Ride of a Lifetime | Mati City, Davao Oriental

I was a little worried whether the driver I met at Dahican Surf Resort will show up at the time we agreed; for sure, he had a busy night at DSR serving customers food and drinks for as late as past midnight. I had thought of alternative plans in case he won't show up. A few minutes before our agreed pick-up time, my phone rang. He was already outside my homestay waiting for me to come out. Honestly, I was amazed that he stayed true to his words despite not having enough sleep. 👏🏻

I reached Mindanao Saga Flying Club a little over five (5) AM. It was still dark but if you look at the skyline, signs of the sun's budding presence was obvious.

I hurried to the flying club's office. Thankfully, I was the first to arrive which means I'd be the first one to fly! I was looking forward to seeing the sunrise in a magical way and what's better than meeting the half halfway up in the air, right?

The guys I met the day before were still there; they happily assisted me again and ensured that this time, my dreams would come true. Apparently, morning winds are calmer; just the perfect blend we were looking for to stay adrift in the air for roughly 15 minutes per their ads.

When the pilot arrived, I couldn't believe how chill his vibe was. He was seated on my left. After checking a few things and gearing up, he gave me simply instructions to follow. I paid attention and ensured I follow all of it from start to finish.

Then, we slowly made our way to the long runway. There was nothing else there but our small aircraft. The pilot signaled that it was time to start our journey up. The moment we lifted a few inches off the ground, I wanted to scream so loud but was reminded that the pilot can hear me through the connected aviation headphones attached in our helmets. I screamed but I could've screamed harder without the mic and all. 🤣😂 Although he assured me "It's okay to scream!"; I thought we weren't close enough for him to hear the craziest screams I brought with me! 😂

Right after take off, the view was already out of this world. We glided through the barangay roads in Dahican and other barangays in Mati. It was like manning a drone but this time, you're flying with the drone. It felt surreal!

Then, we made a smooth U-turn and moved towards the beach where the sun slowly crept out of its hiding place. Unlike other aircraft, this ultralight aircraft moves really slow which was a good thing. I had all the time I needed to stare and melt in awe at the horizon's unimaginable perfection.

For a good 3-4 minutes, we steadily followed the river that ends at the ocean. Soft and thin strips of mist and clouds floated below us making each moment more magical. Acres and acres of coconut trees looked like heads of broccoli from above that along with other vegetation created the best foreground of pictures I took from above.

A few minutes later, we reached the shore. Remember the [photos] of Dahican Beach I took in DSR? Well, Dahican's long white shore was even more captivating from above. Below are photos of how it looks like from above. We flew over the shore for a couple more minutes while the sun was finally up. I could see the adjacent Pujada Bay at the back of Dahican. If I'm not mistaken, the mountain range across Pujada Bay is part of Mt. Hamiguitan known for its well-preserved wildlife.

If there's only one thing I wish I could've prepared more, it'd definitely be the ice-cold breeze above. What was I thinking? It was early in the morning and we're in high altitude! But never did it crossed my mind to wear something thicker and warmer.

At this point, I don't really care if the pilot had enough of my random "Wow!This is unreal!"
and "Oh my God! What a sight to behold!" and all other expressions of irrepressible joy and excitement. There's no way one can contain such feelings after seeing nature's finest beauty from above.

What was truly dreamy was that as we cruised above Dahican Beach, the sun was on our left side, its warmth striking us through with every move we make. And as it goes higher and higher the sky, the more Dahican Beach reveals its simple yet stunning grandeur. It was made even more picturesque with the long and massive waves that break into white foamy matter near the shore.

Then, we circled around and back to the runway, passing by vast empty rice fields, crops like corn and of course, coconut trees the made the entire of Dahican blush with hues of green.

At this point, I knew my my time up here is running out. My heart was filled with gratefulness just to be here, alive to witness all these.

If you think that the most thrilling part of this ride was the take off, you're wrong! I serenity I had gather from start until the point before landing was instanteously replaced by anxiety. "I mean how is this thing going to land?" "Will this aircraft make it back on land in one piece?" LOL!

But the pilot never showed signs I should be anxious of. We calmly got nearer and nearer the ground and before I knew it, he maneuvered the aircraft and within seconds, I heard the sound of the wheels touching the runway. What a way to end this ride indeed!

I was floating on cloud nine and tried to gather my senses. I still couldn't belief my dream was realized in the most unexpected way; despite all the challenges I encountered, here I am feeling reborn from a ride of a lifetime.

I would've wanted to savor the feeling of riding this aircraft but I needed to hurry. There were already 3 or 4 more guests wanting to experience the same. Quick photo op with the pilot and off we go.

The staff refueled the aircraft for the next guest and checked everything else before they flew back one again.

I existed the flying club with a heart filled with wonder and contentment. What an experience!