E.A.T. @ Danao Adventure Park

After that “tsk tsk tsk” realization at the Inabanga church we forded on for the adventure park. I really thought this would have been one long ride as I looked it over and over on google map. But our drivers knew something that’s not on the map… a short-cut. I can’t even point now as to where we made that detour. I just knew we were off the highway, passed through dirt roads with beautiful rural views, and voila, we entered the newly paved road that connects the town proper of Danao to the adventure park. That was some exhilarating ride via back roads, as if to prepare us for the adrenalin rides haha! Btw, just to avoid confusion, this is the town of Danao in Bohol. Remember this or even this?

Still some distance before we arrived at the “entrance” to the adventure area, we saw this new monument and a cute circular park surrounding it. Well, am not sure you could call it a park, because its just it in the middle of a grassy plateau. Maybe a resting place would be most appropriate as for now. The companion wondered aloud why there were no trees surrounding the circular concrete walking path – except for the lonesome papaya. I was quick to add in my inference hehe, no trees (yet) because the place is new – meaning workers have cleared everything in this area before they installed any of those walks, seats and the monument itself. And the papaya ‘tree’? Ah, I said it probably just grew there while construction was in progress. The excitement to do the E.A.T. was so immense I now realize it was very un-me to have not even gone near that monument. But I think that’s Dagohoy. Is he/it?

We zoomed right through to the entrance of the park (its still some distance to the main park area btw). Whoa, at entrance alone, we already knew this must be hectares and hectares of an adventure place amidst mountains, hills, cliffs and whatever else hinter. Whew! Good that the ‘ticketmen’ were out of their “cage” (guardhouse whatever) to issue tickets and receive payment. That way, guests did not have to bother going down and walk to that “cage” (guardhouse whatever). I’m calling it cage for if you let me stay there an hour, I’ll probably go crazy. Unless of course, if it was raining. Then I’ll just probably go nuts haha! Entrance fee is P25 per head. Our drivers have to pay too! Plus P5 parking fee for each motorbike. Total P110 for all of us four.

Now what?! Ah, if you were expecting me to make a litany of what is in that park, excuse me lah, they’re all over the web. And they even have a website. So I’ll stick to my story, what happened to us and what we encountered. Like, first that caught my attention was this “E.A.T.”! Couldn’t they content themselves with calling the place as “Danao Adventure Park”? What’s with this EAT thing. Yeah yeah, that means Extreme Adventure Tour (originally) but now it looks like it better be EEEAT because they now call it Extreme/Eco/Educational Adventure Tour. Who knows there might be other E words coming up hehe. But that’s what make people remember this place about, the E part! And OMG yes it is extreme, like “Eadrenalin” pumping hehehe!

Rappelling. This is what we first approached after our pilots found slots to park the motorbikes. Hmm and whoa! I asked the companion if he wanted to go try it with me. The reply was a big “no, even if it was for free” (this one costs P600). Wheh, as if I was sure that I wanted to do that hahaha! Its not your usual urban adventure rappel setup. This is the real rough thing and it is very high up! Aside from I was sure I was going to get a bump or bruise somewhere (because am not good at following instructions hehe) I was not sure I would ever dream of the aftermath – walking back up to where my company was. So, since they said no, I said “ayaw nyo eh”! Hahaha, lusot!

Just beside the rappel thing was the “The Plunge”. Outright I said no I won’t do it. Companion was even more scared and said “even if they pay me that 700 pesos, I will not”. I asked our two drivers. One shook his head and the other squirmed like a child with this to say “ayiiiiiiyiyiyi”! But we did watch others do it, and everytime the shouting ensued, even us the spectators participated whaahehehe! I tried the GMax thing in Singapore’s Clarke Quay but this one looks ever taller and with nothing but the trees in a rugged terrain down below. Ayaw, hahaha! Oiee, some jumpers (okay, plungers) requested that the platform be angled/lowered slowly before they were let off. I think that instead added to their scare factor as they were kept hanging there before they were released in air! Gosh, I think I got exhausted just watching them jumpers do it! I screamed with them hahaha!

Suislide. Ah, this one I could not let pass because I have conditioned myself that I was going to do this – since that is the most well-known activity in the park that I have been encountering on the web. I went to pay for our ride, four of us. And it rained as I did so. Hah, heavy rain in fact. Only to find out when I rejoined the group THAT none wanted to do the zip except me myself and I. Hmp! The companion told me his palms already perspired just watching people zoom on that zip line and vanish into the foggy canyon hehe. The two drivers said it was too far and too long a suspense, besides, it was raining. Heh, kadaming palusot! So, I returned to the ticket booth and begged the ticket lady for a refund. First she said no, but I used my charm. How? Well, I told her I was so sorry I did not know I was in a company of cowards whaahehehe, she laughed and eventually refunded the three tickets.

And as I waited for my turn to zip, the winds seemed to enjoy dancing with the rain. Ack! And I could see that the suisliding continued even under that ‘undesirable’ weather condition hehe. If it was your turn to go, you go. And of course I was just faking that I was all for it. I myself was terrified! What with the cold wind and rain, and I would be sliding on a zip line about a kilometer long, high up in the clouds with the kayaks looking like the size of orange-colored flu-capsules and people’s helmets looking like the size of pinheads far down at the river below. At one point I asked myself why did I have to pay and endure this scrotum-shrinking experience hahaha! Not only that. I needed to return on a separate but parallel zip-line. Otherwise, I would be walking kilometers of rugged mountain roads skirting gorges, ravines cliffs and what have yas, to be able to get back to where I started. Golly!

But I did it just the same, even if reluctantly hehe. My saner self was saying… “you may not refund the fee, your companions expect you to do it, this is what you came here for, there is no recorded accident (yet) on this thing, you have walked in colder and harsher climates, your insurance plans are in place, you have already paid the premium on your memorial plan…” and so many things of that sort hehe. Well, when I reached the end of first leg and was asked by the crews there why I was shivering (or was that quavering), I said it was too cold. Asuuu, let me slap myself for that hehe, yes it was bitingly cold BUT I was also terrified at the experience hehehe.

Important note: the return slide is/was anticlimactic (for me at least *now bragging*). Your senses seem to easily adapt to the experience that you react very different from the first slide. This is that part where you actually already enjoy the ride and start thinking if you have a spare P350 so you can do it again! In fact, it was probably just the first 100 meters that felt scary (for me at least). Hah, anyway… I did it, and will probably dare do it again. I now wonder, that must be fun if I can do it on a clear day. The area below (still) looks like a gorgeous forest.

There was the nearby sky ride that I thought was too slow (on a rainy day). It is some kind of a Ferris Wheel bucket that hangs in a similar line parallel to the suislide, also crossing to the other mountain. Then it returns in a similar fashion, where a maximum of 6 of you just sit there facing and scaring each other hehehe. While we did not do this P250/person ride, I thought it’d be the best to do if you wanted to have panoramic shots of the environs. You’ll just have to wait it out with all the parents and kids lining up for their turn. This I think is the most availed-of.

Alright. There are many other things to do in this adventure park, but we had to move on so we could finish the ambitious itinerary!


If you want to read the chronology of all stories on this tour, click the following:
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