Jollibee

After paying respect to Sto. Nino Shrine we stopped by Jollibee which is just accross Robinson's Place Butuan to have our lunch before going to Delta Discovery Park to have some taste of adventure!

We also stopped by BPI which is just on our way going to the Delta Discovery Park from Jollibee to do some withdrawal. And some of our friends were able to took a picture of Butuan's awesome uniformed tricycle. I wasn't able to take one because I did not leave the car. Too tired to go down I think. LOL

This was taken when I'm still at the back of the car.

The lovers that couldn't leave Butuan without a picture of the trike with them beside it. :)

Delta Discovery Park

Finally, we're on our way to Delta Discovery Park. The road was a bit of rocky. We passed by West Highlands.

 took this one while the car is running.

By the time we arrived, we immediately asked for the ATV and Zipline rates. Too bad the route for the ATV is damaged cause of the recent typhoon that landed in Butuan that's why we're unable to have the ATV ride and decided to take the only the Zipline. They say that the zipline is not really where the adventure part begins. It's the jeepline that leads you to the place where the zip begins made it challenging.

 DISCLAIMER: Only US girls decided to ride the zipline. The boys were only on their way to be our photographers by the time we arrive from the 1.3KM zipline.

 

Thumbs up to their driver for being so good! The road is really challenging it's like riding on a muddy, rocky roller coaster ride. The jeep will drop by the cliff if the driver makes a single wrong move.

The boys being vain while we're on the most bumpy ride of our lives towards the starting point of the zipline.

Here are some of our after zip pictures! Too bad we weren't able to take our own picture on while having the zip. I'm not at all afraid or nervous when I took the zip so I enjoyed the whole view. It's amazingly created by God indeed.

We weren't able to took a picture of their pool since we have to walk to it but our friend said it's not that amazing so we decided not to take a dip. We just stopped by Koi Cafe supposedly to sing some songs cause they have a Karaoke Machine while waiting for our friends to pick us up.

If in case you're curious with the zorb, here are some pictures.

They also have this available for rent if you wish to stay here.

Here are their rates and contact numbers as per asked at the counter for your reference:

Transportation (via Delta’s vehicle)
50.00/head (2-way) from sports complex to the park (minimum of 10 persons)
30.00/head back and fort from Sunrise School to the park (minimum of 5 persons)

Packages
Swimming + Zip Line Package (400m Zip line) = Php 400.00/head
Swimming + Zipline (400m Zip line) + ATV Ride going to Mt. Mayapay = Php 900.00/head
Swimming + Zipline (400m Zip line) + Buggy ride = Php 1,080.00/head

Regular Rates
Entrance Fee = Php 20.00
Horse Back Riding = Php 250.00/hour or 100.00/15 mins
ATV = Php 500.00/head
Buggy = Php 700.00/ 2 persons
Swimming = Php 100.00/head
Zip line = Php 350/head (400 meters), 650/head (1.3 km)

Accommodations
Private Cottage = Php 1,500 (good for 2 persons with free breakfast and use of swimming pool)
Dormitory = Php 350/head (minimum of 5 persons, includes free use of swimming pool and entrance fee)

Contact Information
Address: Purok 7, Brgy. Bonbon, Libertad, Butuan City
Contact Numbers
Landline: (085) 345-8891 / 341-1557 / 816-1875
Mobile: 0918-2845556 / 0906-4728300

Sto Niño Shrine

Founded in 1986, the Sto Niño Diocesan Shrine in Butuan is one of the churches found in the historic city where many believed Magellan first landed. It is located in Maharlika Highway, Libertad in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte in the Philippines and widely known today as the Sto Niño Shrine and/or Sto Niño Parish.

Declared a Diocesan Shrine in 2000, the Sto. Niño Church enshrines an image of the Holy Child (Sto. Niño) that Magellan first brought to Butuan before it stayed in Cebu at the Sto Niño de Cebu. And because of the Holy Child’s influence to the Christianity in the country, many establishments today are named after it – such as Sto Niño de Paz in Makati, Sto Niño Cold Spring in Camiguin and many more.

