Back in Bohol - day 1&2 (3/12-13/2010)

We haven’t had enough of Bohol didn’t we? Summer has come and here we are again back here. This time we had two companions, Allan and his wife, Janet, the former being an officemate of my girlfriend.

We find Bohol as our relaxation haven. Compared to other beaches here in our country, there are not much people here. Someday this place might change but I hope it’ll remain how it is right now. Anyway we booked again at Dumaluan Beach Resort because they have very affordable rates.

aboard the plane

aerial snapshot of I don't know where

aerial shot of tagbilaran-dauis bridge

We have officially landed in Bohol again. It's so good to be back in a place we have come to love.

We took the cheapest room available, which is the standard rooms because we are budget vacationists. The room is spacious but no ref and bath tub. It's ok.

standard room

Compared to before, we are more of beach bums here since we had no land tour. Allan and Janet had their tour on the first day while we stayed on the beach. By dinner we met with them at Bohol Bee Farm through habal-habal (motor bike back-ride) and took our meals there.

some of the cottages in DBR1

One funny note on our habal-habal ride was the rear tire got flat while on our way to Bohol Bee Farm. Blame it on the rocky path to BBFarm or blame it on us. Are we too heavy that the tire gave up on us? Hahaha… anyway thanks to that incident we walked few meters on a rocky road just to get to our destination.

While waiting for our orders we went to the deck that showcases the view of the sea. Massage also is done here. A perfect place for a massage indeed as the splashes of the sea in cliff’s bedrock is very relaxing to the ears. The fresh breeze of sea air can also be felt. We didn’t try the massage here but for sure it would be a great experience.

a view from the BBF deck

HDR - overcast

Here are some of our organic meals. I forgot the name of our meals but they do taste good.

After dinner we went back to the resort and bid goodnight on our first day. We have to wake up early tomorrow because we’re scheduled for a sea tour on some of the neighboring islands.

We packed the things we needed to bring that morning like tripod, snorkeling gear, camera and some cookies for merienda. We left at 6AM with the warm heat of the sun good enough to warm the surroundings. Moments later the heat was prickling hot. Being forgetful of me, I didn’t put sunblock on my shoulders and the result, well it seems like I am wearing a sando. Hahaha.

on our way to the island tour

First on our tour was dolphin watching. It would be my first time to see a dolphin and hopefully I’d be able to take a snapshot of it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a picture but at least we have seen few. They are aloof probably because they aren’t tamed and who wouldn’t especially if boats are chasing you. Hahaha…

It’s funny to see boats rushing as if we’re in a chase. At one point we’re in full stop, and then we’ll move slightly, then going to rush to where dolphins are sighted. I’m not saying it’s funny to chase the dolphins. I do pity their situation. Maybe they feel like they’re being chased and be cannibalized by us humans.

Dolphins only appear very early in the morning. Maybe we’re a little late since sun was high already that time and no dolphin sightings occurred anymore.

Next on our tour was Balicasag Island, a marine sanctuary for the fishes and definitely good for snorkeling. We took on our snorkeling gears and underwater film-camera (which is not good btw) and off we go to the water. The view, well it’s unbelievable! Different school of fishes can be seen. Even the corals are wonderful. I definitely enjoyed my first snorkeling experience.

balicasag shore

Why I say our underwater film-camera was a crap. Well, I can’t look at it in the viewfinder. I have mask on right. Tsk. So my only option is to just point it anywhere. The result after we developed it, just a waste of money and effort. Hahaha…

Walking underwater is really hard. You would be stepping into corals which are in irregular shapes, rough, and a little bit slimy so it’s slippery. My gf even got bruised when she slipped in one of the corals. Extra care is needed when walking and as the saying goes “Please watch your feet”. hehehe

We also took our lunch at Balicasag Island. We selected from the fishes available and they cooked it for us. The food was a little bit pricey though because sea foods are being bought in the city since their place is a marine sanctuary so no fishing. I liked their initiative not to fish and protect their resources.

cropped panoramic view of balicasag island

Last on our tour was the Virgin Island. Why virgin? Ahm, maybe because nothing happened here yet? You know what I mean. Hahaha… Kidding aside, Islands that are left undeveloped or untouched by civilization are called Virgin Islands.

