Valiant—not exactly the heroic stuff the word
is associated with but more on its venturesome sense. That’s how I’d
characterize my solo sojourns this year—call them my long-drawn-out battles
against self-doubt—in the ruggedly ravishing province of Bukidnon. And that
includes Valencia, billed as the “City of Golden Harvest”.
I’d describe those forays as valiant in the
sense that they marked my first venture into one of Bukidnon’s two cities,
presenting a whole new set of unforgettable experiences that spawned a number
of blog posts. Without fear or faltering, I scoured the inner sanctums of
Valencia, including its most sought-after attraction that’s known to not so
many weekend wanderers—the serene yet secluded Lake Apo, a natural wonder found
in the outskirts of the city.
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Downtown Valencia
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With the exception of the habal-habal driver who drove me there—mind you, it was his first time,
too!—the adrenaline-pumping escapade to the lake was an adventure I’ve managed
to pull off almost entirely on my own (For more about the lake, visit my post
at
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Lake Apo
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Typical of Bukidnon, Valencia’s landscape is
blessed with mountain ranges, waterfalls, rivers, and caves found around its
587.29 sq. km land area. But what makes it more interesting is its charming
lake. Lake Apo has a picture-perfect backdrop of mountains and greenery.
Blessed with pristine waters, it’s dubbed as “the cleanest inland body of water
in Northern Mindanao.”
Named after the Pinoy word for elder or
grandfather, the crater lake (elevation: 640 m (2,100 ft), which is found in
the village of Guinoyuran, some 11 km away from Valencia City, has long been
one of my dream destinations in Bukidnon. So, imagine my joy when I finally saw
it after so many failed attempts in the past. Whew, it was pure exhilaration!
Aside from Lake Apo, however, there are other natural wonders in Valencia that are just waiting to be discovered by tourists.
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Floating cottages at Lake Apo
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Sitting atop the Bukidnon plateau, the second-class city rises some 373 m (1,224 ft) above sea level. A big portion of
its land area is considered rural, endowed with verdant forests and fertile
agricultural lands. A little over 180,000 people, who speak Cebuano, Filipino,
Ilonggo and English, occupy its vast expanse.
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Mt. Musuan and a portion of Pulangi River as seen from Batangan Bridge
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About an hour’s drive away from Malaybalay
(Bukidnon’s capital), Valencia is located at the heart of the province, near
the mighty Pulangi River, which traverses many of its rice-producing villages.
Considered as Bukidnon’s longest, the river is the source of the 255-megawatt
capacity Pulangi IV Hydroelectric Power Plant (located in the town of Maramag),
which supplies about 25% of Mindanao’s power requirements.
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Panoramic view of Mt. Musuan, Pulangi River and Batangan Bridge
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Pulangi River
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The road to Valencia City
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While exploring the city, I stumbled upon
Batangan Bridge, which connects some barangays that are separated
from the downtown area by Pulangi River. Standing there, I was treated to a
grand visual feast—a glimpse of spectacular Mt. Musuan, found in the nearby
town of Maramag which I scaled earlier this year.
From what I’ve gathered, the City of Golden
Harvest, so named given the large tracts of prime agricultural land being
planted with the so-called golden Valencia rice, is also a major producer of
corn, pineapples, bananas, sugarcane and the like. Every September, it
celebrates the bounty of its rice and corn products through the Golden Harvest
Festival.
Mind you, Valencia, which gained its cityhood
about 15 years ago, is training its sights towards turning itself into the No.
1 producer of organic rice in the country!
Compared to Bukidnon’s subdued and surreal
capital, I found Valencia to be more exciting and vibrant, bursting with
activity mainly because it’s the business hub of the whole province. Interestingly,
Valencia was once part of the provincial capital—about thirteen of the
barangays that now make up present-day city used to be part of Malaybalay!
When I was exploring the province, I often
stayed in Valencia. The city has a good number of accommodations to suit every
traveler’s budget. The more popular ones are Hotel Valencia, GV Hotel, Hotel de
Susana and Uno Business Hotel. Valencia also has several fast-food chain stores
dotting its landscape—Jollibee, McDonald’s, Chow King, to name some. The city
also its share of malls and supermarkets, including Gaisano, NVM, Parklane, and
Robinsons.
If you’re a foodie, you can never go I wrong
with Valencia’s homegrown steak house, Roadhouse Café, whose first and original
branch is found along Sayre Highway. The popular dining place is a bit of a
fusion restaurant, combining the best of Asian, Western and Filipino
cuisine—the results of which are simply delectably awesome.
I’ve first tasted Roadhouse’s specialties in their SM City Davao outlet (I heard there’s also another branch in SM
City Cagayan de Oro). Since then, I’ve been craving to taste more of their
mouth-watering dishes. When I made it to Valencia, I readily scoured the long
stretch of Sayre Highway just to find it.