The construction of the current church started in 1995 when His Excellency, Most Reverend Carmelo D.F. Morelos was the Bishop of Butuan. It was finished during the incumbency of the Shepherd of the Diocese, His Excellency, Most Reverend Juan de Dios Pueblos while the parish was under the pastoral care of Reverend Father Juanito Belino in 1997. Notable benefactor of the church development is Mr. Rene Sese and the lot where the Sto Niño Shrine stood today was donated by Mrs. Luz Belen Sese and heirs of the late Colonel Alfredo C. Sese and family.

The Sto Niño Church was blessed and consecrated on September 9, 1997 by His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal together with Bishop Pueblos and Father Belino. On March 8, 2000 (Ash Wednesday), the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Franco, solemnly dedicated the church into a Shrine during his pastoral visit. 

 

The Sto Niño Diocesan Shrine is along the main road, 200m away from Libertad Public Market. It is 4-kilometers or about 15 minutes away from Butuan’s Bancasi Airport. From the Airport going to Butuan’s City Center, the Church is on the right side of the road before reaching the Sports Complex. Since we're coming from the National Museum Balangay Shrine, it's also on the right side and we just stopped by the church to pray and thank God for the wonderful weather he gave us today. We also lighted some candles and took some pictures.

For more information, you can contact the office at telephone number +63 85 342-8370.
 

National Museum Balangay Shrine

We stopped by the so-called National Museum Balangay Shrine in Libertad Butuan City. This has been one of the best stop ever in our Butuan City tour. The museum is several kilometers east of downtown Butuan City- more or less 5 minutes tricycle ride. The exact location of the excavation site /shrine museum is Sitio Ambangan, Libertad, Butuan City where the 320 AD dated boat is now on display. The first boat was discovered in September 06, 1976 and dating was conducted by Gakushuin University of Tokyo Japan.

 

320AD Boat on Display

 

Enlightening us with Butuan's history.

 

 Coffins displayed in the museum. Fully carved from a tree.

This is the excavation area of the 'Balangay' or boat displayed in the museum which is just found at the Museum's backyard. 

We met an amazing person during our stay here. He enlightened us with Butuan's History. Allowed us to explore his works and we find him very passionate with his work. I really admired this person so much.

He let us try his so called instant restoration to relate of the historic plates and other stuffs excavated from the area. It is said that all Balangays and Coffins placed on the museum are all excavated in within the Museum's premises.

We really had fun and appreciated him a lot. We learned a lot in this visit because of him.

Butuan National Museum

After taking pics of the so-called Pres. Diosdado Macapagal Bridge, we immediately went home and picked up our friends to start the Butuan City Tour. We first visited the National Museum of Region XIII located in Butuan City.

You can't take pictures inside the museum with those placed in there. There are ancient stuffs such as wooden boat, things that I think is used to make wine and those that are used to carve gold. Also, we are very blessed to be able to see the parts of the famous Lolong - largest crocodile captured that was present in the Guiness Book of World Records. His skin and head were placed on a large freezer. They kept it frozen and they said it will be moved to Manila in the future.

We were only able to take a picture of Lolong's head since the other freezer that contains his skin, is locked that time. Before we leave the museum, we finally took a picture together.

Our next stop is Magellan's Landing in Masao.

Magellan's Landing in Masao

Located in Masao Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte, this site is believed to be where Magellan landed and made blood compact with Raja Siaiu. There are a lot of locals swimming that time when we visited Magellan's landing since it's just beside the public beach in Masao. Obviously, we just stopped by the place for FREE.

According to the history:
Antonio Pigafetta and the Official Chronicler of Magellan’s fleet wrote “as we have seen a fire on an island (Masawa) that night before, we anchored near it.” The bright light was the beckon in the darkness that guided Magellan’s fleet to the isle. “Masawa” means “bright” in Butuanon, the only language in the Philippines that contains the word.

