call it impulsive but when i had enough of my adeno’s symptoms, i headed straight to robinson’s place. i went to one of the travel agencies there and bought myself a boat ticket to cagayan de oro city and a return ticket to cebu from davao.

this trip afforded me a lot of firsts: first solo trip, first time in mindanao [cagayan de oro, bukidnon, & davao], first time to check-in a hotel, first plane ride, first time to taste durian, first time to defy my adeno symptoms.

unlike my trip to bohol, i was able to get some snapshots of the experience. however, the photos weren’t that excellent.

primarily because i only had this camera:

haha, it’s only a [point] 35 megapixel digicam. it also doesn’t have an LCD screen for picture previews. the screen merely displays the number of shots taken and the cam’s battery life:

Trip Date: September 12, 2003 t0 September 17, 2003

Cebu to Cagayan de Oro City [September 12, 2003 8:00 P.M.] via Cebu Ferries’ Our Lady of Carmel … Accommodation: BLUE 14G … No Free Meal … Fare: PhP 490 [For Updated Fare and Schedules, visit Cebu Ferries' website. Arrival Time: around 7:00 A.M. September 13, 2003]. To cut travel time and enjoy more of CDO, travel by air as Cebu Pacific now flies direct to CDO from Cebu.  Watch out for their piso-fares!

VIP Hotel Receipt [September 13-September 15, 2003][PhP 850/night Deluxe Room with 1 double bed/ AC / TV / toilet and bath; no breakfast]. check this cdo guide for more accommodation choices and other useful information in getting around cdo. [taking photos of the room didn't occur to me at that time, darn!]

as i was a neophyte traveler then, i must say i didn’t make the most of my time there. foremost reason: my goal at that time was to forget about my condition. i didn’t have an itinerary prepared. thus, the only place of interest that i visited there was the Gardens of Malasag.

yaiks, i was stick thin when the effects of depo provera injectables and different contraceptive pills haven’t messed up my metabolism [circa 2003].

for those who love nature, malasag gardens is a must-see. great place for those who love to walk. although the roads are paved, it being a mountainous area makes the place great for hiking. super-makahangak!

i can’t remember the rates now so just check out this site for more information. apparently, my pictures of the area are nowhere to be found in my pc.

How I Got There                                                                            as soon a i had my things all settled in the hotel, i went straight to cagayan’s limketkai. from there, i hopped on a taxi and instructed the driver to take me to malasag. i paid the cab driver around PhP200 for the single trip and made the arrangement with the driver to pick me up. amazingly, the cab driver had a cellphone with him. i remember this distinctly because at that time, cellphone use wasn’t that common. when you get to malasag, the front desk will give you a map of the area.

Gardens of Malasag Map

they’ll also give you a leaflet to take with you home. the leaflet contains these info:

malasag gardens also have accommodations for those who craves fresh air. just check out the link indicated above or contact the following numbers:

…… to be continued ……

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