[Travel post from November 2010] Me being the organized planner, already had our river rafting tour booked even before leaving Camiguin. So when we got to Cagayan De Oro, everything was already scheduled.
THE PICK-UP!
When Sir Gerome, the coordinator of Great White Water Tours said that they were picking us up at 7 am, he actually meant on the dot. In short, we got into the GWWT’s Jeepney pick-up by 7:10 am. We boarded late due to unfortunate events. Sir Gerome got a little grumpy with the ‘tardiness’. But we’ve managed to put him aside since we already extended our apologies. Then again, we weren’t the only ones who boarded the jeep late.
Now, all of us decided to book the Expert Level, instead of the Beginner’s level. We were encouraged to take the former so that we may be able to enjoy what the whole rafting experience had to offer. We were also assured that taking the expert level was something that we could handle despite having no previous rafting experience. So we took on the challenge, and were shockingly challenged out of our wits!
[Trip from November 2010]
After a bumpy 2-hour road trip from the Balingoan Port (no thanks to our FX driver Sir Buboy, who drove as if he had a furious rage on the road), we finally arrived in the city proper of Cagayan De Oro. The rain didn’t stop even after arriving in the city. But we still had high hopes about enjoying the rest of our first night back in CDO.
When we arrived in the city, we immediately asked the driver to drop us off at the Gateway Tower, which was at the Limketkai Center (near Jollibee and a local drugstore). We got our bags and headed off to our new accommodation – Travelers Pod!
{Trip from November 2010} Camiguin isn’t just any island. It's a rare jewel. Getting to this destination might take a lot from you (physically and mentally as you will have to endure a long travel by road and sea). But reaching it will all be worth it afterwards. And to top the whole trip off, staying at Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin made our visit in the island an even more enjoyable experience.
Our third day in Camiguin was also our last. But Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin still made our last day one heck of a memorable one! Below was our last itinerary on the island:
Day 3 (White Island hopping)
06:00 Wake-up Call
06:30 Breakfast @ Ocean Side Bar & Grill (inclusive in the package)
07:00 Ready for the tou
07:15 Depart Bahay Bakasyunan and proceed to White Island
07:30 ETA/Agohay (entry point to White Island) take motorized pump boat
07:45 ETA/White Island (swimming snorkeling, sun-bathing, picture-taking)
11:00 Depart White Island and proceed to Resort
12:00 nn Lunch @ Ocean Side Bar & Grill (per pax account)
Pack-up ready for Check-out
Depart Resort and proceed to Benoni port
[Trip from November 2010]
We literally experienced a jam-packed day, considering that we went to so many places just on our second day in Camiguin. And as posted on my previous article, here's our itinerary:
Island City Tour and Mantigue Island hopping
06:00 Wake-up Call --- This was a complimentary service. The staff of BBC were always very pleasant when calling us up at this hour of the morning.
06:30 Breakfast at Ocean Side Bar & Grill (inclusive in the package) --- one of the many perks to booking our stay in BBC was our complimentary breakfast. Not only did they exude good customer service, they also served the most well-cooked and well-flavored meals! Their breakfast was always a delight to eat! Not only is it typically served with their tasty 'ulam' (main course), garlic rice, fruit (banana only) and chocolate and/or fruit drinks, they also completed their service with a smile. =) It was truly a great way to start our day!
[Trip from November 2010]
The great thing about Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin was their remarkable customer service. Being months away from our actual stay in BBC, Sir Neil (who took care of all of our needs) was already hands-on in helping coordinate our entire trip. When I asked for an itinerary for our 3-day stay in Camiguin, he emailed it to me right away. And when we finally arrived in BBC, he had a print-out of our proposed itinerary sent to our room immediately. Talk about going the extra mile!
[TRIP from November 2010]
My boyfriend works for an airline company and filing a vacation leave for the month of December is an impossible thing to do (peak month for work). And since our anniversary lies on the 12th month of the year, we decided to book a domestic trip on November instead. We were set to celebrate my post-birthday and our pre-anniversary somewhere far --- thus our first Mindanao adventure.
Anyway, I booked our group a 5D/4N trip. I had the first 2 nights booked in Camiguin, and the last 2 nights in Cagayan De Oro. I also suggested that the first 2 nights be spent in Camiguin so that we wouldn't have to go back-and-forth with all the traveling. So as soon as we landed in Cagayan De Oro's Lumbia Airport, we went straight to Camiguin.