The Island Explorer

Going back from Iligan City, our driver suggested we visit a shrine that was nestled on top of a hill. The shrine was of the Divine Mercy. Being apathetic about shrines and temples that time, I didn't take interest. 

If you've been to the White Island in Camiguin, then the Agutayan Island in Jasaan, which is on the way to Camiguin will be very familiar. Way back in 2006, I came upon a group of friends in Cagayan de Oro who just came from a summer outing in Jasaan. They were talking about this white sand island that had no trees. The name of the island was Agutayan. I quickly searched about the island, and I didn't get much info about it. I've been to Cagayan De Oro since then every year, but managed not to visit Agutayan. Finally in 2008, I was persistent enough to bring a group of 8 for a very short visit to the island. Talk about being impulsive and convincing as well. It was fortunate that our hosts from CDO knew about the island, however, they have never been there. They knew how to get there, so that solves it. From the Puerto Public Market where we were conducting an interview shoot, we rushed to Liyang Beach in Jasaan, at 3PM. The trip took us only 30 minutes. Liyang Beach is whe

Cagayan de Oro is one of the most pleasant cities in the Philippines. It has great restaurants, a laid back city culture and a passion for the arts. However, CDO is more known for something totally different, its adventure spots. I always wanted to go white water rafting, and so we headed off to CDO in the month of August, supposedly a good time for white water rafting as it was the rainy season. We took an early morning flight via Cebu Pacific, and was met up by our tour operator, Red Rafters. We arrived around 7AM in CDO, and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading off to the jump off point on the river. We were given some quick lessons. I was so excited that I really didn't pay attention to the lesson. We were joined by our tour operators, since you need at least four people to make the ride stable. I gave my camera to our driver and instructed him to take some pictures as we took off. It was great that we left early, as the tour operators said that most of the tourists arrive