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Hope this post helps you sort of your problem on what to wear on your upcoming prom night!

I can proudly say that planning a trip is really my forte. Doing itineraries excites me and searching for where to stay and what to visit thrills me. Planning this Mindanao trip has been the top most fulfilling yet challenging of them all.



The only provinces I have visited in Mindanao is the Davao Region, with 27 total provinces in Mindanao minus Davao Region that leaves 22 provinces to visit. Backpacking on those provinces is tough, yet alone doing it solo. But looking back, I can say that toughest is the planning stage.



Jumping to 2017, I was the only one who was able to push through this trip. My two other friends were so busy at work that they weren't allowed to go on leave that long. I, on the other hand, left my job last December 2016 and focus on my online job and on organizing tours giving me so much time to fulfill this ultimate backpacking trip. Yep, solo travel in Mindanao.


Thorough planning is one of the key points on this trip. I spend days and months plotting my best entry point, where to stay, what to visit, how to travel from one place to another, checking of plane tickets, checking for bus schedules and everything in between. Plus of course, saving so much for this trip.

How Many Days?

The new plan is to stay in Mindanao for 40 days straight alone. Why it became 40 days? While browsing the internet about the places I wanted to visit in Mindanao I realize that staying for only 20 days is not enough, though the island is just small and within reach, the travel from one province to the other requires so much land travel that it will eat up much of the days, not to mention limited land transfers of buses which has limited time schedule only. After realizing this, I chose what places where I will be staying for just overnight, days, or weeks. Though some I wish I had stayed more.

The Exact Dates?

I was so nervous that this will not push through, why? Plane tickets and all. My target date? August 31 - September - October 09, 2017. I was able to plot my entry point which is CDO and already booked a plane ticket but after that, no definite plan yet.

Plane Tickets?

That was March 2017 when Cebupac's GetGo goes on sale for their 10th year anniversary. All members are entitled to use 10 getgo points to booked on cebupac's destinations and just pay for the taxes. Luckily that time, with my paypal account enough savings in there from my online article jobs I was able to booked my trips to Mindanao and other future trips after that.



With Cebupac's getgo sale I was able to booked the following:


Zamboanga - Tawi-Tawi - Zamboanga - October 06-08, 2017 - P478.24
Zamboanga - Manila - October 09, 2017 - P239.12
Total - P 717.36

Ticket to Cagayan from Manila - August 31, 2017 -  P1299

Total Bought Tickets - 2016.36

Route?

My plan is to visit the northern most part of the islands first then my trip will end in Zamboanga. Note that I am no expert on their geography and this is just base on my understanding on the island and from that plot my destinations. Below are the sequence of the "planned itineraries":



CDO -- > Camiguin -- > Agusan Del Norte --> Surigao Del Norte --> Dinagat Islands --> Agusan Del Sur --> Surigao Del Sur --> Davao (entry point to gen san) --> Sarangani --> South Cotabato --> Sultan Kudarat --> Maguindanao --> North Cotabato --> Lanao Del Sur --> Bukidnon --> Lanao Del Sur --> Misamis Oriental --> Zamboanga Del Norte --> Zamboanga Del Sur --> Zamboanga Sibugay --> Zamboanga City --> Basilan --> (back to Zambo) --> Sulu --> (back to Zambo) --> Tawi-Tawi --> (back to Zambo then Manila)



That was the plan. And I decided to stay much longer in Siargao and in Davao Oriental where I will be revisiting Mati again. Most of the provinces I intended to just stay for a day, because part of it is I only wanna see just one spot from there.

Physical Preparation

Mental Preparation

Budget?

What To Bring?

Contact Information

I decided to separate my Mindanao backpacking experience on four different posts. One of course is to explain how this madness started, next is the planning stage, third is the actual trip, and lastly my realization about this trip. I already made a draft of the entire experience but it will be so much information in one post so yeah decided to post separately.



Staying for a month in Mindanao was just a thought wayback 2015. It was mentioned while conversing about the places me and my friends wanted to visit in the Philippines during one of our hikes. This conversation was between my hiking buddies: Belle and JM. Actually it was just twenty days.



I thought that if you really want to see Mindanao and if you have enough time but on limited budget, why not stay for like twenty days? I mean, we can save much in airplane's tickets if we do that and unlike Visayas, Mindanao doesn't have much sea transfer and of course backpacking is so much fun!



Part of the conversation was to learn how to ride a motorcycle because it will be much more convenient and much cheaper than to hire someone to tour you around. But I will tell you now, I never learned how to. If only there's someone to teach me how, but none, so.

One of the monument built for Philippines National Hero is located in Zamboanga Del Norte, Dapitan City. It was one of the historic moment in Philippine history where Dr. Jose Rizal landed on the beach of Sta. Cruz on the night of the 17th of July 1892 in Dapitan City. He was escorted by his captors, the artillery men and Captain Delgras and presented him to the Military Governor where he will live life to exile. This park with gold sculpture of Rizal was opened to the public 117 years after the actual event.










My visit to one of the historical places in Dapitan City, Zamboanga Del Norte dated October 04, 2017, is an official entry to my 81 Before 30 Challenge. Zamboanga Del Norte is my 25th solo province.

