Cagayan

A Davaoeño is a little jealous about Cagayan and asked why the Court of Appeals Mindanao Station is located in Cagayan de Oro City and not in Davao? I couldn't give a good answer for that question but I certainly do not have any fuss about it.

I was in Cagayan de Oro City last May 10, 2011. We had the last Cebu Pacifific Air flight from Davao to Cagayan. The plane (CEB’s 72-seater ATR aircraft) was small and it was nerve-wracking to be flying amidst heavy rains but we landed safely in Cagayan de Oro's Lumbia Airport.

It was already past 7:00 P.M. when we arrived at their airport. It was still raining but thanks to Cebu Pacific's great services, each of the passengers were lent an umbrella to protect us from downpour as we walk from the plane towards the airport.

The Lumbia Airport is small but clean. I appreciate the benches where recently-arrived passengers can sit and relax while waiting for their checked-in baggage. However, my first disappointment arrived in the form of taxi drivers not wanting to give us a ride unless we hire them through "pakyaw" and they refuse to use their meters. What are metered taxis for when taxi drivers refuse to use their meters? They were insistent and even the security guard told us that taxis are really like that in Cagayan. We were left with no choice.

Next stop: Marigold Hotel. We browsed the internet to look for decent but affordable hotels in CDO and found about The Marigold Hotel located in Velez St. The Marigold Hotel seems like in the same building as Land Bank so it's convenient. However, we were not able to make reservations earlier and when we got there, the place was fully booked. But the receptionist was so kind to refer us to another neighboring hotel, Philtown, and even lent us their telephone so that we could inquire for available rooms.

We just walked from Marigold to Philtown Hotel and got acquainted with the community. Philtown is near Bukidnon State University, Caltex, Tapsi Time, and another hotel just across it. Philtown is really affordable with exceptional amenities for their price. The rooms were clean and good for 3 persons. The staff were very accommodating too. Philtown's restaurant is a little pricey but there is a good restaurant outside (Tapsi Time) that offers sumptuous dishes at student prices. Later, we learned that there are A LOT of great restaurants at the street next to Philtown.

I woke up the following morning and got ready for the day's event. May 11, 2011, it will be my first time to file an Appeal with the Court of Appeals. It's fortunate that Philtown is just in Velez St., and it connects to Julio Pacana St. where the Court of Appeals is located. We boarded a jeepney and in less than 10 minutes, we were already at the Court of Appeals.

Fast forward: After Court of Appeals, we went back to the hotel to fix and arrange our things for the next adventure: CAMIGUIN!

Fast fast forward: After Camiguin.

May 13, 2011. We arrived in Cagayan at almost dusk and we wanted to explore the city more. We were back at Philtown hotel and the receptionist told us that there will be a "night market" in the City's "Divisoria". By night market, she means ukay-ukay. The night market would start at around 8:00 P. M. until 2:00 A. M. We decided to check the city's malls first before going to the night market.

We boarded the local transportation known as rela: it's a tricycle and I failed to inquire why they call it rela. Unfortunately, there was heavy rain and since the rela is not allowed to enter the street going to Robinson, we were left at the sidewalk to take shelter. When we finally had the courage to get wet from the rain, we mustered to run and run until we reached Robinson's Mall.

It's funny 'cause Robinson's and Lim Ket Kai Mall are connected, just like Glorietta in Manila. I found a familiar restaurant, Mandarin Tea Garden, which started here in Davao before they branched out to other places. I like Lim Ket Kai Mall more than Robinson's.

Night Market. So, this is night market! Their Divisoria is far from Manila's Divisoria. Here in CDO, the alleys are wider. There are a lot of people even though it's still drizzling when we got there. I ended up buying 2 blazers and 2 blouses from the night market.

May 14, 2011. Our flight is scheduled later that afternoon and we wanted to explore some more before going home. We decided to just walk around until we reached the Provincial Capitol. We also dropped by Buffalo Grill and Restaurant and we wanted to have our breakfast there but the restaurant was closed for an exclusive function. We walked some more until we reached the venue for last night's night market. When we already felt the need to rest our tired feet, we were sandwiched by the all-time competitors, Jollibee and McDonalds. We chose McDonalds for that day. After breakfast, we walked some more to this little cinnamon bakery just across McDonalds. And a little more in until we reached Hayes St. where Butcher's Best Barbeque is located. Since Butcher's Best won't open til 11:00 A. M., we were constrained to go back to the hotel. But before that, I discovered this little store in Hayes St., just across Butcher's Best, selling authentic and branded items for lesser price. I ended up buying my mom a Nine West bag (which, by the way, made me her instant favorite child when I gave it to her). =)

There was only one more thing to do before going home: have lunch at Butcher's Best. And so we did! We left with full and satisfied stomachs without breaking the bank. Butcher's Best offers really delicious meals at affordable prices.

Alas, it's time to go home.... Time to make a deal with the taxi driver to bring us to the airport without being too pricey. And so, we discovered that there is an SM Mall in Cagayan but it's really far. We passed by it on our way to the airport.

So, that was my Cagayan experience. I will definitely come back and when I come back, wild water rafting should definitely be on my list!