Day 2: The CDO Travel Diary

We start the day with a breakfast meeting with the export manager, seated with a lovely view of the open sky and pine trees beating a Tagaytay view anytime. Over a medley of local longganisa, corned beef, two sunny-side up eggs, fresh pineapples, homemade pineapple jam, rice and Monk's blend brewed coffee, it is a good way to prepare seeing Bukidnon.

First stop: at the firing range, with live bullets and an overview about target shooting. Important things to note:




1. The grip: The right hand must be relaxed, because this is the hand that pulls the trigger, while the left hand applies the pressure and steadies the gun, along with the
2. Stance: Lean forward, with the feet in an isosceles triangle position, this is called an aggressive stance, best described as "Parang papatay!"
3. Aim: To aim right, focus eye on the front sight,and level rear with the front, this way even if the target is blurred, you are sure to hit the target.
4. Kasa: A 45 semi-automatic pistol is heavy, I tell you. Maybe next time a 9 mm gun?
5. Release safety: This requires a respiratory pose. Breathing, and relaxing actually helps!
6. Fire:Pull the trigger lightly, with the light lemon-squeeze touch. The sound is startling!

They teach you to shoot in the body mass, but I shoot for the head. Kill! The feeling is powerful.






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The Del Monte plantation is called Cawayanon, all 19,000 hectares of pineapples. How does this look like? Literally, as far as the eye can see!









Within the compound there is also the famous golf course where Frankie Minoza perfected his swing. We head for the driving range, and I hear follow through, follow through! The address, the stance, the swing and the follow-through! It makes all the difference. I take 2 buckets of 40 balls and each shot has a wrong move or no follow through, a butterfly, a tap instead of a swing. The caddie helps me correct my drive but I wondered aloud, "How can you like golf?!!!?" I asked two of my friends. They say it helps them focus.

"It's a difficult sports. It really is a game of patience, and you are competing with yourself."
















So what to do? Just enjoy the outdoors and have fun shots taken with the picturesque view.











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The rest of the team arrives,and we head over to the beach house for lunch, then off to a pineapple party where the jargon is chunks, slices, tidbits, crushed. We talk, speak and eat pineapple for the rest of the day.