MANILA, Philippines — White water rafting and zip line thrills draw visitors to Cagayan de Oro. Amazing how word of mouth advertising goes a long way if you have something good. Jumping off the bridge and using rubber rafts on the Cagayan river has been an attraction for four or five years now but the zip line in Dahilayan, about an hour from the city past thousands of hectares of pineapple fields and up the mountain with its pine trees, has been available only the past year.

Going east for about two hours brings the tourist to Camiguin Island with its beaches, hot springs, and waterfalls. This has been an immemorial paradise, especially when speed boats were available from the city directly to the docks of Camiguin. The island boasts of seven volcanoes, a sunken cemetery with only the cross of an old church sticking out. It is away from the pollution of the cities and historically the stepping stone for migration from the Visayas to Mindanao. Curiously most important families of CdO invariably have roots in Camiguin.

Going west also for another two hours the tourist reaches Iligan City, the place of Maria Cristina Falls. The visitor no longer sees the majestic ribbon of water coming down the falls because its flow has been harnessed by a series of hydro electric turbines to provide cheap electricity for all of Mindanao for a half century now. It tremendous power and majesty can still be experienced when National Power opens its gates on Sunday mornings for a show of thunderous flow. A little farther is Tinago falls and its lake of beauty.

Going south into Bukidnon, again for another two hours, one reaches Malaybalay after crossing three deep ravines. The last bridge crosses Polangui River towering about ten stories above the river. This Valencia plain now has rich rice and sugar fields instead of tall trees of 50 years ago. This plateau is a good substitute for Baguio and Tagaytay since now it is as easy to hop into a plane and reach Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon for the same amount of time and cost as motoring over Central Luzon. Maramag on this plateau has an artificial lake created with the damming of the Polangui for hydro power. The Polangui River moves southwest to become the Rio Grande de Mindanao that exits into the sea at Cotabato City. From the Valencia plains, one reaches Davao with its fields and fields of coconut and bananas.

Not too near but potentially a tourist destination is Siargao Island with its worldclass surfing waves. Also potential is Aposakahoy in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, with temperatures that drop to 20 degrees centigrade at noon time.

Again it is only two hours from Cagayan de Oro on concrete roads half the way and on all-weather roads the other half. Not so cold but compensated with the beauty of sharp mountains is Malitbog, Bukidnon. Only two hours from Cagayan de Oro, Malitbog town is an ideal vacation spot. Cagayan de Oro as the gateway to Mindanao beckons the visitor from Luzon and the Visayas to come. Of course, foreigners are also welcome.

<Emeterio_Barcelon@Yahoo.com>