because we're cool like that

Oh yeeesss! We are sooo cool. The cooleeesstt among them all. The best team ever. Awoo awoo awoo! Haha! And now I'm excited to let you all know how cool people go about their teambuilding. You ready?

Numbah1. Make sure you're done with work and go out of the office early on a Friday night. Fill your tummies with pizza and pasta from Pizza Hut Bistro, Gateway. 

Numbah2. Drive all the way to Laguna to your reserved private pool. It has to be this nice, ok?

Numbah3. Have your group pictures taken at the poolside. This is very important because these will be your last decent photos for the night. Believe me. :P

Numbah4. SWIM. Dahil ano pa ang point ng lahat kundi kayo lalangoy dba? Haha! You can also attempt to have cool pictures in the pool but do not be too hard on yourselves if you fail.

Numbah5. Booze!! You can do this while eating tons of chips, singing in the videoke and  playing pinoy henyo and charades. Feel closer by sharing your most kept love stories or the lack of it. Gah. Sleep without taking a bath and brushing your teeth. Haha! Not applicable to me though. We can always have exceptions, right?  

Numbah6. Wake up with your hangover then have your breakfast. The team that eats together, stays together. :P

Numbah7. Look your best for yet another round of group pictorial. Have your OOTD shot just because you love your shirt so much. ;)

Numbah8. Drive to EK because it's just 5 minutes away. Ride the EK Extreme and feel your soul get out of your body for 3 seconds or so. Ride Space Shuttle, Up up and Away, Dodgem, Flying Fiesta and Anchors Away. Give the mala-perya games a try then realize you wasted your money. Boo!

Numbah9. Before heading home, stop-over at Racks and fill your tummies with baby back ribs this time.

Numbah10. Hurry home because your mother has been calling you and you weren't checking your phone. Sounds trouble but not really. Peace mother. :*

PS
Pictures stolen from my teammates's Facebook account. Shhh.
PPS
I know I still owe you the itinerary of my Mindanao trip buuutt.. I am so excited to post this.. sooo.. (: ♥ 

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day3: cagayan de oro whitewater rafting

day3: bukidnon dahilayan adventure park

I just cleaned my room and painted my nails and now I can't get out of my room 'cos I'm more than 100 percent sure that my niece will ruin my nails if I do and now I'm stuck with my laptop and the internet and I just thought that blogging is the wisest thing to do and if you noticed I just couldn't end this sentence no matter how long and incorrect it is now. Hahaha! :))

You still with me? Yes? Oh good! Because I have the last leg of my Mindanao series all for you guysss! Recap: We're done with our Bukidnon Adventure and we're back in CDO to end our lives. At joke yun syempre. I mean we're back in Cagayan de Oro for our whitewater rafting adventure. Yeah right, that's what I really meant.

We arrived there just in time for lunch. Our package is inclusive of lunch but I honestly didn't expect too much. To my surprise, it's the best meal of our entire trip. They served us shrimps, grilled tuna belly and chicken inasal. Tuna belly, FTW. Haha! May bonus pang soft drinks and banana. Our conclusion? They serve really good lunch with the possibility that it might be the last lunch of our lives. Very good logic, kiddos!

last lunch not! thank you Lord :*

After lunch, we headed to the starting point. Our preparation included wearing our life vests and helmets, putting tons of sunblock and listening to Kuya Jerome {or Jericho? or Joel? bad at names really} as he give instructions and reminders. We also had paddling lessons - forward, backward and.. uhmm.. strong forward ata yung isa! Bad memory. You have to understand I just studied hard for a certification exam and the braincells carrying my Mindanao memories were pushed far behind. Haha! Tell me it's a good excuse. :D

and so what kung naka-longsleeves and leggings ako?

We took the basic course with 14 rapids, the 11th being the most difficult one.  It was a three-hour endless paddling, counting, screaming and whining. Hay nako, the whiny lola inside me. Haha!

