tedTRAVELjournal (Philippines) #1: I L<3VE Highland Stone Chapel Adventure Park
tedTRAVELjournal (PHILIPPINES)
I L<3VE Highland Stone Chapel Adventure Park
Having said that I’ll be featuring places from my province, the first in my list is the Highland Stone Chapel Adventure Park. The park is very close to my heart – I saw its development as it witnessed my growth.
My relationship with the park started last 2005 when I attended my first leadership training outside the walls of my high school campus. It was the Basic Leadership Training of the Red Cross Youth.
The park then only had a shelter for functions or meetings with adjacent bunk-bedrooms and the chapel. It was fun and very overwhelming training breathed by the cold breeze of the highland.
In 2009, I was invited to join a leadership training under the Youth Leadership Program of the province of Misamis Occidental. The invitation made me excited because of the venue, the Highland Park. Though I was bombarded with campus-wide and national-wide leadership trainings during my university days, this was my first leadership training with mixed participants – out-of-school youth, young professionals, students, young labor force and the like from my province. The park this time had an on-going hotel construction and garden landscaping. The training brought me to another degree of leadership as it opened a lot of realities – way different from campus-based leadership trainings.
After the training, until today, the park became my home. I was invited to come every weekend to help facilitate the training. I became one of the head facilitators, one of the valued speakers, one of the training dream team – the one who designs training modules, the Chairman of the alumni association of the graduates of the training and I brained-child the extraordinary youth camp of the province – the Annual Summer Youth Camp.
With the park as my home, I found so much valuable things – real friends whom are like families. Apart from that, the park served as the place where I first treated my direct family for a getaway and the place where my high school friends got our first outside-the-hometown reunion. And thus, I <3 Highland Stone Chapel Adventure Park.
Now, apart from the iconic Stone Chapel, the park has a lot to offer and is continually developing its facilities for all of us.
what is HIGHLAND STONE CHAPEL ADVENTURE PARK?
Highland Stone Chapel Adventure Park is owned and operated by Highland Stone Chapel Corp. Inc. It is located at Hoyohoy, Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, Philippines and found at the foot of Mt. Malindang. The adventure park has a breathtaking and probably the best view of Panguil Bay and the cities of Ozamiz and Tangub, and the Province of Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao Island of the Philippines for it is 850 meters above sea level.
It is set on a rocky hillside, with its rocks preserved, the greens cultivated, and the pines nurtured. It has a sub-climate that is colder than the normal Philippine temperature with coldest at 14 degrees Centigrade.
The best place to relax and escape from the stress of city life.
what to see in HIGHLAND STONE CHAPEL ADVENTURE PARK?
The Stone Chapel
The conception of the chapel was incidental as shared by L. Ocampos, Assitant General Manager for Operations. The idea started when his father, Rep. Loreto Ocampos got a friendly gathering in the area and felt like its getting cold. By then, they built the structure. She added that it was really a hand-made structure of her father (personal communication, April 26, 2013).
The idea of building the stone chapel because of having a cold place was also confirmed by A. Ocampos-Aoanan, General Manager when she said that they built the chapel in order for them to have a structure that can withstand the strong wind in Hoyohoy. Furthermore, K. Aoanan, husband of A. Ocampos-Aoanan, jokingly mentioned that it used stones for the material is readily available – if there were a lot of trees by that time, it would be a tree chapel (personal communication, April 26, 2013).
With the chapels’ strong structure, it becomes the icon, image and/or symbol of the park and a manifestation of the corporation’s faith in God. However, it does not specify any religion or sect. It promotes the inclusive nature of Christianity and it also welcomes the beliefs of our Muslim brothers and sisters (L. Ocampos, A. Ocampos-Aoanan, and K. Aoanan, personal communications, april 26, 2013).
The Stone Chapel Hotel
Same with the Stone Chapel, the structure was built to withstand the wind of Hoyohoy and provide warmth this time.
However, the hotel is also utilizing the cold climate offered by the place for its unlimited supply of air-conditioning.
The Sky-Line Zipline
This was built to provide amusement of the park-goers. Also, the nature of the zipline suits to the hilly cove of the place. The park claimed that it is the highest (500 meters above sea level) and longest (a total of 2, 350 meters) in Asia.
The Horseback Riding
This is offered by the park not only to provide an adventure ride from the end station of the zipline going back to its starting station but also to provide an income to the locals. Indeed an income, since the park management employs local horse owners to operate or be the guide of the horseback riders.
