CEBU, Philippines - There’s a new destination in the highlands that appeals to the adventure buff and the foodie.
Aptly called the Adventure Café, it is perched in Gaas, Balamban and is one of the attractions of the Gaas Eco Adventure Park. Its main come-on is the “zip and rappel” feature – zip through the 260-meter cable ropes and/or rappel 180 feet down the ground, then climb your way up back to the base. So, if you prefer not to zip back to the landing pad attached to the café, you have to rappel for another wave of adrenaline rush.
The team of Ramon Vidal, Professional Rope Course Association certified, installed this newest adventure playground for thrill-seekers who wish to embark on a rousing treat away from the capital with only the lush fecund mountains as backdrop.
Ramon’s brother Jun, who is rated #52 in the world in the field of bouldering and sport climbing, is also a partner in this endeavor by making sure that the rappel/climbing wall is safe. So, other than the zip line, there’s a climbing wall where one gets to romance the 50-meter natural textured wall (replicates a crack wall/rock).
According to Nigel Wenceslao, president of the Gaas Eco Adventure Park, Inc. (owner of the facility), they designed Adventure Café as a hub where various extreme activities are clustered and tailor fitted to every daredevil. There are also rope courses, spelunking, trekking, bouldering and guided tours offered within the park to complement this first resto adventure café in the country. Hopefully, a stress wall will be mounted akin to Pampanga’s taksyapo wall against which one can throw breakables to de-stress.
Adventure Café is a five-floor edifice, wherein two floors serve as dining areas while the rest are dormitories and backpackers’ rooms.
They offer Filipino style cuisine of mostly grilled plated meals. The menu choices are fittingly named as Camping Soup, Sweet Adventure (dessert), Survival Canisters (cold drinks), Hot Canisters (hot beverages such as coffee, tea, etc.), Fullutan Adventures (beer matches), Main Adventures (main dishes) and Extra Adventures (meal add-ons). Specialties include: Rappeler’s Special – grilled porkchop rubbed with a special sauce and served with corn cobs, French fries, and seasoned veggies; Burgers Crossing; and Zipliner’s Steak – sizzling burger patties with gravy served with French fries and corn cobs.
Adventure Café is open daily from 9am-7pm on weekends while it closes at 9pm on weekends. For more information, reservations and bookings, call 09229483974. ?