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Iligan is hailed
as the City of Majestic Waterfalls. It is not a
hyperbole. The city is home to the legendary Maria
Cristina and Limonsodan Falls, supposedly Asia’s
highest waterfalls. Only approximately 30 percent of
the city’s land area is flatland and the rest are
hills and mountain ranges. Hence, an impressive view
will greet you at practically every turn of the
head.
Iligan is a highly urbanized city of Lanao del Norte
and is the industrial center of the south. It is
part of the Cagayan-Iligan corridor, the fastest
developing area in Northern Mindanao. The city is
also abundant in natural resources and a melting pot
of different indigenous cultures.
Alone for the first time in an unfamiliar city,
where people spoke an unfamiliar dialect, I wasn’t
nervous. The Iliganons, as the city’s inhabitants
are called, were friendly and they revert to a more
familiar tongue, either English or Tagalog, when it
became apparent that I didn’t understand a word they
were saying.
From the bus station, I took a PU, short for public
utility, I suppose, an unmarked cab, to the city’
tourism office. Called the bahay-salakot because of
its traditional architecture, the office houses a
dedicated group of local tourism officials occupied
with the organizing cultural activities for the
city’s feast which ran the whole month of September.
Everyday, they had something exciting prepared.
Obviously, the one day I had allotted for my visit
would not nearly be enough.
Glancing at the list of attractions in the city, I
read “waterfalls, waterfalls, water
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falls...” “How
many waterfalls are there?” I wondered. So far, they
have discovered twenty, I later found out. Moreover,
the city boasts of other attractions such as caves,
springs and myriad beautiful resorts.
I toured the city in a motorcycle and I’d tilt my
head back and watch the canopy of trees whiz by,
completely amazed. I don’t think I had ever seen so
many trees in my life! The city in itself is so
verdant and the sound of flowing water seemed to
follow me everywhere I went.
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The author
against the cold and crystal clear Timoga
Springs |
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