Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 1)

Bohol is an awesome place! Despite that it was hit by one of the strongest earthquake, it was able to regain its natural beauty, and take pride for its capability to stand again.

Truly, the heart of Bol-anon is unshakable.

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Here is the complete itinerary of our four-day stay in Bohol!

We took an AirAsia flight to Tagbilaran City. The flight was delayed because of blah blah traffic, which we assumed was caused by the previous typhoon Glenda. Still, after a 1 hour and 15-minute travel, we are glad that we landed safe in Tagbilaran City.

Upon arrival at the Tagbilaran Airport!
Adventure starts here!

We are first time backpack travelers, so we are all excited to explore the province! And since we arrived at almost lunch time, we headed for our first restaurant destination.


Gerarda's Restaurant

We did our research about the famous restaurants in Tagbilaran, and Gerarda's Restaurant is featured in GMA News TV's 'Ang Pinaka' Yummy Restaurants in Bohol, that's why we tried it. The restaurant is just behind the community hospital.

How to get there from the airport?
Ride a tricycle, P20/pax.

It is an old house turned into a restaurant. We ordered Bouillabaisse and Dinakdakan, the restaurant's specialty! The food is good for sharing.

Bouillabaisse in a single serving
But it is served in a big bowl
P295

Dinakdakan
P180

Inside Gerarda's Restaurant! :)

After a sumptuous lunch, we headed to our next destination.


Sandugo Shrine

It is one of the most famous landmarks in Bohol, and also the reason for the festivity for this month in Bohol.

Sandugo is the first diplomatic agreement that existed in the Philippines.

On our way to the shrine, we encountered two foreigners, heading somewhere, we just took a picture with them and admire their bravery as they commute in a land where they are not familiar with, even with the language!

With the two foreigners, the man says, he does not
fit in the jeepney! Which is true.

How to get there?
Ride a tricycle going to Island City Mall (ICM), P10
Ride a jeepney to Loboc, tell the driver to drop you at the shrine, P8

Sandugo Shrine

Baclayon Church

From the Sandugo Shrine, we went to Baclayon Church. It is one of the churches that was hit by the earthquake.

How to get there?
Ride a jeepney to Loboc, tell the driver to drop you at the church, P8

Baclayon Church

There's a museum in Baclayon Church, and as part of our tour, we also went inside. The money will also help for the restoration of the church. Camera isn't allowed inside the museum, but it is allowed inside the church. The entrance at the museum costs P50.

Inside Baclayon Church

Then off we go to Loboc, where we plan to stay for the night.



After the jeepney ride, we were surpised to see the Loboc Church. It was really destroyed by the earthquake. Loboc Church is where the famous Loboc Choir stays. They are group of kids with amazing voices.

Loboc Church

We then dropped by at the reservation area for the Loboc River cruise to reserve a slot for dinner. But upon arrival, we were informed that the dinner cruise was canceled since the earthquake.

Since it's too late already, we headed to the guesthouse, so we can rest and enjoy the rest of the night.

There are two guesthouses near the cruise, the Paddle's Up Guesthouse and the Nipa Hut Guesthouse. The Paddle's Up is nearer, and has wifi, so we chose the place. Inside it is a simple yet majestic, close to nature, amazing place!

We rode a habal-habal (single motorcycle), P30/head/ride.


Paddle's Up Guesthouse

Perfect for backpackers, it has 3 kubos. One is a dormitory-like, you pay for the space that you will use. If you are comfortable sleeping with other backpackers, this is a perfect spot.

The other 2 kubos are good for two.

Paddle's Up Guesthouse

The comfort room, shower room, and dressing room is for sharing. But since it's off-peak season, it seems like we own the entire place!

The shower room

And what we like the most is the shower room and comfort room. Yes, as you can see in the photo, there's no roof. It's like taking bath at a natural spring in the middle of the forest!

The water is cold and refreshing.

The comfort room has the same style, but it has a roof. It has a lot of plants inside, very spacious.

No worries, no peeping toms here, I guess? As far as our experience is concern.

