Weekend Getaway: Travel Missions

Weekend Getaway isn’t only about vacation and the good life. All Weekend Warriors must complete three Travel Missions for them to know what it is like to be a native/local of the destination they are visiting. If the warriors fail, they will go home and will leave the vacation unfinished. BUT if they get to complete all travel missions, big prizes await them. As for us, 20K worth of shopping spree courtesy of Blued and hotel accommodation by White Knight Hotel Intramuros made the whole trip a lot more exciting. Yey!

But first, let’s all find out how our travel missions ended up and if we did bag home the extra rewards.

TRAVEL MISSION 1: Talunin ang Timbangan
To simulate one of Dipolog City’s major livelihood, fishing, by gathering 30-kilo worth of any random things as if catching 30-kilo fishes in just five minutes.

Just by hearing the instructions from Drew, we thought the first challenge was a no-brainer. But when the clock started ticking, man, it was in no way a piece of cake. I climb mountains and carry heavy backpack but I never liked running. And this challenge was all about being fast and brawny. Another thing that made the mission more difficult was the lack of stuff that we can carry back to the base and load in to the basin. Sand was everywhere and we needed to run to a farther spot so we can pick-up tree branches, coconut husk, and other junks.

Rowjie (running): Huh! Huh! Huh! *sounded very tired*
Kaiz (shouting from afar): Palalabs, bilisan mo! Two minutes na lang bwiset ka!

We didn’t want to be sent home that early and so we finished our first travel mission within the time frame.

TRAVEL MISSION 2: Pagliligawan ay Ulitin sa Paraang Subanen
To perform a courtship dance in front of the Subanen Tribe and get approval from their elder to advance to the next travel mission.

Back in 2009, we mistakenly thought that we would witness a Talaandig Tribe ritual when we climbed the country’s second highest Peak, Mount Dulang-Dulang in Bukidnon. Yes we did witness a sacrificial ritual (of chickens, no humans being burned alive) but that was about it. No dances, no costumes, and all the stuff we imagined.

We didn’t think of this mission as a challenge. We’ve long wanted to immerse ourselves with a tribe performing their rituals. It was indeed fun to wear authentic tribal clothes, to speak with real tribe members, to experience an unforgettable dance. And to sum it up, we nailed the second travel mission.

TRAVEL MISSION 3: Tawirin ang Tulay na Lubid ng Mapasisid
To complete a Tyrolean Traverse in 30 minutes.

When a fellow mountaineer based in Dipolog, Nathan, demonstrated how the Tyrolean Traverse is being done, it looked easy as he completed it in barely a minute. But when it was my turn to execute it, all I can say was sh*t, a lot of it actually. This, so far, has been the most exhausting outdoor activity I’ve ever tried. No heavy backpacks nor long walks and ascent can compare to this. It was also the reason of my week-long swollen arms.

If it was painful for me who’s petite and light, imagine what Rowjie went through especially with the unbalanced positioning of the rope. We literally had to carry ourselves up to each end of the ropes. If not for Rowjie who was all cheerful and supported, I had given up and would feel sorry until now.

Did we manage to overcome the third formidable travel mission?

Oh sure we did! With just a few seconds left, we accomplished the last mission with a round of applause from our crowd. We’re not the type who will just bail out on problems and challenges, especially when we’re together. Naks!

Completing all travel missions was fulfilling, to say the least. And of course, we got to take home the gift certificates from Blued and White Knight Hotel Intramuros.

We thank you, Weekend Getaway for this monumental experience! <3

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