Day 1

It was my first time to ride on a plane so I am excited and at the same time, a bit nervous.  Yet, when the plane took off, all my fears flew away.  It was like riding a roller coaster.  Really fun.  Though I must admit that there were some instances, when the plane shakes a bit that I felt some fear yet, riding a plane is definitely a great experience.  I just had to swallow a lot because of the pressure.

So, we arrived at the Tagbilaran airport and was picked up by the hotel van.  When we reached the hotel, we  just rest for a while and took off.  We went to the mall first to buy some drinks and snacks.   Then we took a taxi to Bohol Beach Club.  Taxi fares are multiplied by two so if the meter says 172.50, you have to pay 350.   This is to compensate for their trip on the way back to town.  The trip from Island City Mall to Bohol Beach Club cost us Php350.

Entrance fee at the Bohol Beach Club is Php350, 250 is consummable to you can use it for either lunch or dinner.  Although the place is nice, I would have had more fun if we just went to Dimaluan Beach Resort.  The beach in BBC is nice if you only look for a place to relax.  It is ideal if you just want to sit on the beach while reading a book or build sand castles.  There are lots of water plants that are a bit itchy when you walk over and there are no other activities except swimming.  They do not have facilities for kayaking or jetskiing.  In short, the place is perfect for picture taking and not if you seek real adventure.  There is also no night swimming so we had to be contented going to the pool where you are not allowed to wear cotton.  The lifeguard is also very arrogant and impolite when he told us about the rules.  It really regret it a bit that I went there instead of Dimaluan where the entrance is actually free.

We had dinner at BBC, the food is also not that good.  We ordered lechon kawali and it seems that the cooking oil had been used a hundred times.   They also have singers who serenaded us with three songs until we left.

After BBC, we were picked up with the taxi driver, Manong Tito.  His taxi is Varescon number 59.  We also asked him to pick us up the next morning for our Chocolate Hills trip.  The tour package is only Php1500 compared to the Php2500 that was offered by other companies.  Although the other company would have been ideal for a bigger group since Manong Tito’s taxi is just a sedan.

Day 2

Manong Tito was already at the hotel at 8am as agreed but we were only able to leave at 8:30am.  He was very patient and I did not even see any hint of him being irritated or anything, except for when we encountered some pasaway drivers.  His favorite expression is ayayay! whenever he won’t see a bump on the road.

First stop, Chocolate Hills.  Manong Tito decided to start with the farthest destination.  The ride was about an hour and a half.  Entrance is Php50 but we were able to enter for free just to answer a 50-question survey from a Tokyo University.  We also received free tarsier keychains for that.  To get to the view deck, you can either take the 100+ steps or walk your way up.  I choose to walk up as I hate stairs.  The view of the forest, farm plus the hills is really fascinating.  It is really a feast for the eyes that is why there are lots of photographers, both hobbyists and professional taking pictures.  There were also photographers who offered to take our pictures riding a walis like a witch or jumping with the big picture of the chocolate hills as the background.  Patience is required since a lot of people would want to have their pictures taken at the best spots.  Some people lose their cool though.

On our way back, we dropped by the forest to take some pictures.  We felt like Korean novela stars walking in the lovely ocean of trees with leaves falling on our heads.  It is really another great view.

After Chocolate Hills, we went to Loboc River and had lunch in one of the floating restaurants.  Entrance is Php300 per person and it is consumable.  They serve barbeque, fried chicken, fish, kare kare, etc.  We had Manong Tito join us for lunch and we could see that he is a bit shy and seem unused to this kind of treatment.  This is perhaps the most fun part of our trip.  We had a great crowd at the restaurant and they danced and we laughed and sang altogether with the singer on board.   Food is not that great but the experience is surely worth more than Php300.  We also bought some souvenir stuffs as pasalubong to our family and friends.  The pouch cost Php182.75, small wallet cost about 75 to 100.

After lunch, we went to see the tarsiers.  They are really cute creatures.  They are nocturnal and rather sensitive though, so we tried our best not to disturb them.  We were not allowed to use flash in taking pictures but entrance is free.  They have a donationbox though where we can put some money to help them in maintaining the place.  Aside from that, they also have some other creatures, I forgot their name though.

Next stop is the Baclayon Church and Museum.  Entrance fee at the museum is Php25, of course, church entrance is free.  It reminds you of the times when the Spanish friars are still the ones holding masses here in the Philippines.  It is really old but somewhat preserved.  It was built by the Jesuit priests in 1596 and is the oldest stone church in the country.  At the museum, you will see old religious artifacts on display that will surely remind you of the Spanish regime.

After Baclayon Church, we went to see the Proney- the biggest phyton in captivity.  Well, I am not really that interested in visiting the place so I asked Manong Tito what else to see there.  He said, may bading dun then smiled.  I thought he was only kidding but it was true.  I was even more amused with Marimar than with Proney.  S/he is really a great performing, imagine doing acrobatics and all that?  S/he was really funny and I would definitely recommend going there not to see the python but see Marimar perform.

Then, the last stop- the Blood Compact Site where Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi entered into a blood compact with Rajah Sikatuna.   The view is really great.  There is even a well down bellow that looks like the one from the movie, The Ring.

After about 8 hours of driving around Bohol and taking pictures, we went back to the hotel.  It is technically our last day in Bohol since we are leaving for Cebu the next day.  We will surely miss Manong Tito, if anyone will ever go to Bohol and if I will return to Bohol for another vacation, I would have Manong Tito as my driver again.

Bohol is a bit boring if you are looking for real adventure and party.  It is more of a place where you can enjoy scenic views and sit on the beach.  If I will go back, I will surely stay on a beachfront hotel to maximize my beach experience.   Although our stay at the Soledad Suites was definitely good - place is nice and clean and cheap and the hotel people are very nice that they helped us in everything, including buying tickets for our trip to Cebu.

Categories : My Little Adventures