tl;dr:

• Opol is a nice place to relax, especially if you like nature and trekking.
• If you are going to the vicinity of my uncle’s house, it is highly recommended to have a transportation of your own as the place is quite remote. Mountain bikers might find it great, as as you are cycling up and down a mountain.
• As with travel in general, go either by yourself or with like-minded friends. If you like to venture out into the unknown, do not be with a family that just want to lounge and gossip around. Consider this especially if you’re the one financing the trip.

Budget:

I have never ridden an airplane before. So when my aunt invited us to vacation to Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao, you bet I’m excited.

It turns out this trip was celebration of her retirement. The vacation was scheduled on December 14 to 18. We’re staying on her brother’s (our uncle) residence in Opol.

Apparently being a computer-savvy person makes one responsible to book a flight online, so I did. I can’t remember if an effort was made to min-max the prices, but we definitely didn’t take advantage of promos. So the prices might not have been the best.

We booked a five-person flight on PAL on March 2019. Below is a copy of my receipt.

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As you can see, the airport of origin was Clark in Angeles, Pampanga. As the months went by, it was eventually moved to NAIA.

My brother also wanted to come and booked himself an Air Asia ticket on November. Like me, he has not flown ever.

Finally, the day of the flight came. We were on the airport by 04:00, lounging, sleeping, waiting. We were airborne by 09:00, PAL providing complimentary snacks and coffee. We touched down at CDO airport before lunch.

After waiting for my brother at CDO airport and having lunch, our uncle drove us to his home up in the mountains of Opol. It was secluded, with limited internet reception.

Below are the highlights while in Mindanao:

• On the 15th, we visited an observation deck. Below are some pictures.

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• By the afternoon of the 15th, we had lunch at CDO’s city center. Apparently, an earthquake struck Davao del Sur on 14:11 PST, which was recorded in CDO as intensity III. My relatives felt it; those lounging in the car said they felt it jolt. People came out of the mall. I did feel it, but was disappointed by the weakness. Yes, I’m looking forward to experiencing a strong earthquake; I’m that weird.
• On the morning of the 16th, we went to the Opol Ostrich and Crocodile Farm, seeing ostriches and peacocks in person for the first time. The place is quite remote and unremarkable. It’s like going to a backyard farm that is being forced to be an agrotourism site. The only picture that I have unfortunately are these ostrich eggs. They sell empty shells for house decoration/souvenir purposes. I wanted to buy one but my brother doesn’t want to (he’s the one who will fly it home), so no dice.
  
• By afternoon, my uncle took us to his extensive lands up in the mountains of Opol. According to him, it’s classified as forest land and is quite cheap. He grows fruit trees on part of it. He wants to sell to me some of the forested land, so this doubles as an ocular “survey”. By 17:00, an interesting thing happened: one of my bosses called me. I think he forgot I was on a one week leave (yes, I filed the paperwork!) as he was asking if I can go to his cubicle to discuss work. I find it funny not for him forgetting I was on leave but for the fact that the internet reception up in the mountains is very clear compared to my uncle’s house where it’s practically non-existent.
• Drama amongst my mother’s siblings is the nightly entertainment, mainly on how the wife of one of their brothers is driving a wedge between them by brainwashing and isolating him. Quite the soap opera, especially if you have nothing to do because you’re forbidden to explore on your own.

The five-day vacation eventually came to a close on the 18th. We departed by 11:30 from CDO airport and arrived at NAIA by 13:00. This time, I was able to take clips while on air.

I was also able to take this picture of the isthmus of Metro Manila.

Picture quality notwithstanding (excuse the crappy camera), I was taken aback by the ugliness of the isthmus. My boss later told me that this looks beautiful at night. Perhaps that’s true (I might try a night flight in the future to verify), but for a nature lover like me I just think that glorifies light pollution. But I guess different people like different things.

My brother left CDO around 14:00 and arrived at NAIA by 16:00.

After eating at a nearby Mang Inasal, the trip officially ended with all parties going home. My aunt and her children traveled back to Pangasinan that night, while me, my brother, and my mom stayed in a condominium in Mandaluyong.

My thoughts about the vacation:

• PAL is a nice airline to book a flight. In contrast, my brother says Air Asia is the worst: the seats are cramped and there is little to no legroom; there was no complimentary food either.
• Opol is a nice place to relax. If you’re a trekker, I think you would love it there.
• If you are going to the vicinity of my uncle’s house, it is highly recommended to have a transportation of your own, whether it’s a mountain bike, a car, or a truck, as the place is quite remote. If going by bicycle, expect dirt paths and steep gradients.
• If you have a family that is not adventurous, it is best to leave them. Reworded, go either by yourself or with like-minded friends. Otherwise, you’ll just waste your time waiting for interesting things to happen. This is more true if you are the one financing the trip; it will be a big waste of time, money, and emotions adapting to people you don’t like.

I may go back to CDO in the future. Most likely, I’ll just opt for a hotel stay; the thousands of pesos I’ll spend for one is worth more than the constant nagging and surveillance of relatives.

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