The Bagui Ride
This ride is to provide a trail blazing opportunity of park-goers. It will tour you around the beauty of a rocky hill. This ride is also a choice of bringing back guests from its starting station.
The Cafe Negra
This restaurant was built to provide Filipino dishes and to display vegetables available in Hoyohoy.
The Woodpines
This area is good for resting place and contemplates. In here, you can breathe the fresh air produce by the pine trees.
The Landscape
These landscapes are applied with natural landscaping technique. There is no major reshaping or reforming of the land. The contour provides its beauty and thus, it attracts guests for a picture-taking.
The Rock Garden
Since the park is hilly and rocky, rocks add beauty into the contour of its hill. These rocks are conserved and are not altered.
be greeted by smiling workforce of HIGHLAND STONE CHAPEL ADVENTURE PARK
Most of the work-force or employees in the park are coming from the locals or residents of Hoyohoy. They are not only employed but are trained to fit in the job available in the park. For example, Zipline Crews are trained with Advance Certificate in Search and Rescue – a manifestation that the park gave the locals free training and assessments.
Also, it has a tie-up partnership with the local with regard to the provision of additional activities in the park like horseback riding, mountain trekking and river trekking.
In terms of its socialization, the employees are given a weekly personality development trainings or workshops during the General Staff meeting (GSM). Also, for retention program, there is a monthly fellowship between the management and the employees. Specialized crew members of the Zipline, aside from being trained, are given semi-annual refresher course on safety searched and rescue trainings.
In return, the management was able to improve the local employees’ purchasing power. There are visible signs of improve house buildings, property acquisition and children of locals sent to tertiary schools. There is even a bakery that sprouted in the barangay, Hoyohoy.
Furthermore, big concrete 2-storey houses had been constructed and motor vehicle purchased. With these developments, the locals afford better health care or health services.
a head-start of HIGHLAND STONE CHAPEL ADVENTURE PARK: SUSTAINABLE ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
It has been a fight of the management to really work for a tourism industry that will not alter the environment. Also, the development of the park does not hurt the environment. It conforms to the environment. For example, the management did not touch all the stones and stone formation.
Furthermore, there is a small vegetable and flower farm inside the park which contours the landscape. The park and most part of it was barren without trees, so, the owner planted pine trees, eucalyptus and other trees that would withstand the wind.
Moreover, the park wishes to sustain its operations by providing its own raw materials but not altering the environment. And so, it conforms again to its nature. It started to have its own livestock, vegetable, flower and tree nurseries, and a small ranch.
In closing, the park appreciates the culture of ecology. And thus, it continues with its indirect campaign of sustainable ecological economics as its own culture.
how to go to HIGHLAND STONE CHAPEL ADVENTURE PARK?
By land:
From Tangub City, “habal-habal” or motorbikes can take you to the park.
a. From Zamboanga del Sur, take a public bus or van heading to Ozamiz City and make sure to alight at Tangub City, a city before Ozamiz City.
b. From Zamboanga del Norte or Ozamiz City, take a public bus or van heading to Ozamiz City. Transfer to another bus or van heading to Pagadian City but make sure to alight at Tangub City.
c. From Iligan, Lanao del Norte or Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, take a bus heading to Mukas port, transfer to a ferry heading to Ozamiz City. From Ozamiz City port, take a motorbike with cabs to the bus terminal known as “agora” then take a bus or van heading to Pagadian City but make sure to alight at Tangub City.
By sea:
From Cebu, take an overnight ferry ride heading to Ozamiz City port, take a motorbike with cabs to the bus terminal or “agora” then follow the by land B.
By air:
From Cebu or Manila, take an approximately one-hour flight to Ozamiz City Airport, take a motorbike with cabs to the bus terminal or “agora” then follow the by land B.
Fare is not available for the time being.
Wow! Never got the chance to explore PH as much as you did. Indeed, it's more fun in the Philippines.
Hey, thanks! You’ve been to a lot of places though. We can travel together soon!
hahahahhahaha model jud ko kuya @nudgent ba hahahha
Ahahahah. Of course @xyza... you are so young that time!
@originalworks
The @OriginalWorks bot has checked the text of this post and it appears original!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
Thanks! I’ll continue to post original works!
Thanks @xyza!