By the Beach at Consuelo

Beach at Consuelo

Consuelo is a barangay in nearby Magsaysay town; and is around 15-20 km from Gingoog going to Butuan City.

We went to a private beach house located in a cove. The water in front is almost enclosed / landlocked at low tide. After just a few meters from the shore; the water immediately goes deeper. But at some distance; the water again gets shallow as you are able to step on corals. Because of this; the sea is almost always calm as the reef and corals act as a breakwater.

The place is a real get away place to relax. With a great view of the serene and tranquil sea and the beautiful mountains by the beach; just a couple of days stay there really is a great stress buster. On clear days, you can even see the nearby island of Camiguin.
We just hope the fish pens in front of the beach area which were set up without the owner's permission; will be removed. They take away the natural beauty of the place.

The beach house really gets you away from the maddening crowd. The main house has two rooms with a toilet and bath each; a sala and kitchen. The foyer area in front of the beach is just great to lounge around. With trees and benches in front; the area is always cool.

A large nipa hut guest house with its own kitchen and toilet and bath is also located in front of the fence facing the beach.

At the back area of the main guest house; there is a large area (the total compound is almost a hectare) with lots of trees for a slight change of scenery. There are mangos and some other fruit bearing trees. The first batch of seedlings did not all reach maturity but there are some who survived. There is a small nipa hut in the middle of the grounds near a creek. It was stocked by some fish fry to provide for fishing but the creek sometimes overflows when the strong rain comes. And towards the side; there is an animal shelter. There are lots of ducks and chickens and for a time there were also some guinea fowls and turkeys. They all just go around the grounds for most of the day and go back at feeding time.

A few goats are also herded in the back area. And as pets there are two large and playful Labradors which has to be kept on a leash or in a cage whenever the ducks go around the compound.

Not quite a mini zoo yet, but great to see real farm animals up close.

The beach house has a great location. It is by the main highway and easily accessible. The whole beach strip in the cove are privately owned by different individuals where the lots are cut into at least 5000 sqm or above. It is very peaceful and quiet. At night, because we chose not to have any TV or radio; we had a bonfire by the beach and when we got to the rooms to sleep; all we can hear is the waves rippling on the shore.

And it is always great to wake up by the sea in the morning. With the cool and fresh sea breeze in you face. And here there are hordes of people on the beach. Just enjoy a leisurely walk on hte shore. Spot a few fishermen with their morning catch and you can buy fresh fish for your meals.

Indeed; this is a great hideaway. It could do with some more improvement though. Maybe a kayak or a small banca (or even a roofed raft) ; more fruit trees (like an orchard) and more animals (like a mini-zoo) . But still a home away from home.

Waterfalls in Gingoog

A roaring waterfall nestled in the quiet mountains. Truly nature at its best. I think this is the Tiklas Falls.

In Gingoog

Gingoog City is a 1st class city in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. It is approximately 122 kilometers east of Cagayan de Oro City and 74 kilometers west of Butuan City. It is bounded on the east by the Municipality of Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental, the province of Bukidnon; the Municipality of Claveria, Misamis Oriental on the south; and on the north by Gingoog Bay. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 102,379 people in 20,081 households. It has a land area of 744 km².
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Gingoog is a very quaint city with a really laid back atmosphere. There was a time when everybody knew everybody. Kids who grew up there always find time to go back and visit despite having their education in CDO, Cebu or in Manila. Visitors who have gone there also fall in love with the place.

The City proper itself is quite small; you can take a bike and go around the city in a couple of hours. The market has fresh produce. You can find fruits,vegetables, poultry and seafood there. The tennis court is bustling with activity at certain hours of the day. And the pier/wharf becomes a date place in the evening. At that time, they even had bands performing at the pier for their version of a night or street party.

And this May 22 (tomorrow actually - HAPPY FIESTA!!!), Gingoog City will be having their fiesta. Recently; i think they fashioned it to be some sort of a coconut festival. (Coconuts realy abound in this place. You just have to request to taste some.). I just wonder what kind of celebrating the fun-loving people of Gingoog will be doing this year. Well, we're sure visitors will have a grand time there and food will be free flowing.

