Bukidnon's picturesque landscape

The sun is up and the fields are ready to be tilled. The rural setting may appear archaic but it holds an enchanting appeal. The landscape is simply breathtaking – multi-hued mountains and verdant fields.

Bukidnon lies in the northern part of Mindanao. Over an hour and a half bus ride away from Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon is considered the food basket of Mindanao. It is also where you find vast fields devoted to pineapple plantations.

From the nipa huts, lush greeneries as well as farm animals, everything on site exudes a familiar joyful memory. The rustic setting would no doubt detain any visitor and bring him back to the time where everything was done between sunrise and sunset.

There is the warm feeling of belonging, of being one with nature, of childhood memories when we first discovered the numerous wonders of pencils and papers and learned about the concept of “art.”

With the vista that is Bukidnon, now we understand why every kid’s initial drawings were those of a nipa hut in front of a mountain and surrounded by rice fields. The province’s simplicity is the embodiment of art in life.

The visual pleasures of Bukidnon begin when you set foot on it. The trails that lead to its secret treasures will not allow any traveler to sleep as mile after mile, the sceneries unfold; green mostly and with the comforting earth colors and hues of the sky.

As our childhood skills for sketching grew into a passion for photography,   Bukidnon became one of the must-go places for shutterbugs. Here is the province where one should always carry an extra memory card.

The 360 degrees of scenic beauty is perfect for photo opportunities, with interesting subjects presenting themselves at random that the rate of camera-clicking would have the same ratio as your heartbeat.

Part of the beauty of the province is the reward of Mother Nature. Tasty and natural food abounds in the city at a cost so unbelievingly low that gaining weight is inevitable.

Try the province’s signature sweet – the pastel - which are soft buns filled with yema and other jams. This favorite pasalubong is sold throughout bus stations in the province. The province is also home to the famous pineapple farms from whence variants of the succulent tropical fruit can be found as well as mangoes, grapes and oranges.

Where Pastel originated

Pastel, the melt-in-your-mouth soft buns filled with yema has an interesting story to tell. History books trace its origins to Camiguin. The Bollozo family of Camiguin was the first to make and bake the pastel. The Bollozo’s secret recipe for pastel was then transferred to sweet-toothed couple Ret. Lt. Col. Virgilio Jose and Eleanor Popera who put up enough capital for the business VJ and EP which is popularly known as Vjandep.

The company produced its first three boxes of pastel in 1990 and soon, the delicacy found its way to Cagayan de Oro where it became a mainstay and a local favorite. Over the years, tourists and guests coming from CDO would be carrying home boxes of the pastry. The pastel eventually found its way to Bukidnon and had since become the province’s signature sweet.