THE last time I visited Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, was way back in 2002 when I used the city as my stepping stone going to Camiguin. Seventeen years later, I am back, this time to cover with a group of bloggers the Northern Mindanao leg of the Department of Tourism’s “Kain Na!” Food and Travel Festival, part of a nationwide series designed to create awareness and interest in Filipino cuisine and tourism destinations.
This time around, we arrived at the city via Laguindingan Airport (which replaced the old Lumbia Airport, now a Philippine Air Force base), Mindanao’s second-busiest airport (after that in Davao City), and the first airport in Northern Mindanao that serves the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Marawi, as well as the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon.
We arrived in the upscale Seda Centrio Mall in time for the opening of the three-day festival. One of the highlights of the opening ceremony of Kain Na Food and Travel Festival was the flavors of the Region Degustacion where a whole yellowfin tuna was carved and the slices served kinilaw-style (literally “eaten raw”) to guests.
The festival exhibitors, all tourism stakeholders of sustainable and inclusive tourism programs and specializing in wonderful food holidays, included hotels and restaurants, as well as farm resorts, agro industry groups, eco-farm adventure parks, transport operators, universities, and local government unit tourism offices.
Presented were organic vegetables, juices, local herbs, concoctions, crop-based delicacies, handicrafts, culinary tour packages, some of the region’s favorite dishes (chicken surol, roast beef, the famous binaki, beef rendang, humba de oro, sinuglaw, inun-unan na pidlayan, the Maranao staple chicken piaparan, etc.) and the region’s specialty food products (Iligan City’s wide selection of unique coffee blends; Camiguin’s coffee blends and classic Vjandep Pastel, local tea and wine; red, brown and black rice; coconut vinegar, tuna chicharon, the crunchy kiping, palapa, etc.). The festival also featured prominent chefs from top hotels and restaurants from different regions who featured, in a demonstration series, their wide array of special, exotic and authentic recipes for the degustation of special guests.
After lunch (which included some of the aforementioned dishes), we checked in at the Seda Centrio Hotel, which shares a roof with and is connected to the mall but has its own private entrance that leads to the front desk at the sleek, contemporary, stylish and cozy minimalist-style lobby on the fourth floor. This lifestyle hotel, opened on December 29, 2012, has 150 spacious and well-appointed rooms, spread over 11 floors.
After freshening up and a short rest, we again gathered at the lobby where a van awaited to take us on a 57.3 kilometer/1.5-hour drive, along the Sayre Highway, to Dahilayan Adventure Park, in the town of Manolo Fortich, in the adjoining province of Bukidnon. Dahilayan is famous for its Zipzone, two dual zip lines, with a drop of 100 meters, which are said to be the longest in Asia at 840-meter long. It was an opportunity too good to miss, and we were excited to try it out. After being suited up with helmets, harness and other safety gear, we all boarded a 4WD Safari vehicle for the short drive to the launch tower 4,500 feet above sea level.
Upon arrival, we were strapped in a face-down position, Superman-style, and then zoomed through the lush rain forest canopy at 60 kilometers to 80 kilometers per hour. Midway through my flight, it had already started to rain and I was already soaked when we landed safely at a platform deck using a special arresting gear system. Still, we got the thrill of our life from this scream-inducing ride.
We were also slated to try out the Skytower Base Jump ride, the highest para jump in the Philippines, but the persistent rain prevented us from doing so. Maybe next time. Prior to returning to Cagayan de Oro City, we had coffee and snacks (I had the lava cake) at the restaurant of the adjoining Pinegrove Mountain Lodge. Come morning, after a buffet breakfast at the hotel’s Misto Restaurant, we checked out of the hotel and boarded our van that would take us to the airport for our return flight to Manila. Along the way, we made a short stopover at the Vjandep Bakeshop along, the Bulua National Highway, where we bought Vjandep Pastel (a soft bun made of sweet yema) for pasalubong to loved ones. n