But what really is so wonderful in Gingoog is that it is a place where nature lovers can really enjoy themselves. There are lots and lots of nearby places to go. Beaches; hot springs; cold springs; rivers; forest trails etc. And it was only on this trip that i got to see a waterfall there; though Gingoog is called a city of waterfalls. It was only recently that these beautiful falls have been made very accessible. Previously; a rough hike on the mountains or a rugged river for about a hour or two was needed to get to one of them.




When we went to see one of the waterfalls; we took a half hour ride to the outskirts of the city. The city did not seem small now. Its boundaries included far flung places. It was a relaxing sightseeing through the fields and then up a mountain. And when we got to this bridge over a river; we hiked on a nature trail for around 15 minutes.





This particular waterfall was quite large. It was as high as about four-storeys and water was pouring in. A water mist sprayed near the pool and cooled the visitors below. The water rumbled and splashed on the rocks below. There were lots of local teens there who were enjoying their afternoon there. They were singing songs; eating and talking; swimming around and there were some who even jumping on the pool near the falls. Thats enjoying their vacation. And not to be left out; we also had our lunch there and spent the day enjoying a great picnic.

To Gingoog City

After going around the malls in CDO for a few of hours we then took a two hour land trip to Gingoog City. The trip was smooth as the highway was well paved. Along the way, as you travel on the road by mountainside, you can enjoy the beautiful view of the sea. And depending on the season and availability; fruits and fresh fish can be found being sold on the roadside. A daylight trip is suggested to be able to enjoy this. While night driving is relatively safe; there are areas that can be dark and some bus drivers tend to go very fast.

Upon reaching Gingoog; we stayed at the Gingoog Hotel; and need i say, the best accomodations in the area.( http://www.gingooghotel.com/)





Gingoog Hotel and Eastland Restaurant

Trip to Mindanao - December 2005

A trip to the province is always a relaxing experience. Mindanao is really one destination not to be missed. But unlike the nearby provinces in Luzon where one can just drive leisurely or even take a bus ride; the transportation cost of taking a plane ride to Mindanao prevents more people from visiting.

But in the last couple of years, the airfares were reduced drastically (but hopefully the fuel surcharge does not go up further because of the present escalating World Crude prices), and lower costs can always be enjoyed by reserving your flights early. Also; take advantage of the promos by the local airlines and SEE the Philippines!



Mindanao just suffers from serious misconception of people and tourists. Media has sometimes portrayed Mindanao as a place of violence; kidnappings and armed conflicts. These is the farthest from the truth. Yes; there are places that sadly experience this, but most of them are in the remote areas.

Mindanao is where nature is at its best. Hopefully, people recognize this and take steps to preserve the remaining forest cover and all the other natural wonders they have. They have beautiful mountains; beaches; falls, rivers and rapids etc all over the island. It is truly a vacationers paradise.

But Mindanao is NOT a land "left by time". It is not a backward place far away from civilization as some may have come to imagine. Take for example, our landing point which is Cagayan de Oro (CDO) city. It is a bustling city wherein traffic occurs regularly because of the influx of people, cars and business. They have SM near the present airport (a bigger airport is set to be constructed ...this is indeed very welcome as it really needs a lot of improvement. We hope they also improve the Manila domestic airport) and they also Limketkai Mall which has been upgraded (and mind you, this was almost 2 and a half years ago). There are many restaurants; cafes and beach resorts all over the city. Who knows what new developments have been made there as big businesses are still locating near Cagayan de Oro.



The flight to CDO was around an hour and 15 minutes. Just about the same time a ride from Paranaque to Quezon City takes. After taking a morning and very hassle free flight; pretty soon we were already experiencing some of the traffic there and found ourselves taking our lunch there in one of the "ihaw-ihaw" restaurants.