Wow Bukidnon. It's in Bukidnon, Philippines, and the exact length is actually 0.84 of a kilometer. It is the third leg of 3 separate runs, the first leg being 0.32 of a kilometer and the second 150 meters. If you decide to complete all the 3 runs you are getting so much thrill for your money’s worth - 1.31 kilometers of total adrenalin rush.
The zip lines are in Dahilayan Adventure Park, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, located 4000 feet above sea level. One reaches the area by traveling along gravel roads that cut inside the property line of the lush pineapple plantation of Del Monte. Inside the pineapple plantation, one gets a feeling of travelling back in time. There are rows of neatly aligned houses of singular design inside well manicured lawns. There’s a supervisors’ row with slightly bigger houses. It will take more than half an hour to traverse the gravel road of the plantation into the park. But the travel time flies as your senses feast on the open spaces and rows upon rows of pineapple plants in orange clay soil as far as the eyes can see.
The Dahilayan Adventure Park is like no other. Good architecture and engineering allowed them to integrate the structures of the park into the mountain environment in an unobtrusive way. You have to take a quick meal prior to the activities. The restaurant glass panels give you an elegant view of the majestic mountains amid the cool breeze. The food is good and very reasonably priced if you have the patience to wait 20 minutes for the pleasure of eating what is like home-cooked meals.
The professionalism of the rig crews that attach you to the zip lines was astounding. I was awed by 2 things: First is their concern for safety. Second is the genial warmth of the way they coaxed excited guests who hesitate at the last moment. Time flashed in a jiffy as I took the first 2 legs of the zip line in quick succession. Then I had to take a transfer to the apex via a 4x4 off-road Land Cruiser ride on a bumpy mountain trail. But once I stood on the platform of the third leg, time stood still.
Quickly processing the data on the billboards in my mind, I learned the elevation was 4000 ASL. The average speed of the run is 45 kilometers per hour. They say there are 2 ways of altering this: spread your arms to go slow; or clip your arms on your sides and be like a bullet to go fast. I reckon it will take a little bit over a minute to do this run as I slung myself on sturdy harnesses in prone position. I was wrong.
As the steel gates opened, I hurtled myself into a free fall. The cool air was immediately on my face and in an instant I could feel the adrenalin rush as objects below whizzed by in a blur. I thought to myself that the only way to enjoy this run was to let go and enjoy the moment. You cannot ‘not’ shout for the exhilaration that will electrify your body. Once I settled down, things seemed to go slow-motion. I began to focus on the beautiful pine trees below, many of them cut at the tip in order to provide safe passage for the zip lines.
After what seemed an eternity, I saw the clearing where the terminal platform is located. I must have accelerated substantially because I heard a loud thud as my harness hit the brakes. This abruptly swung me from prone position to a wild momentary erect sway, and my helmet hit the shackles overhead. The crew gave a few simple instructions so I can disengage myself from the zip line. And that was that. You wanna get out of your comfort zones and experience the thrill of childhood? Get on a zip line!
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