BF and I took the earliest flight to Tagbilaran via PAL and arrived 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. So we took wiwi break first before meeting with our designated driver for the day. Good thing, Rikrik (driver) arrived 30 minutes before our flight and was already in the parking lot to meet us. BF was lamenting with the kind of car that we will be used to service us. Good thing that Rikrik used an almost new Vios for us. :)
Rikrik chatted how fast one can get around Tagbilaran and before we knew it we're already in the first stop of the tour.
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| Blood Compact Site | | |
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Rikrik told us that this is not the actual Blood Compact Site and that the original location was found after extensive research and digging. Contrary to what we know, the blood wasn't derived from the wrist, but from the chest. Good thing they didn't hit the aorta or something or else much blood would have been spilled.
Next stop is the Baclayon Church.
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| Baclayon Church |
We didn't get to tour the museum beside the church since we were too early. I didn't anticipate this downside since I wasn't aware of the museum's existence. Hmm, maybe we'll tour the museum when we get another opportunity to return to Bohol.
There were some nature's art in the outside walls of the church. There's an image of Padre Pio in the church's wall and a Mother and Child in wall adjacent to it. We didn't take a picture of the Mother and Child since it wasn't complete yet.
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| Padre Pio |
There's a goosebumps-y feeling while inside the church. It must be the temperature or the feeling of being someplace really historic. The paintings inside of the church were amazing. It's similar to the painting done by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, but on a smaller scale. The wood and coral etc used in the construction of the church are still there. I wonder, what could the walls divulge if only they can speak. The only new thing with the church is the roof. It's Coat saver, Father.
Across the church is the Baclayon wharf where Cesar Montano proposed to Sunshine Cruz. Rikrik also mentioned that CM and his son Angelo used to swim a lot in the wharf. He even had a basketball court built nearby since CM was really into sports. Their house is also situated near the church but is hidden from view.
After Baclayon, we visited the Python Sanctuary. There was already a group ahead of us - a bunch of pre-schoolers having a field trip. BF wanted to skip this part since he has a ophidophobia. Good thing, he was sport enough to continue with the visit. According to Rikrik, the python eats 60kgs of meat every week and recently celebrated its 14th birthday. And since were early, we didn't get to see Marimar, the resident comedian in the area. We were supposed to buy from the souvenir shop in the sanctuary but since we were, again, too early, the shop was still closed.
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| Python Sanctuary |
We passed by the original Sandugo site. It was still under construction so we were just quick with the pictures. They say that the landmark of the original Sandugo site was the well used in the event.
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| Sandugo landmark |
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| Balon landmark in the Sandugo event |
We then went to see some of our long-lost relatives - the tarsiers. It is a good thing that they're not shy with people posing with them. We were careful not to use flash when taking our pictures so that we do not excite and blind them. We even spotted a tarsier that sports a smiling look.
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| Smiling tarsier |
The sanctuary also plays host to a couple of flying lemurs. BF and I already saw some flying lemurs (and in action too!) during a trip in Singapore. The caretaker shared that this animal is low-maintenance since they only rely on langka leaves for sustenance. The enclosure for this animal is a bit small so we're not sure if they can stretch their flaps and do some exercise.
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| Flying lemur |
Just a thought, when do tarsiers take their rest if they're nocturnals? Are they like employees working on different shifts?
We then went to see some butterflies in the Butterfly Sanctuary. This stopover would very well cater to pre-school students since the place is very educational. We learned about androgynous butterflies (having qualities of both male and female butterflies) and the difference between a moth and a butterfly. Bet, you didn't know that the opposite term for nocturnal is diurnal? After learning about the butterfly's life cycle, we proceeded to an enclosure that houses a number of butterflies. We lingered inside since we were so awed with the butterflies flitting around.
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| Baklang butterfly |
The sun was already high, by the time we reached the viewing point for the Chocolate Hills. We remembered seeing pictures of friends having nice souvenir photos at the top of the hills so I wondered where this attraction is situated. Little did we know that the chocolate hills in the pictures was just a picture in a tarpaulin. And tourists do some jump shots for the souvenir. It was a tourist trap and we fell for it. LOL It was fun though, having our couple pics taken.
We climbed all the way to the top, taking a few breaks in some viewing points to look at the hills. I have to remind myself to bring an umbrella whenever we return here. The view was great at the top except for the sun. The air was so refreshing that I gulped as much air as I can since this is not available in the city.