The price of the accommodation varies, but they accept walk-ins. The caretakers, Kuya Rico, Kuya Roy, and ate Hilda are very accommodating.

For our dinner, the guesthouse offers a variety of meals from P150 up. The meal is so yummy and worth the price!

Our first day ended with a good and peaceful sleep!

For our stay in Paddle's Up Guesthouse, we were able to bargain with Kuya Rico. In total, we only paid P1000 each, with two meals (dinner and breakfast) + tip!

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Photo Courtesy: MagbooManahanMarcaida

Related blogs:

Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 2)
Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 3&4)

Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 2)

We had a peaceful sleep at Paddle's Up Guesthouse, our first guesthouse location in Bohol. We have a lot of places to go to for today's itinerary so we geared up early.

For our breakfast, we chose to eat at this place before leaving.

Pinoy Breakfast at Paddle's Up Guesthouse, P150

As we are planning on how to get to our destinations, Kuya Rico, one of the caretakers in the guesthouse offered their car for rent as we go around the province. It was a good offer since travelling through public transportation is not common in the area, which might take too much of our time.

We rented the guesthouse's car for P600 for three locations---Tarsier Conservation Center-Sevilla Hanging Bridge-Loboc Cruise. Not bad!

Thanks for the ride, Kuya Rico!

Tarsier Conservation Center

Of course. when in Bohol, you should never miss seeing the smallest primate in the world. They are nocturnal creatures. It is actually saddening that the tour is for 8am-5pm, the time which they are supposed to be sleeping.

They are very delicate creatures, if they're depressed, they're prone to suicide. They'll kill themselves by banging their heads until they die. Cameras with flash are not allowed too, it will hurt their eyes which leads to killing themselves too.

Silence Please! :)

Visitors are not allowed to create loud noises so as not to disturb the sleeping creatures. Though, there would be times that they will be bothered and will wake up.

Tarsier

We tried not to bother them, but some of them are sensitive, even with the slight sound of the camera.

Us with the tarsier... uhm, somewhere, over there!

The tarsiers can be easily spotted. A roof made of big, dried leaf is the clue. We've spotted 3 of them for the entire trail.

The entrance fee in Tarsier Conservation Center is P60.

After the tour, we had a short buko break! Refreshing!

Be Natural!

Sevilla Hanging Bridge

Next stop is this very uncommon tourist spot in Bohol. The Sevilla Hanging Bridge. It is a fun tourist attraction since the bridge is really scary, for me!

It is originally made from bamboo and ropes, but to add stability, it is now improved with steel cables.

There are two bridges where you can walk as you go to the other side then going back. Entrance Fee is P10.

Sevilla hanging bridge (Elaine, Jaymee, Gazelle)

It was a short, scary, yet fun experience! At the other side of the bridge is buko king. We didn't get to see him perform since we already had our buko break at the conservation center.

On our way to the next destination, Kuya Rico allowed us to ride on top load!

On top!

Loboc River Cruise

Since we were not able to have our dinner cruise last night, we chose to go today. The cruise opens at 11am to 4pm. There are different boats that serve the tourists every hour. The line wasn't that long when we get there. The cruise is worth P450 for each person, inclusive of the cruise and lunch buffet.

The cruise is a unique experience. We are serenaded with local and old english songs as we eat and traverse the Loboc River. It is so peaceful, and the food are delectable!

Lunch Buffet!

A variety of veggies and seafoods

Our serenader :)

The cruise ends at the Busay Falls. It signals the u-turn. On our way back, we will be serenaded by another group of locals, through folk song and dance, on a floating restaurant. The performers were kids and oldies. It's nice how the kids are familiar with their local songs and dance, what a good way to pass on the culture to the new generation!

Busay Falls

Elaine with the Bol-anon women

Jaymee with the cute Bol-anon kids

Chocolate Hills

No one could miss dropping by at the famous Chocolate Hills when in Bohol! After leaving the guesthouse, we're back to travelling on our own.

We waited for a bus that will bring us to the Chocolate Hills. After a few minutes, one bus came, it's loaded with passengers but we still went in. From Loboc to Carmen, it is worth P25.

