Bohol Escapade 1 - Day 2 - 10/31/09

We really got tired yesterday since we tried to rush everything and finish our itinerary. We were anxious by then as our tour was not finished yet and we still have 3 left in our itinerary. We only have ourselves to blame since it’s our fault in the first place because we took a later flight. Good thing though is that Kuya Tatsky, as kind and generous he is, offered us last night for the continuation of this tour today. Yeah… and it’s for free!!!

Anyway, for our today’s itinerary:

• Loboc River Cruise w/ buffet lunch
• Chocolate Hills
• Butterfly farm

So much for our anticipation, we missed the sunrise that morning. We were dead tired last night that we had a deep sleep and woke up past 9AM, just in time for our breakfast. We have a complementary breakfast for 3 days which is included in our package.

Before we left for the continuation of our tour, we took the spare time exploring the beach. Their beach isn’t that long but it’s an advantage in a way as you won’t have to walk that far to get to other spots, especially to DBR Grill, where we will be taking other of our meals. Just beside DBR, there is Bohol Beach Club, a more expensive beach resort, has a longer stretch and I think better facilities.

exploring the beach

a view from the shore

Now it’s time for the resumption of our tour. First on the list is Loboc River Cruise. We opted for lunch river cruise so that we could see the beauty of the jade colored river. One advantage though of a dinner cruise is the ambience with the colorful lights of the floating restaurants.

Loboc river dinner cruise

us at riverwatch

Kuya Tatsky recommended us Riverwatch. He said food there is good. I don't know what others offer but we had no comments at all in Riverwatch.

We also got serenaded by a band, but in our boat they’re only two. They played I think sort of a jazz type of music. Regarding the food, well there’s a lot. Various Filipino foods were served in the middle on a buffet style. All this is priced at only P350, very affordable indeed!

the duets... great voice

food is served in buffet

The scenery is beautiful and surreal. The end of the cruise was marked by us taking a turn back since that part of the river is narrow already but we were delighted first by a view of the Busay falls.

jade-colored river

Busay falls

On our way back we stopped by a group of local choir and rendered us some songs. Tourists got a chance to mingle with the choir. It was very festive and there are even Chinese tourists who tried out Tinikling, our national dance. Lazy we are, we didn’t go down to mingle with the group, and we just took pictures instead.

a local choir performed for us

tourists enjoying every moment

I definitely recommend Loboc River cruise. It was very enjoyable and relaxing.

Next stop is the famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol. We went atop Carmen observation hill and had a good view of the hills surrounding that part of Bohol. We took the famous jump shots with a broomstick. The photogs there are certainly keen in taking jump shots which we aren’t…yet. We’re like from Harry Potter though. =)

stairway to the top

my gf posing for me =)

up up and away!!!

beautiful hilled landscape behind us

Though it’s a little tiring getting up there, it definitely pays well as you’ll get to see the majestic view of the chocolate hills.

Last on our itinerary is the butterfly farm. Nothing much here, you only get to see different kinds of colorful butterflies. Some of these butterflies are pretty domesticated; they were able to alight on us.

various colorful butterflies

a butterfly playing dead (it actually flew once released... great!)

Back in DBR, we took our dinner at DBR Grill, located at DBR1. They offer various grilled seafood and other menus in an affordable price and in a good serving size.

DBR Grill located at DBR1

We enjoyed today's activities. It wasn't that tiring rather relaxing than yesterday's. Well, we'll attempt again on the sunrise tomorrow. Make a guess. Did we caught up on it or not? Read day 3 to find out. :)

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

IN-despicable me!!!

My gf and I are fond of watching animated movies particularly those cute (for kids) ones. The latest that satisfied our delight is DESPICABLE ME.

In a clean and quiet neighborhood, sits an odd looking house and an odd looking car. Unknown to them, lied underneath is a secret hideout more of like a R&D laboratory. Are you familiar with Uncle Fester of the Addams Family, well he is somehow like the protagonist/antagonist of this movie. The workers? An army of small yellow minions which he introduced as his cousins. =)

Their main job is to steal important artifacts or landmarks from different places. One thing though is that nobody knows that it was him who's been doing this. Planning to get the biggest heist of his time, he planned on stealing the moon. Yes, the moon. How he can do it, by making use of the shrink gun. But first of all, he have to steal the shrink gun, overcome his biggest rival, Vector and to be a parent to 3 cute little girls namely, Margo, Edith and Agnes.

Can the world's greatest villain turn out to be the world's greatest dad?

Rating: 9/10

Island Cove Resort & Leisure Park

If there's one place we want to go back repeatedly it's this place, Island Cove Resort & Leisure Park in Cavite. Not that we always find something new every time we went there but it's our place of R&R if ever we wanted to. We've been in this place for twice already and this place is definitely on our top list for an overnight weekend getaway near manila.

Main Entrance

They offer a lot of activities which will surely appeal to different age brackets, to your family or your barkada. We haven't tried most of what they offer just those that is included in the package we usually avail.

Location Guide?

(I don't know what this is called)

Animal Island is where one can discover mixed flora and fauna. Some of the attractions include Butterfly and Crocodile farms, a petting zoo for those who want to interact with the animals.

Me at the Entance of Animal Island

A proud Ostrich =)

We also get to take a souvenir picture with a baby crocodile (i don't know if it is still a hatchling).

On our second visit, I got to learn how to ride a bicycle (thanks to my gf) and i bet she's proud of me. I learned in a matter of minutes... and I only got one bruise. =)

I finally know how to ride a bicycle... wohoo

A complementary carriage ride is also included in our package and we didn't miss the chance to avail of this one since we passed on it the first time around.

The prince and the princess in their carriage =)

Their food also tastes good. You can opt to fish and let them cook your catch or just select from the menu they offer.

Pritong Hito

There are a lot of things you can do inside Island Cove. One day is not entirely enough for you to try all of their activities.

Oceania Water Park is a 3,000 sqm 2-layered swimming pool with 4 giant slides (from their website). The water is very clear and well-maintained.

4 giant slides (red, blue, green & yellow)

Breakfast is served in buffet.

I think this is too many... hehe

Last stop before we left is we treated ourselves with a nice massage (also included in our package).

Us at the spa

Definitely a great overnight getaway.

Please check their website: http://www.islandcovephil.com/