Ever since I was a child up until now, I have always been afraid of heights. So, I was never the kind of person who enjoyed rides at theme parks. I was never fond of activities that bring out the adrenaline in my blood. But I guess, sometimes, we are given multiple chances to face our fears and find ourselves enjoying the things we once believed were dreary.
Hi there wholesome reader!
Previously on my blog series, we started off our Mindanao trip in Pagadian City. From there, our adventures continued as we travel to Dahilayan, Bukidnon, Philippines.
From Pagadian City, we started off our journey to Bukidnon. We rode a bus from the Pagadian Integrated Bus Terminal going to Bulua Bus Terminal in Cagayan de Oro. We left at around 7:30 am, which later on, we realized that we should've left at as early as 5:30am.
This was, so far, the longest land trip I've had. Imagine, our travel time from Pagadian City to Cagayan de Oro took us seven hours! Seven long hours just sitting on the bus. There were several stopovers, and I thought maybe that also contributed to the long travel time. But, in all fairness, I enjoyed the bus ride by looking at the sceneries we were able to pass by. And also, it's not that everyday I get to see a glimpse of these kinds of sceneries in Cebu.
Here are some photos I took during the trip:
We arrived at Bulua at around 2:30pm and mind you, this was not our destination yet. We were yet to ride another vehicle for us to reach the town of Dahilayan in Bukidnon. Initially, our estimated arrival time at Dahilayan was 3pm. Well, we underestimated the time.
At Bulua Bus Terminal, instead of taking multiple rides, we decided to hail a taxi straight to Dahilayan since we were already tired from the long trip.
Personally, I got worried because of the time. I was worried that we can no longer follow our planned activities at Dahilayan. But, then, I consoled myself that this was already out of my control and reminded myself to stay with the present moment and enjoy.
From Bulua to Dahilayan, it took us more or less two hours of travel via taxi. We were able to pass by Del Monte's pineapple plantation, the biggest of its kind in the Philippines. We stopped for a while in the middle of the road and in the middle of the pouring rain just to take these photos 😅
The plantation was a looong horizon of pineapples! Really, what's exciting about traveling is seeing the places you only once saw on Facebook or online, but now, you get to set your eyes on them in real life.
After Many Hours Later...
Finally, we arrived at Dahilayan Forest Park at around 4:15pm. We were a bit dismayed because the rides end at 5pm and when we arrived, the rain was pouring heavily. This was where we stayed for the night. So upon arriving, we checked in and stayed inside our room for a while.
The weather here was so cold, which reminded me of my Baguio experience last year. We needed not to turn on the AC since the weather is already too cold.
After leaving our luggages in our room, we took a stroll around the park. The property was too big for our feet. To be able to go to other parts of the park, you have to ride on their shuttle but since it was already about 5pm, there were no available vehicles anymore.
However, we enjoyed walking around the area near our hotel room. A walk with nature really gives you an extraordinary boost in energy. It always feels so nice to see the trees and their branches swinging to the direction of the winds. I realized that this was the breather I badly needed and my friends also felt the same.
Came night-time, there's not so much to do. So, after eating dinner at their cafe, we headed straight to our room and stayed there until it was time to sleep.
Another Day, Another Set of Exciting Adventures
After a very tiring trip the other day, a new day came, unfolding another set of adventures.
Personally, I am a lover of the early morning sky, when the sun is yet to make its appearance for the day. So I woke up early, at 5am, while my friends were still asleep. I went out at 5:15am and wandered around the area. The breeze was so cold that I had to zip my jacket all the way to my neck so that the wind won't be able to touch my body, atleast the upper part of it.
I enjoyed walking in the forest, even alone, as there was nobody else in the area at that time. Usually, I'd get scared walking among trees in the dark but because I know that the sun is already about to rise, I didn't feel the littlest fear.
Later on, I was joined by my friends who were already awake. We took a lot of photos together, as the scenery is too mesmerizing.
After enjoying and breathing in the sunrise, we headed to the cafe and had our breakfast. Right after breakfast, we prepared ourselves and went on to see the rest of the places in the park.
First Stop: Jessie's Diner
Did I say that the whole property is so big that you can’t see everything just by walking? Going to Jessie's Diner, we had to ride on their shuttle as it would probably take us 30 minutes if we'd just walk.
Jessie's Diner is a restaurant inside Dahilayan Forest Park. Its theme and design resembles to that of a gas station. Several vintage cars are also displayed in front of the diner and a gas refilling equipment is stationed right in front of the entrance to the restaurant.
