Last summer because we had leave credits that needed to be used, I and my friend went on another trip. After our Baguio DIY tour, we had another unforgettable DIY trip in the month of April to the island of Mindanao.
My friend's relatives are from the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. She has already traveled many times to visit their aunts and uncles, and because I wanted to visit the place, she accompanied me to Bukidnon.
It's a less hassle travel because my friend has experience on how to book tickets and where to ride the ferry for our trip. As for the rooms, we will stay at their relative's house to lessen our expenses.
We traveled last June 2024 to Cagayan de Oro City to reach the province of Bukidnon. We bought a ticket via Trans-Asia Shipping Lines for about Php1500.00 or 25.92 USD for a tourist cabin. It was my first time traveling for about 10 hours on a ship. Thinking of it makes me feel dizzy because I'm thinking if I couldn't sleep inside and just keep on thinking about what is happening outside and it's dark.
We need to find and check our place before 8:00 in the evening. So we hurriedly went to the port and looked for our boarding gate. For first-time traveling via boat, be sure to prepare your ID and your ticket for smooth processing.
Luckily we found our bed earlier and since it was my first time riding via ship, I was amazed at what it looked like inside the cabins. You need to check your deck number then if you found it already, then you can place your belongings. Good thing the place is clean and the room is air-conditioned. The shipping lines also provide free use of bedding for you to use overnight.
Outside the tourist cabin, we also roam around the place and check the side deck.
It's a mix of emotions. I was happy to travel to other places but also afraid of riding on a ship for 10 hours. But definitely, the travel is worth it. At first, I was hesitant to sleep, but seeing the passengers around sleeping soundly, talking loudly to one another, and the peaceful waves, I told myself, maybe I should sleep.
When I woke up, it was dawn already, I was excited to see the moon outside. It's reflection, reflects on the door. In the middle of the sea, no signal could be found so you just have to entertain yourself with what you can see around you so that you will not get bored.
As we reach the port in the morning, the beautiful sunrise surprises us. There were swimmers asking for alms from the people inside the ship. They would throw coins into the sea and the swimmers would dive and get the money.
It was a beautiful day. Seeing the sunrise and reaching the Cagayan de Oro port makes me relieved. We arrived safe and sound at the Gateway of Northern Mindanao.
That's all for today's blog. I hope you enjoy reading and supporting my blog. Keep updated for more travels.
Have a nice day everyone 😊