To give you an idea how it's like to go through a rapid.. First our main guide will shout "lock your feet", meaning we should insert our foot to what seem like pockets in the raft. We always answer with "naka-lock na" because to be honest we never take it off. Haha! Then he will shout "Forward" then we will all paddle while counting "1, 2, 1, 2".  One of us reached "3" while counting. Don't you just love that kind of presence of mind? Hahaha! :)) Everytime we're done battling a rapid, our main guide will shout "High Five" and we all have to raise our paddles, blades up of course, to the middle of the raft. Naimagine nyo na ba ang adrenaline rush? 

one of our first rapid encounters

Where the current is not too strong, they said it's safe to go down the raft for a swim. Hala sige, babaan naman kame. This is my first time to ever trust a life vest and I really had fun pretending I can swim. Someday, little miss, someday. 

peace y'all. i felt so brave. :P

Some more rapid stories. This might be a spoiler for those who have yet to try whitewater rafting. Skip it, as you wish. Anyway, remember the "high five" act? Sometimes the main guide will shout high five in the middle of a rapid just before an unexpected fall. Obviously, their goal is to take-away your focus so that eventually you'll fall from the raft. So remember to stay alert even while doing the high five. Take it from the experts. *ehem* Just so you know, our raft didn't overturn and no one from our group fell off the raft. Kapit-tuko awardees of 2o12. :P

high fiiiveee!!

zoom in to see how composed-looking i was

#thethingscameracando

Update 11.05.2013
Just saw our rafting vids again. Why didn't I share them here before? Why?!! It's never too late though. Here are the best ones..

We also passed by some mini waterfalls and the guides made sure that everyone gets to feel their refreshing water. It was so cold I almost can't stand it. It was that clean too, they even drank it.

refreshing spring water ♥

EA and I had our bida moment too. Bwahahaha! The second time they asked us if we want to go for a swim, only EA and I went down. With matching jump shots pa! Good thing I left my chicken courage in Manila. Travel tip: Magbaon ng madaming lakas ng loob. That's all you ever need, really.

here we gooo! *splasshhh*

We also passed by a snake cave. We didn't see a snake though, only shed skin hanging. After we saw the skin, they might have thought we're already convinced that snakes do live there and so they began with their evil plan. With the raft facing the cameraman, our main guide threw a black rope and shouted snake. We were all shocked to their delight. Harhar, you evil people.

And because I am evil as well, I chose a picture where I already realized it was just a rope. Look at how EA and I were already laughing while Sheena, Jelai and Dwin were still terrified. I can't help but laugh seeing this picture. Hahahaha! Best actress award goes tooo... Sheena! Peace, teh! You have your blog, you can get even! Haha! :)))

just for laughs :)

And finally as we approach the end of our adventure, we passed by another source of spring water. It was the most refreshing banlaw of my life. Imagine being soaked under the sun for three hours while your wet with not-so-clean river water. You'll definitely feel  relieved. See below for our FHM worthy wet looks. Haha!

awkward pose 'cause I was hiding my face :P

Our package included our ride back to the hotel but we asked them to drop us to Vjandep instead to buy pasalubong. We just took a tryc to go back to the hotel - damp, probably stinking and all. 

And that, folks, is the last story of my Mindanao Adventures. Now, I owe you the itinerary and the budget. That can wait for my next post. Give me some time to dig down my memory and squeeze my poor braincells. Sounds gross. Haha!

camiguin-bukidnon-cdo: itinerary, expenses and some link loving ♥

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day3: bukidnon dahilayan adventure park

day2: camiguin white island tour and chill at bbc

I'm back dear readers. Oh yes, I'd like to think I have some, so thank you very much! Haha! To be honest, I really shouldn't be blogging because I have an exam for a certification on the 14th {exam on valentine's again, why not} but I just couldn't stop myself. I feel like I won't be able to concentrate on my review without accomplishing this first. So here I am, blogging, when I'd rather be studying. If there's such thing as a blogging disease, I'm pretty sure I have it. In chronic level. Without any known cure. So pano? Ikakamatay ko na lang ba to? Haha! 

