A tourist who wants to spice up his travel itinerary takes the road trip from Cagayan de Oro City to Davao City or vice versa with my nine-stop itinerary. The road I am talking about is Buda short of Bukidnon-Davao Highway. Some say, the name refers to a place called Buda which is in the boundary between Kitaotao Bukidnon and Davao City, which we will come to later. Either way, Buda brings us to our destination all the same for about 6 to 7 hours. But with a lot of side trips that most tourist do, the trip will take 10 wonderful hours of viewing, picture taking, gastronomic adventure, spiritual enlightenment and simply enjoying the cool temperature of the area. So you if you come from the Cagayan de Oro area, I suggest the nine-stop itinerary.
First Stop: Puerto. Puerto is the place where you will take the uphill climb to Bukidnon. This is the place where Del Monte Pineapples are canned. Some of the fruits that are not canned are vended at the Puerto. They said Del Monte maintains a strict standard of sizing so that if the pineapples are too small or too big they are sent to the reject department. These rejects are the sweet pineapples in the country that we buy at the Puerto for a cheaper price.
Second Stop: View Deck. A few kilometers from the Puerto is a viewdeck located on the left side of the highway. The viewdeck offers a picturesque view of the city below and the wide expanse of the Macajalar Bay.
Third Stop: The Pineapple Plantation at Manolo Fortich. Take a short detour to Manolo Fortich. If you have not seen a real pineapple plantation in your lifetime please do so, a detour is necessary. This town has the biggest pineapple plantation in the Far- East. Take pictures and stretch your vision far and wide and the only thing you can see are pineapples lots of them. After taking a tour at the plantation go to the golf course. Manolo Fortich has a picturesque 18-hole golf course. The golf club also has a restaurant that serves great food at a value for your money. After the tour and the meal come back to the highway and proceed to our next destination.
Fourth Stop: Mangima Canyon. If Baguio has Kennon Road, Bukidnon has the Mangima Canyon with its zigzag road. This is the same road where local artists KC Concepcion and Sam Milby shoot their new movie. It is not necessary to stop at this area but it may help enhance your collection of pictures. The road that winds gives you a scenic overview of the landscape and the road downhill. Then, you can take the road ahead, while viewing the pleasant surroundings of tall trees, pine trees and stretches of sugarcane plantations.
Fifth Stop: Atugan New Bridge. Atugan New bridge is the highest bride in the country. It is built using the state of the art structural engineering technology. Crossing the bridge will give you a breathtaking view of the Atugan Canyon, the river from below and big old trees. Atugan New Bridge is located in Impasug-ong town. The landmark of this town is an old jar that channels freshwater from the spring where the commuters can drink from. The jar is a symbol of the Higa-onon traditions of the peoples in the area.
Fifth Stop: Transfiguration at Malaybalay Bukidnon. This place is about 5 to 10 minutes from the highway. The transfiguration is a pyramid shaped chapel built by the Benedictine monks on a peaceful hilltop hidden from the highway, tucked behind bushes of gumamelas and an assortment of flowers, and resting perfectly sweet on neatly mowed lawns. A souvenir shop nearby sells the famous Monk’s Blend Coffee.
Sixth Stop: Road House in Valencia City. You can drop by the popular restaurant in the city that offers Asian and Western cuisine. Road house has built a good name in the restaurant business. The best thing to select from the menu is something with beef on it. And you will know why in our next stop.
Seventh Stop: Musuan Peak. Also called Mt Calayo (translated as mountain of fire in english). Below the peak is a wide expanse of luscious green grazing-land of a large number of big brown and white healthy cows. I remember we used to buy fresh milk from the area when we stayed in town a few years ago.
Eight Stop: Panoramic view at Quezon, Bukidnon. This is the climax of the trip. And this is the point where all traveler stops. At one point in our trip we got to the area on an early morning when the peak of the mountains juts out into the heavens reaching for sunlight while the rest of mountain was covered with layers of soft white clouds and thick forests. This is a perfect haven for photographers too.
Ninth Stop: Buda. I love this place for its cool temperature and pinetrees which reminds me so much of Baguio. Buda is already part of the Davao area. Flowers, fresh vegetables, seedling, refreshments and native trinkets (bracelets and necklaces) are also sold by the natives in the area.
So that was our nine-top itinerary. You can revise it as you wish because there are really just a lot of things to see and discover. Have a fun on your away ahead!