I find it fun to ride the bus, I get to connect with the locals, observe the things they do, and appreciate the view more.

The driver then told us to go and ride another habal-habal (single motorcycle) on our way to Chocolate Hills. For two rides (back and forth), we paid P40.

With the famous Chocolate Hills!

It is such an amazing sight after a long trail! It is worth it! The efforts and all! It is amazing how God was able to think of such wonderful and natural work of art! It looks like a painting, but it's real! It is such an awesome experience!

It's getting dark and foggy already because of the rain, so headed back to where the bus dropped us. We are going to get another bus ride back to Tagbilaran City. We are planning to buy some supplies then spend the night at Panglao Island.

How to get there:
Special tricycle ride from ICM to Panglao Island: P600
Jeepney from ICM to Panglao Island: P40 

(There are limited jeepneys to Panglao Island, we were not able to catch the last trip because we bought some supplies for our remaining stay in the island. Some of the food there might be too expensive!)

Dumaluan Beach Resort

It was night time when we reached Panglao Island. We checked in at Dumaluan Beach Resort. We chose a tree house that's good for 4 persons for 1,000/night. It has no air condition, but the place is really cold so it's actually more than okay! It is also super duper near the beach!

For charging of cellphones, there's a lobby in front that charges P20/gadget/full charge.

We had our dinner at the Dumaluan Beach Resort 1 Restaurant. It was expensive to eat there, but since we're hungry, we were not able to find a cheaper restaurant.

It was an activity-filled day! Excited to explore the Bohol province more!

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Photo Courtesy: MagbooManahanMarcaida

Related blogs:

Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 1)
Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 3&4)

Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 3&4)

Dumaluan Beach Resort

The cold breeze of Panglao Island woke me up. For the morning, we explored the beauty of the beach and the island!

Our tree house!

Super clean beach!

Live starfish!

No matter where you are, you are connected! <3

Come lunch time, we looked for a carinderia that will serve us a Bohol delicacy. We rode a tricycle on our way to a carinderia, which is also near our next destination, Bohol Bee Farm.

The tricycle charged us for P30/head, and dropped us at a carinderia (I forgot the name!). We were served Adobong Pugita, Paa ng baka, and Monggo! Yummy, and we only paid for less than P100 each!

Bohol Bee Farm

We walk to Bohol Bee Farm, which we though was just near but was actually a little bit far!

We are supposed to go on a tour to be able to see the bees at work! But it's raining that day and the tour guide said that bees are aggresive on rainy days, and they're not including it for the tour for safety purposes.

We just then toured ourselves (it's free anyway!) around the Bohol Bee Farm.

Souvenir Shops

Souvenir Shops

We also tried their bestseller Malunggay Ice Cream (I believe it is made with honey). There are other flavors too, but Malunggay is their bestseller. The cone is made of dried cabcab!

Malunggay Ice Cream 

They are selling various honey-made items like spreads, bread, and other stuff like bags because they also have a weaving industry there. All the food there has a free taste! I bought Kapeng Mais, 'cause I love coffee and got addicted upon tasting it the first time!

We rode another habal-habal on our way back because we are tired of walking already. We paid P20/ride on the habal-habal.

We are going back to Tagbilaran again to buy souvenirs before we go home tomorrow. We didn't want to pay for another P600 special ride! We waited for a jeepney but nothing came. Good thing, there's a good van driver who allowed us to hitch! He thought we were locals, so he stopped when we shouted, Tagbilaran?!

Kuya (I forgot the name!) was about to fetch a group of Koreans who are going to have a tour in Bohol. He allowed us to come with him, and he dropped us near ICM. We paid him the normal fare for jeepneys, which is P30/head. At first, we were a little afraid of him, but we exchanged stories, so we will all feel at ease.

Then, I realized, there are a lot of friendly people in Bohol! No wonder that Tagbilaran is known as the City of Friendship!

We bought a lot of souvenirs from the market and some souvenir shops then headed back to Dumaluan Beach Resort to enjoy more of the beaches' beauty!

Dinner by the beach!

