3RD Bukidnon, Banuwa Ku Ultimate Tournament
It feels like Fall season in California.
That's what the weather feels like when me and team Mulatto arrived in Malaybalay Bukidnon, Friday night.
It was Chilly. Wet, and with a touch of fresh air. It was my first time in Bukidnon. Some of my friends in the community told me that I would never say no if there's an opportunity for me to go to the South Summer Capital of the Philippines. That opportunity came when Ma'am Daisy Cimafranca of Mulatto invited me to join the team for the 3rd Bukidnon Banuwa Ku Ultimate Tournament. After a six hour drive from the beautiful Davao city, we arrived at Malaybalay, Bukidnon at around seven in the evening and had our first team dinner. Kyra and I went to see some friends from Dumaguete and Malaybalay for our second dinner of the night, and we all went together to attend the captains meeting (no third dinner there, thankfully). So the moment we arrived in Malaybalay, we didn't do anything but eat, enjoying the weather and had a few laughs with extended families. It was a sweet welcome party for all of us, especially for first timers in Malaybalay like myself.
I will say this over and over again in this write up. But man, I just love the cold weather up there! You don't need an air conditioning unit for you to get a good night sleep. For the first time in a very long time, I used a blanket during bed time. One night we had a black out, and we didn't even noticed that the stand fan stopped working. The water is so cold that it takes the joints and body pain away when you take a shower. It was awesome!
Though the weather is cold in the City in the Forest of the South, the people of Malaybalay are showing the opposite side of coldness. I personally felt nothing but warm and wonderful hospitality from the ultimate community of Malaybalay. Everyone was so nice, and I really had a great time hanging out with them when I get a chance the whole weekend.
As expected, the games are hot as well. The cold and gloomy morning weather of day one did not stand a chance from the fiery highlights of all participating teams. Players are heating up the playing fields of Malaybalay with no mercy. It was a sports photography haven for two days. The teams are putting on a great show, 2,041ft. above sea level that weekend.
I am always cursing the rain when I shoot tournaments. But for the first time, I really had a great time shooting on a wet and chilly environment. It should rain in Malaybalay. Because of it's cold weather, it only made sense to have a heavy downpour at around 2:30 in the afternoon and made the whole place looks like 5:00pm. A thin blanket of fog came in that gave us a dreamy scenery on the playing fields. The photos didn't do any justice at all. You should see it for yourself on how our great creator molded this beautiful place.
It's AllAbout the color Green during the Malaybalay weekend. Team Mulatto who sported a cool green jersey went head to head with the Mighty Wild Mongrels in the Final game who are also wearing a Green Trident gear. They fought hard like real warriors on the greenest battlefield Malaybalay has to offer. It was one of those final games that though the score differential is not that close, the game was still as exciting as a universal point final game. Both Green teams displayed a high level of championship highlights and playmaking that you should expect from players like Nelson, Brylle, Kyra, and Ading of Mulatto and Tajji, Dada, Bolantoy, and Isoy of Wild Mongrels. It was an All-Star final. The only thing that bummed me out was that I couldn't shoot in the dark. There are a lot more highlights that happened near the end of the game, and the only thing that I could do was to turn my camera off and enjoyed the last few points of the Banuwa Ku Final. In the end, the well oiled Green machine of Mulatto prevailed and hoisted the trophy up for the third time. And you guessed it. The trophy and medals are colored Green as well!
My one week stay in Mindanao was amazing, and it's all because of Ma'am Daisy, Sir Joie and the rest of Familia Mulatto. It always feels like you are a part of a very big family when you are with them. I have nothing else to say but Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality. I am forever grateful to each and everyone of you. I just can't thank you enough. Ibang klase kayo!
This is my third Mindanao trip this year, and it just gets better and better every time I go there. The people in Davao and Bukidnon (and also Iligan) are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I just hope that you will all give Mindanao tournaments another chance in your future Ultimate calendars. Mindanao has a lot to offer. The games are competitive as ever. And the people are quite hospitable. I had a wonderful time.
Until then. More images to share. More stories to tell... It's All About U!
Tuloy Lang Ang Party!
What's next for the PUI crew? It's the October LuzViMinda Tour! Expect some massive delay of image postings at All About U pages. It's going to be a very busy, fun filled month of October... Let's Go!
For more Bukidnon, Banuwa Ku Photos:
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