Enough of my non-sense blah blahs. So for day3, we're back in CDO. We stayed in Victoria Suites. It is located in Plaza Divisoria near Park View Lodge. According to the tricycle driver, the latter is more popular. So his tip, even if you're staying in Victoria, say you're bound to Park View so that they'll easily know where to take you. Helpful tip, I wish. Victoria Suites is nothing fancy compared to our accommodation back in Camiguin. Budget accommodation but nothing so bad either. Except that my scrambled egg for breakfast had shells in it. You're forgiven guys, that is how forgiving I am. :P

The next morning, right after breakfast, we were bound to Bukidnon to experience Asia's longest zipline at Dahilayan Adventure Park. On the way to the park, we passed by Camp Phillips. It is where Del Monte's pineapple plantation is situated. Upon entering the camp, a huge pineapple statue welcomed us. It actually seemed like a disclaimer because the next thing we knew, we were seeing nothing but a vast field of pineapples. Also in the camp is the housing project for Del Monte Employees. The houses are in pastel shades of pink, blue, yellow and green. Adorable neighborhood. ♥

huge pineapple, anyone?

After around two hours, we were finally in Dahilayan Adventure Park. They have three ziplines - 150m, 320m and 840m. The last being the Asia's longest zipline. Sowsyal! Ziplining? It's more fun in the Philippines! Haha!

Before anything else of course, we read the rules. They actually didn't impose it to us. Medyo deadmakels sila to be honest. I've been to Subic's Treetop Adventure and the crew there is far more accommodating which made the experience a lot more fun. Sa Dahilayan, ni HO, ni HA, WALA! Utang na loob ko pa ata na kinabit nila yung harness ko. Hahaha!

'nuff said

Both the 150m and 320m ziplines bored me. You know naman daredevils like me have high expectations. Haha! I may look so fragile and all girly-girly but I was never afraid of heights. I dream of bungee jumping and skydiving too but that would be another story, which reminded me I haven't blogged about my 2012 goals yet. There's just so many things to blog about. And here goes the disease again. :D

150m zipline - with my partner, Sheena

320m zipline - all by myself this time

For the third and longest zipline, we had to ride a 4WD which will take us to their launch tower. Riding the 4WD alone was an adventure. Imagine a bumpy uphill road plus a fast and open 4WD from where you can fall anytime. Buwis buhay. It was worth it though. I enjoyed flying like superman for at least a distance of 840m. I kept on screaming just for fun. Sino pa ba magpapasaya sa sarili ko kundi ako lang? Hahaha!

preppin' for the last zipline

looking stupid in a full body harness

 

scanned photo souvenirs ♥
it's official, I conquered Asia's longest zipline

We spent few more minutes buying our photo souvenirs. And because we can't get enough of our faces, some more photo-ops in front of the park's signage. 

spot my pogi shot and my fake jump shot :P

From Dahilayan, we went back to our crib to prepare for our next activity. Brace yourselves for our CDO whitewater rafting experience.

Meanwhile, let me have my late lunch and my most needed review. If you love me enough, you can also pray for me to pass the exam. That's all I need for Valentine's. I.AM.SO.NERVOUS. :|

day3: cagayan de oro whitewater rafting

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day2: camiguin white island tour and chill at bbc

day1: camiguin countryside tour

Sorry guys for making you wait too long for the continuation of my Camiguin Adventure. That is, of course, assuming that you are waiting for this. Ilusyonada ang peg ko today so please bear with me. ;)

So for our second day, we woke up at around 5.3oam. Just enough for them to witness the sunrise. I might be doing my morning rituals then because I wasn't able to witness it myself. Not that I really wanted to see it. I am not so much of a sunrise-sunset fan. Or let's just say the sun in general. I prefer cloudy days since I really hate getting all sweaty and sticky. And.. and.. what was this blog post all about again? Haha!