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| Chocolate Hills |
During grade school, you would only see these majestic land formations in books. It was so amazing that I got the opportunity to see these hills for real.
We then went to walk along the Hanging Bridge. It was sooo scary.There was a kid who was used to walking across the bridge and got a bit of annoyed since we (tourists) were taking such a long time to cross the bridge and that when he passed the bridge shaked so hard. I really had to hold on to the bridge to balance myself. Below the bridge was a river and kids were playing and swimming in it.
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| Hanging Bridge |
At the other side of the bridge are tourist shops where we bought packs of peanut kisses and shirts to bring home. Buco King, the person who peels off coconut skin using his teeth was also there. You have to pay 100pesos for him to show his stuff and being the cheapskate that I am, I waited until someone took the bait. LOL We also bought some buco juice from his stall since we were still parched from the climb in the previous stop.
We realized that the pasalubongs will not fit in our hand-carry luggage, so we bought a used box, packaging tape and pentel pen to create a make-shift box. LOL The destination was written on our e-ticket (MNL-TAG). The finished box looked so funny because it was taped all over and I didn't bother cutting the paper where the BF's name was written. We even made a make-shift strap so that it'll be easier to carry.
We had lunch at the Loboc River Cruise and the food was just so-so. I didn't bother going for seconds for the fruits since I might get sea sick. We were entertained by the in-house singers and the Loboc choir in one of the stops in the cruise. The ride was really romantic. We wondered if it'll be more romantic if we took the cruise at night when the river was lit.
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| Loboc River Cruise | | |
There were two stops remaining after lunch. The Hinagdanan Cave and Bohol Bee Farm. Both locations are situated in the Panglao Island.
In the Hinagdanan Cave, we were guided by a local ngongo who knows how to use our camera better than we do. He even knows about the ISO setting to be used in dark places! LOL Since he is a seasoned guide in the area, he would direct us to stand in spots where we would get the best shots. And I couldn't believe that the sights in the cave after taking the pictures.The tour felt a bit hurried though and that the information was rushed.
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| Inside the Cave |
The temperature dropped a couple of degrees inside the cave. The water must have cooled the place. The place also smelled funny, but this might be because of the bat droppings.
The guide said that the deepest part of the pool measured 10 feet. I was enticed to take a dip in the pool but changed my mind because it was so dark.
The drawings in the cave looked fake to me. (Disclaimer: This is just my opinion.) Because the paintings were different from the usual cave drawings one sees in museums. One of the pictures looked like a Sanskrit deity. I am not sure if the place has been authenticated by historians, etc.
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| Paintings inside the Cave |
Outside the cave were shops selling shirts and other souvenir items. I think, shirts are cheapest in this place. We were able to score shirts for 99pesos here whereas the same shirt was sold at 120pesos at the Hanging Bridge. I no longer bought key chains and purses since I still have some from Singapore and such a pity that they are not being used.
The last stop of the tour was the Bohol Bee Farm. We opted not to avail of the tour of the place since Rikrik warned us that they do not have protective gears for tourists when touring the bee farm. We just went to take a look at the store. There were food samples so we helped ourselves on these to help us decide which to buy. I ended up buying a box of tableya to try at home.
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| Bohol Bee Farm |
BBF's ice cream is not that creamy and we're not sure what kind of milk was used since it has sherbet-like feel to the tongue. The malunggay flavored ice cream tasted like.. malunggay leaves. LOL I'm not sure what to make out of it. We were surprised that for 40pesos, you get two scoops of ice cream, so we tried mango, durian and ube. I think they tasted OK. But what really stood out was the cone that was used. I am not sure what it is made of but the taste was really interesting.
It was still pretty early when we finished the tour so Rikrik dropped us off at Dumaluan Beach Resort. I thought I was having a deja vu when we were about to enter the boundary of DBR and then I realised that it was the same place that I went with my labmates, four years ago.
Note: Bohol is abundant with old churches particularly those from the Spanish period. They really looked interesting and picturesque. We did not stop on these since seeing and having our picture taken in one is enough.
Note: Kuya Tatsky's contact information:
- Jesser "Tatsky" Cubero
- email: jessercubero@yahoo.com
- Globe: 0915-794-5556
- Sun: 0922-367-1051
- Smart: 0912-747-2737
Note: Kuya Tatsky's wife arranged our accommodations at Dumaluan Beach Resort.