Inside the diner, a lot of vintage memorabilia can be seen. When I stepped inside, it felt like I was transported to one of the scenes from the TV Series, Riverdale. The restaurant serves burgers, fries, nachos, shakes, sodas, and more.
The diner itself has become an attraction as this place is perfect for vintage photoshoots. The place has a lot of vibrant design signages and colorful vintage cars.
Time for Rides!
As a kid, did you ever dream of sliding down the rainbow? It felt like a dream come true when we tried Dahilayan Forest Park’s newest addition to their rides – the Rainbow Slide! It is a 100-meter slide with colorful patterns.
At the top, we rode on a tire-like floater in a sitting position but slightly leaning our backs. The floater had handles for both hands and you should not let go of these handles on the entire duration of the ride to secure your safety.
This ride was not that extreme but the steepness of the slide’s slope and the ups and downs provided so much thrill! Plus, one ticket is equivalent to two rounds of sliding. I was one happy kid after this experience.
Next off, after checking out from Dahilayan Forest Park, we went to its neighboring attraction – Dahilayan Adventure Park. Even though the owners for both of these parks are the same, we still had to pay the entrance fee of Php 100 ($2) in the Adventure Park.
Our first ride of choice was the Razorback Mountain Coaster. This is one of the unique rides in the Philippines that can only be found in Dahilayan.
This ride is considered as the Philippines' first Alpine Coaster. Popular in the regions of America and Europe, an Alpine Coaster is a fun ride suitable for families and friends.
In this ride, you are seated on a sled-like vehicle that can only accommodate one person. The vehicle has a braking system and you are the one who's going to control the speed. What's kinda scary was the fact that the vehicle is mounted on a monorail track but rest assured, the platform is safe and secure.
At first, I was scared to go fast. I can't also go fast since my friend is ahead of me and she was not going that fast too. If I go fast, we might bump into each other. But later on, I realized that it would be more thrilling if we went on a faster speed, especially on the curves! I really felt butterflies inside my stomach everytime there was a curve.
A hundred percent, I'd recommend this extreme and fun ride! Aside from the thrill, the view was also one for the books!
For our next activity, we separated by pairs. Since I and one of my friends, Janie, have not experienced Zipline yet, we chose that as our last ride. We chose the Zipline 320m + 150m, since it was the shortest one.
While waiting for our turn for the zipline, I had so many thoughts running inside my mind. I was very scared to push through because, number one: I have a fear of heights. Another thought was what if the ropes fail and then I'd fall from a very high level?
When it was our turn, I gathered all my courage and took a very deep breath! When the staff let go of the stopper on our cables, gradually, my fears went all away as I glided through the forest. The feeling of being at the top was very unforgettable! I felt free! I got to experience a glimpse of how birds feel whenever they're flying up in the sky.
The first zipline was the 320-meter long glide and the second one was the 150-meter line. After the ride, I kinda regretted why I didn't choose the longest one! I'll probably not miss that the next time I get to visit this place.
On the other hand, my friends Jasmine and Gerome, chose the most extreme activity – the Dropzone! These two were such brave souls!
This extreme activity is totally not for faint hearted people (such as I). Imagine being lifted up to 120 feet and you will then be dropped from that point! I can never imagine myself still breathing after that. But my friends here, they were very brave to try this experience and from the look of it, they enjoyed and had zero regrets.
Dahilayan Adventure Park has a lot more activities to offer. It's just that these were the only activities we were able to do with our limited time in Dahilayan since we still had other places to go after. Stay tuned, as I will be sharing our next adventure in my next posts.
This trip really was the kind of adventure I badly needed! Taking a break from all the stress at work and making memories for me to look back on when I get older. Truly, the adventures at Dahilayan reminded me how to enjoy life like a kid and it also showed me how brave I can be, only if I have enough courage to try new things. 😉
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Thank you for reading my post up to this point. I hope you have a great time ahead!
I'll take delight in writing for you again soon.
Love,
Sam ♡
Hello, in case you have not read my intro post, my name is Samantha. You may call me Sam for short. I am from Cebu, a beautiful island in the Philippines. I created this space in an attempt to put all the good things in one place, thus, my blog name @wholesamdiaries.
If you wish to show appreciation; an upvote, comment, reblog and/or follow is the way! Thank you once again and see you around! ♡