via Sheena's iphone 4s hahaha :P

Moving on, we only had hot choco to jump-start the day. We decided to take out our free breakfast from BBC and eat on the island. Kuya Teddy fetched us from BBC and by 6:30am we were off to White Island.

good morning, Camiguin

It was just a quick ride to the barangay where Kuya Teddy dropped us off. From that point, we took another 7-minute boat ride to the island. By around 7am, we were greeted good morning by Camiguin's famous sand bar. Blue skies, blue sea, white sand. The island is so pristine, so bare, providing you no shade at all. Hello sunburn talaga!

Camiguin's pristine island

While the boatman {we obviously didn't got his name, sorry} was setting up our shade, we  were having the time of our lives posing for the camera. Di alintana ang gutom, ngiti lang. But of course, in between my takes, I was hiding in the umbrella that manong bangkero was setting up. I really tried not to get sunkissed for this trip but obviously I failed big time. Umuwi pa rin akong negra. 

Anyway, after he was done setting up our colorful-palengke-style umbrella, we immediately took our breakfast. I didn't worry so much for my tummy as I have no plans of wearing swimsuit. I'm the type who adjusts with the crowd so no swimsuits for them meant no swimsuit for me too. Haha! So I said to my Chanda Romero {oh no, I am sooo gay}, "you can grow as big as you want." :))

on our way to the island plus our brekky pichurs

What came next after our breakfast is an endless pictorial. Honestly, I contemplated between that and sleeping in my sarong under the shade of our colorful umbrella. You know I'm a sucker for just-bumming-around moments. But then the former won. Nagfeeling mowwwdel na lang ako with them.

big thank you to Dwin for taking our pictures

moment ko. dahil blog ko to. :p

We left the island at around 10am. We bought pasalubong back in the port. I got my siblings ethnic necklaces. I also bought daing na pusit because the vendors just wouldn't stop bugging me. Sa dami ng lumapit sa kin, feeling ko sumigaw muna sila ng kuyooog! Hahaha! 

We also stopped by a pasalubong shop to buy some souvenirs. I got myself and my niece matching shirts. I also got my parents their matching shirts. One day I'll have them wear it together. Couple shirts para malakas maka-bagets. ;)

Kuya Teddy also offered to take us to Katibawasan Falls but we opted to stay in BBC, which by the way stands for Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. We wanted to make the most of our stay there as we loved the vibe of the place. Check out the photos below to know what I mean. 

reception.walkway.game room

bar and grill.pool side.beach front

bedroom.shower.toilet

We also had our lunch in the place. We had pork sinigang, tortang talong, camaron rebosada and some sweet chicken dish I don't even know how to properly address. :P The food's not bad. Though I'd love it better if we had crabs, baked mussels, grilled squid.. and the list of sea food goes on. Hahaha! Someone's craving for seafoods this very moment. Nomnomnom. ",)

thank you Lord for the food in our tummies

We checked out from our room at 12pm but they allowed us to stay further in the place. We had to take our shower in the common restroom but we didn't mind at all. It was a good 3-hour extension of our bum lives - which basically composed of swimming, taking underwater shots and falling asleep in a hammock.

We all agreed it would be fine going back to Camiguin just to stay in BBC. Head over heels in love with the place. ♥

practicing my oh-so-great swimming skillz

this is life, really

At around 3pm, we left BBC. Our package included our ride back to Benoni Port where we'll catch the ferry back to Balingoan Port and finally to CDO. I'd say it was a sulit yet bitin stay at the resort, if that makes sense. Itaga nyo sa lahat ng pwedeng pagtagaan, babalik ako dito. Hahaha! Now, who's coming with me? :D

thank you, BBC

That's it for today, folks. I still have one more of this series. Keep reading 'coz I'm gonna keep writing. Haha! ♥ ;)

day3: bukidnon dahilayan adventure park

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