Best known for its flame-grilled steaks,
Roadhouse’s baby back ribs is a standout. Eat’s terrific, I must say! The
tender meat has a tangy and sweet taste, so tender it melts in your mouth! I
read somewhere that their steaks come from cattle raised organically in their
farm somewhere in the province. Well,
this isn’t surprising given that Bukidnon is known for its sprawling cattle
ranches where high-quality beef comes from.
Surrounded by extensive mountain ranges, wide
canyons and deep gorges, the province’s gently rolling plateau is ideal for
cattle-raising, a flourishing industry that came into being during the 1900s.
When the Americans came to Bukidnon, they established ranches in many towns,
providing employment to the province’s men who were hired as cowboys. Today,
one of these towns, Impasugong, is known as the “Home of the Country’s Finest
Cowboys.”
On my way back to Davao, I made it a point to drop by the center of Catholic worship in the city, St. Augustine's Church, where the city's faithful flock hear masses. After praying for a safe trip back home, I left the church imbued with positivity and fond memories of Valencia.
In my next visit to the city, I'm thinking of
doing a number of things I haven’t done before in my earlier forays. One of
them is to go horseback riding in the city. As early as now, I’m already
picturing myself atop a horse—clad in a typical cowboy’s outfit! Now, that’s
one valiant cosplay worth looking forward to doing, don’t you think so? LOL!
:-D
Valiant—not exactly the heroic stuff the word
is associated with but more on its venturesome sense. That’s how I’d
characterize my solo sojourns this year—call them my long-drawn-out battles
against self-doubt—in the ruggedly ravishing province of Bukidnon. And that
includes Valencia, billed as the “City of Golden Harvest”. 
I’d describe those forays as valiant in the
sense that they marked my first venture into one of Bukidnon’s two cities,
presenting a whole new set of unforgettable experiences that spawned a number
of blog posts. Without fear or faltering, I scoured the inner sanctums of
Valencia, including its most sought-after attraction that’s known to not so
many weekend wanderers—the serene yet secluded Lake Apo, a natural wonder found
in the outskirts of the city.
Typical of Bukidnon, Valencia’s landscape is
blessed with mountain ranges, waterfalls, rivers, and caves found around its
587.29 sq. km land area. But what makes it more interesting is its charming
lake. Lake Apo has a picture-perfect backdrop of mountains and greenery.
Blessed with pristine waters, it’s dubbed as “the cleanest inland body of water
in Northern Mindanao.”
Sitting atop the Bukidnon plateau, the second-class city rises some 373 m (1,224 ft) above sea level. A big portion of
its land area is considered rural, endowed with verdant forests and fertile
agricultural lands. A little over 180,000 people, who speak Cebuano, Filipino,
Ilonggo and English, occupy its vast expanse. 
About an hour’s drive away from Malaybalay
(Bukidnon’s capital), Valencia is located at the heart of the province, near
the mighty Pulangi River, which traverses many of its rice-producing villages.
Considered as Bukidnon’s longest, the river is the source of the 255-megawatt
capacity Pulangi IV Hydroelectric Power Plant (located in the town of Maramag),
which supplies about 25% of Mindanao’s power requirements. 
Mind you, Valencia, which gained its cityhood
about 15 years ago, is training its sights towards turning itself into the No.
1 producer of organic rice in the country!
Compared to Bukidnon’s subdued and surreal
capital, I found Valencia to be more exciting and vibrant, bursting with
activity mainly because it’s the business hub of the whole province. Interestingly,
Valencia was once part of the provincial capital—about thirteen of the
barangays that now make up present-day city used to be part of Malaybalay! 
I’ve first tasted Roadhouse’s specialties in their SM City Davao outlet (I heard there’s also another branch in SM
City Cagayan de Oro). Since then, I’ve been craving to taste more of their
mouth-watering dishes. When I made it to Valencia, I readily scoured the long
stretch of Sayre Highway just to find it.
Surrounded by extensive mountain ranges, wide
canyons and deep gorges, the province’s gently rolling plateau is ideal for
cattle-raising, a flourishing industry that came into being during the 1900s.
When the Americans came to Bukidnon, they established ranches in many towns,
providing employment to the province’s men who were hired as cowboys. Today,
one of these towns, Impasugong, is known as the “Home of the Country’s Finest
Cowboys.”
On my way back to Davao, I made it a point to drop by the center of Catholic worship in the city, St. Augustine's Church, where the city's faithful flock hear masses. After praying for a safe trip back home, I left the church imbued with positivity and fond memories of Valencia. 
In my next visit to the city, I'm thinking of
doing a number of things I haven’t done before in my earlier forays. One of
them is to go horseback riding in the city. As early as now, I’m already
picturing myself atop a horse—clad in a typical cowboy’s outfit! Now, that’s
one valiant cosplay worth looking forward to doing, don’t you think so? LOL!
:-D