2009 Northern Mindanao Roadtrip with Family

[BACKPOSTING AN OLD TRIP :)]

I regard this trip as “the-much-needed break” for 2009!!! Hehehe not because it was Christmas season, but because it was during this time that I got my heart badly broken! awts! :D Anyway, during this Christmas vacation, my family opted to celebrate it in my parents’ hometown, in Ozamis City. Having booked a Manila-Zamboanga trip months before, I had to re-route my trip to Ozamis City! Pero ayus lang, basta for the family! :)

Christmas day – spent the day at my uncle’s house, with other relatives, most of which are from the father-side. Nagmukmok ng konti, but tried to shrug the sadness away by playing with my pamangkins and younger cousins.

December 26-27 – Family road trip!!! That was what I really needed that time! Thanks to my family! :D But they didn’t know that I was heartbroken then hahaha! sikret lang yun! :D With a multi-cab, we started the trip by going to Ozamis Seaport where we will be boarding on a barge going to Lanao del Norte. My first time actually to get into a barge. Sinakay na rin namin yung multi-cab sa barge hehe!

Our first stop was at the famous Maria Cristina Falls, in Iligan City.

Maria Cristina Falls (Iligan City, Lanao del Norte)

Maria Cristina Falls is a waterfall of the Agus River on the island of Mindanao. It is sometimes called the “twin falls” as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall. It is a landmark of Iligan City, nicknamed the City of Majestic Waterfalls, because of the presence of more than 20 waterfalls in the city.[2] It is located 9.3 kilometers away southwest of the city proper at the boundaries of Barangays Maria Cristina, Ditucalan, and Buru-un. Well known for its natural beauty and grandeur, the 320 – feet (98 meters) high waterfall[3] is also the primary source of electric power for the city’s industries, being harnessed by the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant. — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Cristina_Falls

Visit other blogs: http://exploreiligan.blogspot.com/2011/08/waterfalls-paradise-maria-cristina.html
http://wowiligan.blogspot.com/2011/09/maria-cristina-falls-iligan-city-of.html

The Maria Cristina falls is easily accessible; it’s a few minutes away from the hi-way. I was very eager then to be finally seeing the famous falls that is the source of electricity in the major part of Mindanao! Hehehe!

Swimming and/or going near the waterfalls is prohibited so we just had some picture taking right outside of the power plant, with the falls as our background.

During that time, facilities such as zip line, are still under construction so we weren’t able to try them hehehe! tska medyo nkakatakot subukan kung saka-sakali hahaha! So after a couple of minutes, we decided to leave the place and continue with the road trip.

Initially, we considered going to Tinago Falls also, but for some reasons (inaccessible via multi-cab or whatever), we did not push through with that plan. So off we went to another city in Lanao del Norte—El Salvador City!

Divine Mercy Shrine (El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental)

The Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador City Misamis Oriental, Philippines is located in Divine Mercy Hills, overlooking Macajalar Bay on the Mindanao island, southern part of the Philippines.

The nine-hectare land for the Shrine was purchased for a nominal amount and the shrine was constructed by donations. The shrine was completed in 2008 and is noted for having a 15.24 metre (50-feet) statue of the Divine Mercy Jesus. It serves as a pilgrimage site for Divine Mercy devotees. — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Mercy_Shrine_(Misamis_Oriental)

Candle vendors are all over the entrance of the shrine, selling their colorful candles (na may meaning bawat kulay ehehe) to visitors/devotees. By the way, visitors are not allowed to wear revealing dresses and shorts when inside the sacred shrine. At the entrance of the shrine, gartered skirts and pullovers are available for the visitors to cover those shorts and sando. Look at my bro’s outfit. :) Visitors/devotees are also advised to observe a holy atmosphere, and not to treat the place as a picnic ground.

There’s also this water fountain (I don’t know how to term it) wherein the water is said to be holy that devotees gather around to get a drink of it and/or splash some of it all over the body. The water is said to have a healing power. I’m trying to recall now it I had some of the healing water, perhaps I drank a little—hoping to get my broken heart healed/cured. :)

After this site, we then went to Cagayan de Oro City (CDO). It was my second time around CDO (the first time was during an inter-school competition back in college), but I haven’t been able to try the whitewater rafting here hehehe! And it was not in our itinerary also during that second visit (kung hindi matatanda yung kasama ko, eh puri mga bata hahaha!). So malling at pamamalengke na lang ang inatupag namin maghapon.

After Cagayan, we went to Bukidnon just to pass the night away at my brother-in-law’s Aunt’s house. Foodtrip lang ang inatupag namin dun at ang napakalamig na weather! ehehe! We didn’t have the chance also to tour around Bukidnon the following day as we have to go back to Ozamis City before the day ends.

Nekstaym na lang ang bonggang CDO-Bukidnon-Camiguin Trip!!! :D

On our way back, we passed along some more of the tourist spots in Iligan (pero wala pa rin yung Tinago Falls haha!)

Timoga Swimming Spring Pool (Iligan City, Lanao del Norte)

Photo credits: photoblog.mindanao.com; www.markmaranga.com and philippineplace.blogspot.com

Timoga Springs is a group of springs located at Timoga-Buru-un, in Iligan City, Philippines. It is well known for icy-cool, crystal-clear springs that flow freely to swimming pools of different sizes. There are approximately five spring resorts along the highway, which is easily accessible by land to all locals and tourists.

The source of water of Timoga Springs comes from Lake Lanao in the only Islamic city in the Philippines–Marawi City, Lanao del Sur–which is 37 kilometers away. Lake Lanao waters come from a volcanic source, the lake being the crater of an extinct volcano. These waters are filtered subterraneally in the Timoga, Buru-un area of Iligan, making it one of the richest source of fresh, high pH, alkaline mineral water. — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timoga_Spring

Nope, we didn’t get into the resort hahaah! We just made a stop right across it—yung may mga kainan sa tabi ng dagat. Hmmm “lechon by the bay” ang tema ng lunch naming pamilya! :D I didn’t get the name of the beach across Timoga hehehe but there’s a long stretch of food stalls selling lechon! Worth the try! :D

The Macaraeg-Macapagal Ancestral House (Iligan City, Lanao del Norte)

After lunch, we headed on to this famous spot in Iligan.

The Macaraeg-Macapagal Ancestral House is considered as the first house in the Philippines where two of the country’s Presidents lived. Diosdado Macapagal, the 9th President of the Philippines and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the 14th President of the Philippines, used to live in this, then, rest house as a Vice-President Father and Daughter. The Macapagal-Macaraeg Ancestral House has been declared a heritage house by the National Historical Institute last August 14, 2002. — http://www.markmaranga.com/macaraeg-macapagal-ancestral-house/

We went inside the house and saw big pictures of the family, statues and sculptures, mga sandata na regalo ng mga maimpluwensyang tao! Hahaha!

Outside of the house, there was Madam Gloria’s playhouse, ang liit! hahaha! tama lang… ;p Then statues of Madam and her father on a swing—made of bronze (i think hehe)… Garden… Waterfall wall hahaha! (don’t know how to term it!) …Nice place, yeah…

Ewan ko anung issue, but my ermat didn’t go with us inside the house hahaha! nagbantay lang sya ng sasakyan sa hi-way. hehe! After touring around the ancestral house, off we went to the Lanao Seaport to take the barge back to Ozamis City! Whew! Whatta trip!

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