Remember the tricycle driver I was riding during my Sultan Kudarat visit at the provincial capitol? He asks too much during the trip and I too in exchange asks more about their place. In between, learning how not so safe to travel to Maguindanao alone, let alone a woman, I asked him if he can bring me to the place I want to take a quick look on. At first he was so hesitant, but with so much convincing and told him it will be just quick, he said yes.








After a quick photo taken here I asked my driver to bring me to the terminal going to Cotabato to continue my trip to the remaining provinces in Mindanao. It was around 4 in the afternoon when we arrive at Tacurong. On my way to Cotabato, I really felt dizzy and not feeling well so I decided to cut my trip and booked a ticket going back to Manila.



Braving this Pink Mosque in Maguindanao last September 14, 2017 is an official entry to my 81 Before 30 Challenge. Maguindanao is my 21st solo province.

Clearly, one way or the other I need to face one of the provinces in Mindanao that most tourist would avoid. I know that there are unwanted incidents going on around Mindanao but I really want to believe that there is more to what's the news is giving us. That Mindanao is a beautiful island.




As I've mentioned on my Sarangani post, I wasn't able to alight at the right stop going to Lake Sebu, for your information, trips in Mindanao especially on the much secluded part of the islands doesn't much have an hourly trip. Sometimes there's only one or two trips and that's it. Unlike in Manila or provinces near Manila like Rizal, Bulacan, and Cavite where jeepneys are readily available in and out of the place and you will nor run out of means of communication. Mindanao is far more different.



Learning that I wasn't able to alight at my planned stop, I shake off the insanity feeling of me not being able to visit Lake Sebu but promise myself to visit it the next time.




Since the next stop will be the intersection going to the provincial captiol of Sultan Kudarat, I fret no more and ride a tricycle going to Isulan, where the capitol is located. As we drive to our destination, the driver can't help but asked me so much stuff. Clearly, tourist doesn't flock much at this part of Mindanao and it is most unlikely especially when he learns that I am so interested on going to Maguindanao, not just because I have this 81 before 30 challenge that I want to finish but I really want to know more and be involve and to put myself out there, in them, with them. And he always gives me that look, that look where silently I know he's thinking I'm a mad woman. That's really made me smile. :P











I did not waste any more time since as per my driver travel time to Maguindanao takes about an hour and that time it was already past 12 midnight and he told me that buses are not most likely to available late at night so yep heading to my next destination, Maguindanao.



My quick visit to the provincial capitol of Sultan Kudarat is an official entry to my 81 Before 30 Challenge. Sultan Kudarat is my 20th solo province.

As I continue my trip to the rest of Mindanao province is a fear of something I can't explain but at the same time excited and thrilled since I am doing this alone. After taking so much time in a beautiful island called Siargao, I know I need to face those provinces avoided by many.



My first stop of those is Sarangani, though I must say that Sarangani really doesn't belong to those, but I did not dig deeper over where to set foot instead of visiting their Capitol. As you can see or never heard of, Capitol on each of the provinces in Mindanao has this richness in their structure. They preserve and maintained and make it tourist-y. And for that, I know Sarangani Capitol belongs there. I never see so huge capitol in my life like this.

I know there are a lot to see in CDO given the province extensive high-adrenaline activities but I am in tight budget and I'm planning to go back here bringing more friends because it is more fun doing those extreme activities with them.



My entry point on my ultimate backpacking trip in Mindanao is CDO. And since I will not take so much time here and on my every trip esp solo trip my first stop will always be a Church. So here I am, saying my prayers and asking for guidance for my whole trip in Mindanao.



Archdiocese of Cagayan De Oro or Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral was believed was erected in 1624 by Augustinian Recollects under the leadership of Father Agustin de San Pedro.



My visit to historic church in Cagayan De Oro Misamis Oriental last August 31, 2017 is an official entry to my 81 Before 30 Challenge. Misamis Oriental is my 11th solo province.

Missing on my Western Visayas trip is the province of Capiz. I let that slip not because I don't want to but I have a Boracay trip up coming and I have one spare day and Capiz is just a few hours drive from Kalibo.



So, after our Boracay trip I head to Capiz the following day. I don't know what's with me and Western Visayas but the weather is always stormy when I am there alone. So yeah, there was a heavy rain again during my visit.



Based on what I've read on most entries about Capiz is that "get a tricycle to tour you around" and all. But I am diy-ers and my budget is not that much so I cling to the possibility that there are other ways getting to the destination without spending too much.











Honestly, from all of my travels, I've met all the greediest people who knocked you off their rates, as if you you're not their countrymen, though I get it they do it for a living but to the point of lying? Oh, no. I will not tolerate such. Anyway, moving forward, luckily I've asked some vendor from Roxas City Grand Terminal on how to go the Capitol. My first stop on how to get to the biggest bell in asia. Most of the drivers and esp tricycle drivers would say the only way is to ride a tricycle up to there for 150 pesos one way. But if you will look at the map it is not that far. So roam over the terminal and viola. The lady vendor told me that you may ride a Jeepney (you may ask where the jeepney going to capitol is) and the fare is 7 pesos only. The driver will say out loud (or if not you may ask) if you are already at the Capitol.



From the Capitol walk on the right side of the main building, if you are confused you may ask locals of where the terminal going to Panay Church or Santa Monica Church is. Fare 15 pesos only. It is not a private trip you maybe waiting for other passengers but passengers are most likely to come by easily since the capitol is the place where most of them buy goods.