Philippines Trip Report: Day 2, Mountain View

Epril and I woke up in the Presidential Suite of the Pryce Hotel in Cagayan De Oro at about 9:30 in the morning. We got dressed and made our way down to the main restaurant and fortunately found it still open and serving breakfast. We ate from the not-so-good breakfast buffet, and drank all-too-average coffee, and not-real orange juice.

The Pryce Hotel overall is simply a perfect example of "great idea, poor execution", with decor that hasn't been upgraded since the place was opened. The building and the site itself are really quite nice, but the decor (aside from the lounge area, which still has some style) is tasteless, and the fixtures in the Presidential Suite were tired and in need of repair or refurbishment. For the price: 6,000 baht per night for the best room in Cagayan De Oro... it was worth it, but just barely, and won't be for much longer if the Pryce Hotel continues to go without so much as a new coat of paint.

At noontime, the van picked us up and drove us up to the Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village, where I had reserved one of their hill-side bungalows. The drive up the mountain past all the little villages convinced me even more that The Philippines looks just like Thailand. The little roadside villages filled with bamboo huts with thatched roofs are exactly the same... as are the people in appearance. The only difference is that all of the signs out in front of the little roadside stalls or elsewhere are in English, not Thai script.

The Gardens of Malasag is simply a lovely place. Our bungalow was 1,500 pesos (about 1,150 baht, $35) per night, and was perched amidst jungle gardens on a steep mountainside, looking out over the entire valley to Macajalar Bay. After getting settled into our room, we walked up to the hill-top restaurant and had some Filipino food. Then we walked through the expansive tropical gardens and jungle along well-kept paths, past traditional mountain-tribe huts showing off various crafts. (Certain days, there are local artisans plying their trade here, but not today.) There was a little zoo with local creatures to view, including a spectacular aviary with one of the Philippine eagles there... a huge bird. There was also a swimming pool, which we didn't go in.

We walked back to the restaurant, and had ice cream, and used some nearby binoculars to enjoy the view. Then, some local tribe folks came in their traditional garb, and did an ancient ritualistic dance for us on the street outside the restaurant, mimicking birds, which was a lot of fun to watch. (Oh, how I wanted my camera then.)

After that, Epril and I went back to our room and got dressed for a night on the town. After sunset, the van drove us into down to a restaurant recommended to me by Mike, who showed us around yesterday, called "Town". It was an absolutely lovely restaurant that would give the nicer restaurants in Pattaya some stiff competition. The food was excellent, and the prices were a third of what you would pay in Pattaya. The total meal (2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, and a pitcher of piña coladas) plus a generous tip came to 1,500 pesos (1,150 baht, $35).

Then, we took a walk through the night-market area of Cagayan de Oro, called the "Divisoria" area. It was quite a large place, about 3 blocks long, with 2 streets on either size of a central park, and packed with people and live music and other entertainment playing on stages in the central plaza area.

Then, we went to a nightclub called Pulse, which (as would be expected) was about one-twentieth the size of any of the large night clubs in Pattaya. However, there was an excellent live band there... one of the Filipino bands that has not yet made it to Thailand apparently. (All house bands in the tourist areas of Thailand are Filipino, in case you didn't know.) Entry cost 100 pesos, and that included your first drink. Mixed drinks after that cost 65 pesos (50 baht, $1.50).

From there, it was back to the hillside bungalow. Along the way, I bought some beer and pistachios, and Epril and I sat out on the balcony listening to the sounds of the jungle, and watching the lights in the valley below, drinking beer and eating pistachios... finishing yet another perfect day in The Philippines.