals are chargeable at P250/pax.

Arriving from Iloilo International Airport, we took a van going to SM (P50). Do not take any cabs from the airport, they are horrendously expensive! A cab from the airport going to SM is P500! Upon arriving at SM terminal, if you still have some time to roam around but do not wish to carry your luggage nor check-in in a hotel, you can leave your luggage to the Traveler's Lounge for a fee. You won't miss that lounge. That's the first thing you'll see once you get off the van.

From there if you wish to travel directly to Antique, hire a cab going to Molo Bus Terminal. But me & bf decided to spend the night in Iloilo so we checked-in to the nearest hotel.

The next morning we went to the bus terminal and got ourselves on a 5hrs bus ride to Tibiao, Antique. Inform the driver that you wish to go to Kayak Inn or Brgy. Importante so they can drop you off there. Once you arrive at Brgy. Importante, you will then take a 20min habal-habal ride (motorcycle | P70)  either arranged by the Inn or by yourselves. And then you'll need to pay P50/pax for registration.

Once you reach the Inn, you will be greeted by Ms. Shiela & Mr. Edwin, they are the caretakers of the Inn. They are very very nice people. Really! The hospitality they've showed us was really touching. And the generosity was overwhelming. 

We arrived there at about 1:30pm. After we got stuffs settled in the room, we straightaway went on a hike to the waterfalls (P100 for a guide). Remember that it still was summer time during our visit last mid week April so when we got there the water was not so much. Some of the river beds that we passed by were dry. An indication of a really really hot summer. More evaporation but very less condensation.

Please remember to bring water when hiking even if it was just a short distance. We forgot to bring or buy our water because we were rushing from Iloilo. 

The water was cold from the waterfall. Very refreshing. I only managed to reach the 2nd waterfall. The way going to the 2nd waterfall was really steep. 90 deg. steep! And I was running out of breath. No water to drink. And it was really hot. 

We just hang around there for about 20-30min and then we went back to the inn. 

**You need to pay P30 for the environmental fee and P100 for the guide.

Back at the inn, we just went down to the river and bath. It was really refreshing! We didn't do any kayaking or whatsoever. The water was not of a good level to do any water activities other than bathing. After that we soaked ourselves in their famous KAWA HOT BATH (P200/pax). 

The very reason why I wanna visit Antique was because of their Kawa Hot Bath. It was really really relaxing! Best to e done after your outdoor activities to calm your aching muscles.

They have quite a number of Kawa's, but we took the biggest one so we can share. It was an experience I will always remember. 

There are a lot of activities that you can do at Antique. There's the Fish Spa. Unfortunately, we just had our foot spa done the day before so fish spa was out of our list. 

One of the best thing about our cottage was that the toilet was really clean and the bed was really comfortable. Although at night there's a lot of mosquitos and other flying insects but we fell asleep peacefully. We just had to cover our heads. Maybe if they can provide an electric mosquito killer, that'll be great. Just bring insect repellent and you'll be just fine. They also provide soap, shampoo & conditioner.

For the entire trip, we forgot to withdraw some cash. We only had 2k and it was just nice. So I guess if all you want to do in Tibiao is to experience the Kawa Hot Bath and see the Bugtong-Bato Falls, 2k budget is just nice and that includes your dinner too (P250/pax).

It was my first time to experience such hospitality from Mr. Edwin & Ms. Sheila. I just have to say this. They are the most generous and hospitable hosts that I've ever encountered. Being on this trip with a very very tight budget, and having said that we won't be eating breakfast coz we don't have any sufficient fund, they still made breakfast for us. Coffee, Eggs, Tocino, Rice & Bread for free because they said that we will still be traveling for 5 long hours and they don't want us to starve. When we arrived, they sent us Spaghetti for snack free of charge. We had a chat with Mr. Edwin and their family's life story was really touching. He said that they want to share to others the kindness and generosity that they have received from someone, had it not been for his help, they wouldn't be where they are now. Really touching.

THINGS TO DO

While in Tibiao, here are some of the things that you can do.

• Trek to the Bugtong-Bato Falls 
• Swim & River trekking at Tibiao River
• Fish Spa
• Kayak
• Zipline
• Zorb
• Kawa Hot Bath

THINGS TO BRING

While in Tibao I suggest you bring the following:

• CASH (They do not have any ATM's up in the mountain)
• Insect Repellent 
• Rash Guard/Long Sleeve (The hike going to the falls is very hot)
• CAMERA (You've gotta capture those memories)
• Water
• Food
• A great companion

If you wish to visit Antique and experience the famous Kawa Hot Bath you can contact Ms. Shiela Endrico or Edwin Endrico at 09215701947/09287790776.

I really had fun in Antique. I will never forget this experience. And I highly recommend you guys to stay in Kayak Inn. I guess our visit was not really the best time had we wanted to do some kayaking. The river was drying up you see. But we still had fun. 

Till the next adventure!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TO LATELY?!?!

Much Love.