 

Our picture together at Magellan's Landing 

President Diosdado Macapagal Bridge

Just as I said on my previous post, it was raining the whole afternoon til late night due to the typhoon. Gladly, when we woke up, Mr Sun was rising beautifully. Hello Sunny Saturday!

We followed our plan which is to do the Butuan City Tour in the morning and do the Delta Adventure Discovery Park in the afternoon. We immediately run somewhere to borrow the car of my friend's father since his car couldn't accommodate all 8 of us during the tour.

Our first stop was President Diosdado Macapagal Bridge though we're originally planning to take a picture on the Magsaysay Bridge which happens to be a busy bridge to stop the car in the middle. So we decided not to. Since the two bridges were on our way to his father's workplace, we were able to stop by on the Macapagal Bridge. 

The Diosdado Macapagal Bridge is the longest bridge in Mindanao, which is 3 kilometers upstream of the old Magsaysay Bridge and provides an alternate route across the Agusan River to connect the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway (Surigao-Agusan-Davao road) and the Butuan City-Cagayan-Iligan road. The bridge is gaining popularity as the only cable stayed bridge with steel deck and single tower in Mindanao, and it has a total length of about 10.30 kilometers.

It was during the Presidency of Joseph estrada that the project was approved which was lobbied by the city government way back President Fidel Ramos' time to decongest the traffic of the more than 50 year old Magsaysay Bridge and create an alternate route. However, it was President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who approved and implemented the project. The bridge was funded through a Special Yen Loan Package from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The project was started on May 6, 2004 and completed in May 2007.

The Diosdado Macapagal Bridge is envisioned to provide a more reliable infrastructure with greater design and safer traffic measures while the Butuan City Bypass Road will divert the traffic passing through the core of the city. The overall infrastructure project will enhance the urban transport needs for commerce and industries in the CARAGA region by sustaining the efficient flow of people, goods and services among the major growth centres in the eastern part of Mindanao.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated the newly-completed 2.2 –billion Diosdado Macapagal Bridge and the Butuan Bypass Road project on July 10, 2007, touted by the Butuanons as a "legacy that would last a hundred years and make life easier for the whole of the CARAGA Growth Area." 

Then on our way home, we also stopped by their Water Refilling Station business and took our picture together.

Our ride for the rest of our Butuan City Tour.

Eat Avenue and WatEver Family KTV Butuan

Barbeque P3 each

Grilled Pork P75 each (2 pieces)

As you might all know, I'm not just a mere food blogger. I'm an adventurer. Last January 31, 2014, me and a couple friends together with my sister and boyfriend, went to visit one of my closest friends that are already residing in Butuan for good right now because of their water refilling station business.
We arrived at Butuan at exactly 4pm. As you can recall, there is a typhoon in Caraga Region that time and we are really troubled because we might not be able to do as what we originally planned. Due to the weather, we decided to do the Butuan Historical Spots Tour and Delta Discovery Park adventure on our first day. Since we arrived at not so late in the afternoon, we decided to just stop by my friends' crib to leave our stuff and go somewhere to not waste time. We went to Robinson's to stroll and to buy some stuffs like toiletries and etc. After that we decided to have our dinner at Eat Avenue, a barbeque house that transforms into a car wash during the day. Small Barbecue costs P3 each and Grilled Pork costs P75 each. Their rice costs P10 per cup. We had dinner at approximately 6pm. After dinner, we decided to go to WatEver Family KTV Butuan to hang out.

 

Videoke Room Rental P149

At around 10pm, we decided to go home since we opt to wake up early for tomorrow's Butuan Tour. We took a tricycle and paid P10 each for the fare from WatEver to my friends' crib. Then we had an awesome time chitchatting and watched Frozen (a disney movie) together.