We had our dinner at the Dumaluan Beach Resort 2! All grilled at a reasonable price!

The rest of our stay until the next morning is spent by the beach!

Jaymee, Gazelle. Elaine

After a few preparations, we then head back to Manila the next day. Our hearts are filled with joy, and memories filled with new learning. It was such a fun experience and a very memorable moment! Til the next travel of 3Ms :)

Daghang Salamat, Bohol!

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Photo Courtesy: MagbooManahanMarcaida

Related blogs:

Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 1)
Bohol Trip 2014 (Day 2)

Watch out!

Watch out

I'm clumsy. I have this hobby of dropping things and a very unique talent on tripping on a flat surface.

He says, watch out.

I'm impulsive. Today I might want a whole black forest cake, then will crave for isaw. I suddenly imagine myself climbing a mountain. Has this habit on taking an unplanned detour on my way home.

He says, watch out.

I think differently. Most of the time, my mind isn't with me. Some of those times, I think too much.

He says, watch out.

Then he said,

God is using you more now than before. Watch out. Be on guard.

I then knew that the enemy lurks around. Watching at that weak spot. Waiting for the timing.

And my weak spot isn't my clumsiness, impulsiveness, or weirdness.

My weak spot is them.

The enemy knows it.

But one thing I know. The God of angel armies is right there by my side.

No one can snatch me back. I've been through a lot, and God is telling me.

"I'm not done yet. Hold on."

I'm bracing myself on what's going to happen. I know I can't prepare myself, but at least, I can tighten my grip and fill myself with His word to keep me planted on where I should stay.

Our differences

"I'm too busy with my work, hindi na kita nabibigyan ng time."

Kahit na personal na lakad ito, sinamahan niya ako magpacheck up sa sakit ko (since high school).

Masaya naman ako, kasi nalulungkot talaga ako kapag sobrang busy siya. Though, I understand him. Really. Pero nakakasad din kasi minsan na wala siyang time para sa akin.

I know that he's doing what he can do. Chat. Text. Calls. But there's no better way of knowing each other than to be together personally, di ba?

It's weird. I know that in this trip, he'd see me. A glimpse of the real me. Lalo na yung part na takot ako sa karayom.

True enough, he has seen a glimpse of not just me, but also of our differences.

He's on polo.I'm on t-shirt.

He's on black shoes.I'm on sneakers. 

He has a hanky.I don't.

But our differences, like in his words, is what compliments us.

I suddenly remember a portion of my love letter for my future (nung hindi ko pa siya kilala) that I wrote for a writing competition:

"You know, life is so different without you. Or maybe, it is going to be more different when you are with me—different in some sort of a good way. I guess difference depends on how we deal with what life has given us, I guess, love is a difference. It has to be one, because it gives us a different feeling of being the most different person, together. I love being different with you."

And true to it's sense. I love our differences... We complete each other. :)

Things he found out about me today:

• My worst case of wrong sense of direction
• Poor debating skills (for he's good at it)
• Stubborn attitude when we talk about desserts.

Despite this...

I love how he says "I love you" a couple of times, while looking intently in my eyes.

I love how he looks at me, asking me (obliging me) to stop eating sweets for it will worsen my cough.

I love how we worries about me.

I love how I saw him sleeping while waiting for me. It took me awhile to wake him up for I have to grab that opportunity to look at the details of his face, freely.

I love how he'd tease me, then say "I love you" again, while looking at me, then we'll laugh together.

We'll just laugh. The sincere one. The laugh that craves for more. 

Then he'll tease me. He'll tease me for the sake of nothing. He'll tease me, but with sweetness. And every time I'd try to tease him too, he'd say "I love you", which I think would mean, "Shut up". Haha! And before I know it, I'd just shut up, smile, and say nothing.

Even though my mind is shouting out the reply.

I'll just smile. Look at his eyes, then look away.

I don't know if I just can't stand his mesmerizing eyes, or I just can't let him see me---see me say those words in my mind.

And even if we had conflict the night before that, we were able to easily shrug it off. Being with each other is what matters most. And that the time we spend together is a time well spent.