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CDO: Cityscape down South (Part 1/4)

There are photos to satisfy the appetite of FB and IG users, THEN there are stories behind the photos made especially for this platform. If you're thinking of taking your backpack somewhere local and lovely, may it be the beautiful Northern Mindanao :)

Got back from our 4-day trip in this province last month and I still have a travel-phile hangover from the scenic views and crazy activities we did.

It wasn't exactly the best time of the year to go to the beach or anything nature-y but God has blessed us with good-enough weather that allowed us to do everything in our itinerary! Woot woot! Thank you, Lord! :)

With Abby and Tonie! My travel buddies for this trip!

The one mishap of the trip (*ahem* missed flight *ahem*) didn't dampen our spirits. When we found out that we missed our flight going to CDO, we just wanted to make sure that everything we set out to do will be done. So a quick sprint to the other side of the airport to rebook our flight and a call to our travel agency, and we're good to go. We don't want to think about how much that rebooking costs or how jampacked our days will be, we just want to enjoyyyy! Have you ever been in that kind of situation? That when life gives you lemons, you just want to make the meanest-ass lemonade out of it. ;)

Our trip itinerary is Cagayan de Oro -> Camiguin -> Bukidnon, then several switching back and forth in between hehe! :)

This post is on CDO, the city proper, and a few of its neighboring must-see places :)

Shrine of the Divine Mercy
Our first stop is the Shrine of the Divine Mercy which is less than an hour away from the airport. It is the home to a 50-ft Divine Mercy statue situated in a large expanse of land so beautifully kept. It's the kind of place you just want to run around, seriously. There's just so much greens and colorful flowers everywhere :)  

The statue is probably the closest version we have to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.
CW from top left: (1) healing water (2) Garden steps leading up to the statue! (3) A prayer on the healing water (4) Us - we had to wrap around a skirt on our waists to comply with the dress code! :) (4) Church (5) Of course, the shrine itself! This is really big!. :)


Lim Ket Kai Mall

Our second stop is the Lim Ket Kai Mall! So we really had to include this, right? :) Special note to the WAGW store, really lovely items! And it's the brainchild of local owners! Last time I checked, Kryz Uy is their creative director. Wooot woot! 

CW from top left: (1-2) Lim Ket Kai Mall (3) Island Souvenirs (4) WAGW (5) Bingo!!! Pretty snazzy bingo place they have here. We played just one game each and we lost, huhuhu! Worth a try though! :)

Missy Bon Bon
A classier take on Goldilocks, that was my thought on Missy Bonbon. We were scouting for a place to eat for dinner when we saw this restaurant's cute interior. Aside from the usual fare of pasta, sandwiches and rice meals, they also carry pastries (including the famous pastel!), coffee and gelato!

CW from top left: (1) Gelato selection! (2) Missy Bonbon signage (3) 3-cheese pasta (4) Karambola (must tryyyy!) (5) Spicy sausage pasta (6) Us with our happy tummies! (7) Lovely interior


Vienna Kaffeehaus
The interesting thing about CDO is that everywhere we go, there seems to be wifi! Win! That's why when we want to know where to take our foodie-loving selves next, we just browse and browse (thanks Trip Advisor!) - which is how we chanced upon this dessert place -- Vienna Kaffeehause :) We stayed somewhere in Divisoria which is a cleaner version of what we have here (:P), so if you're hungry and need an edible fix, just walk the length of it, and you're sure to find something you're craving for :)

Just a side note that Vienna Kaffeehaus is a date place :) When we went inside, jazz music was playing and we were, no-kidding, surrounded by couples! They were talking in hushed tones, which changed the minute the 3 of us came in :P We may have annoyed them, but we're using our tourist pass for this one :) Their bestseller is the chocolate cake! Yumm!

CW from top left (1) Us - spot our summer outfits against Vienna's interior haha! That guy in the far corner is actually kinda cute. Ha! (2) Wooden tables, booth and framed pictures of couples decorate the place (3) Brazo de Mercedes (4) Chocolate cake! (5) I love it how retro this signage looks! :D

Panagatan
If you want to dine with the wind blowing on your hair, and the seas beneath your feet, Panagatan is the place to be :) Just about 20 minutes away from the city proper, they offer a wide selection of seafood -- just what we were looking for!

CW from top left (1) Sugpo (2) Grilled liempo (this tops my list!) (3) Sweet & Sour Lapu-Lapu (4) Their take on al fresco dining (5) Us - excited to dig in! (6) Panagatan

CDO is just like Manila and I am sure there are more foodie places to discover here :) If CDO is all about chilling and strolling, the next days will prove to be packed with activities because we're off to Camiguin next! Yaaay! Brace yourselves for lots of photos and places to see on the next post :)


Shrine of the Divine Mercy
El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental

Rosario Drive, Limketkai Mall, Lapasan, 
Cagayan de Oro City
(088) 856685

#54 Don A. Velez-Chavez St., 
Cagayan de Oro City
(088) 856-6171 or 
0917-7075006

Opol Blvd.
Opol, Misamis Oriental
(088) 754 487 or
0922-858-6071

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