The island is absolutely beautiful. Another splendid combination of blue, green and white met our eye. Blue sky reflected in the water, in the middle was an island with white sand and trees everywhere. A long stretch of sand bar leads you to the main island. It’s only a small island and you can explore it by just walking. I was also forced to try the meat of sea urchin which actually doesn’t taste good. Hahaha…

me at virgin island

long stretch of sandbar to the main island

just jump!!!

sea urchin

We got back to our resort in the afternoon and went straight to DBR Grill for some refreshments. We rested a bit and get back to enjoying the pleasure of the swimming pool and the beach.

It’s a typical afternoon and night for us. Just like before, we just stayed at the beach waited for the sun to set on the other side. We took our dinner of course at DBR Grill and then back to our rooms for the goodnight sleep.

Bohol Escapade 1 - Day 1 - 10/30/09

We went down south this time. Our destination? Bohol, where the beautiful Chocolate Hills can be found. Other attractions includes numerous white beaches, lots of baroque churches, large number of caves, blood compact site, and who would miss an encounter with the original "golum" only here in the Phlippines... the tarsiers! :)

Us at the airport

This was my first time to ride a plane too. Was there any chance that I got nervous during my flight? I could say just a little, when there happened to have slight turbulence. But I didn't puke nor got dizzy. By the way, we missed our flight that morning and we took the next flight. hahaha... what a great way to start things off. And we got another ticket just to pursue this long planned trip. We were shell-shocked by this event and it took us hours to recover. hahaha...

1st time to go above the clouds

We arrived in Bohol after lunch and right there our tour guide is waiting for us. We got Kuya Tatsky as our tour guide. And what can we say, he's so nice and accommodating and he certainly knows how to treat his clients.

At Tagbilaran airport

First stop, Hinagdanan Cave, located in Dauis. Why Hinagdanan, probably because entrance is through a small hole via a steep ladder. Inside were formations of stalactites and stalagmites. It was my first time to enter a cave and I was awed at how scenic it could be inside. There are also various wall paintings by I don't know who. hehe... Outside you can buy the cheapest inedible stuffs like shirts and other gift items/souvenirs. I forgot the name of our guide but he definitely is a must-pick. He’s highly recommended by Kuya Tatsky and now by us too. hehe… Why he is highly recommended? Well, he’s funny and lively. He speaks in accentuated English (perfect for foreigners). And he knows how to use our camera more than we do. Hahaha…

going down the steep ladder

inside the cave

behind are the paintings

Next stop are two old churches, Dauis church and Baclayon church, which is considered as one of the oldest in our country. A well can be found inside Dauis church which contains fresh water. I actually filled out my bottle of water and tested it out. It had no smell at all and indeed tasted like fresh water.

Dauis church's altar

filling up my bottle

Baclayon church's altar

In Baclayon church, an image of a face of a person can be seen in one of its outer walls. It is believed to be Padre Pio. Kuya Tatsky made us guess what we see from that image and I actually saw other figure. hahaha...

behind is believed to be the image of Padre Pio

Next, we went to the Sikatuna-Legaspi Blood Compact sculpture in Dais and took some pictures and after that we went to the actual blood compact site in Loay, way far from the blood compact sculpture. How ironic is that.

blood compact sculpture

actual blood compact site in Loay

I forgot to say, in between the two blood compact locations, we dropped by Albur to see Prony, a huge python which is asleep that time. We took a picture with it and were a little nervous as it might swallow us. hahaha... Another eye-catcher is MariMar, we caught him/her? performing comedy. You can also buy the cheapest edible pasalubongs here ranging from various peanut delicacies and kalamay.

Prony the python

MariMar (looks more like bitoy)

Calamay

After this, it's time we see the tarsiers. It was just a quick visit since it's starting to get late already that time. It is also prohibited already by law to hold a tarsier (how sad =( was that). We took some pictures and then off we go to the Hanging Bridge.

Tarsiers are #1!!!

together with the tarsier

traversing Hanging bridge

On our way back we passed by the Man-made mahogany forest planted by the Boholanos themselves. Pictures here were not that good since it was getting dark already, or was it really dark there since trees were blocking the sunlight. :)

in the middle of the street

Last stop for the day is the Bohol Bee Farm. They serve purely organic food in BIG servings and also provide a panoramic view of the sea.

Organic meal

Organic soup

After our delicious feast and a tiring day, we headed to Dumaluan Beach Resort where we will be staying. We weren't that excited to see or explore the beach when we arrived. We were more excited to see our room as we are very tired and eager to take a good night sleep. We're so excited to see tomorrow... =)

our room