Yes, last August 31, 2008, I, together with Noel and 8 others conquered Bohol , the home of tarsiers and the world renowned Loboc Children’s Choir. Ever since, I have always been fascinated by the province’s beauty and its rich culture and history. When I was there, I could not almost believe that what I read and just saw in books and pictures about the province were simply flashing right before my very eyes.
Traveling on a tight budget, we just rode a boat to Tagbilaran, the capital city for 4 hours or so. The boat was not big enough for people to roam around so it literally bored us. Since most of the group just came off from a night shift duty, they took the opportunity to sleep and rest and I, who went undertime from office, finished a book called Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.
When we arrived, I was amazed by the overall cleanliness of the city, at least for those we have passed by. I think the government of Bohol should be given credit for exerting effort in tidying up the place but still needs though to redesign their tricycles to something more comfortable for its passengers. I was nearly having a stiff neck because of its odd shape and size.
Anyway, we capped the first night with something we do best, disco! We then proceeded to Bohol Tropics where Lazer , dubbed as Bohol ’s high-end disco bar is located to check out cute guys and perhaps grab one or two for fun. They are right. The place is great. If there is an award for the cleanest restroom among all the disco houses, then Lazer would have been a grad slam winner. Their restroom is so so clean that you can even sleep on the floor. But that night was a bit unlucky night for both Noel and me. There were a number of cute guys, overly cute that is, but we never had the courage to run after them, maybe because it was not our place. Had it been in Cebu , then we would have both fled in seconds to satisfy our bodily desires. (I am not really serious about this.)
The following day is the tour proper. The itinerary of the tour package was just perfect enough for us to experience the best Bohol can offer. We kicked off at the Sandugo Shrine. This is where the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Bohol-native Datu Sikatuna performed blood compact as a sign of friendship between two different countries. Then we headed to Baclayon Church , one of the country’s oldest churches. This magnificent work of architecture was believed to have been built as early as 1717. We were just unfortunate because their museum was closed at the time we were there. We would have learned more about the church and the history of Baclayon as a whole. After that, we went on to see the infamous python of Bohol . I don’t really know why this was even included. For ophidiophobics like me, this is not a good site to see. The tarsier on the other hand was the same as I expected it. Small, big eyes and with a disgusting smell. It is not pleasant. It is only famous because it’s extremely rare.
We had our lunch at Loboc’s Floating Restaurant. We were eating while we were sailing. For me, it was the best part of the trip. Again, we were staggered by the cleanliness of the vicinity. The terminal was clean. There were no signs of garbage floating on the river. Noel and I were amusingly looking for flaws and finally found one when we saw a single coconut floating on the river. But alas, one terminal crew started to ignite his boat engine and drove all the way to get that single coconut out of the river. For someone to make an effort to drive a small boat just to get one piece of trash is something saintly. It is something laudable. At that sight, Noel and I were even more astonished. While we were sailing, and eating, we were entertained by a young lady who sang folk songs and did famous pop songs too. Perhaps, this is their way of resembling gondolas in Venice.
After Loboc, we went on to the man-made forest. There was a sudden change in the humidity of the place as we were approaching the forest. It was cooler. It was serene. It was refreshing. The shade from the trees made the overall cool breeze in the area. Again, to the people of Bohol who have thought of this brilliant idea, kudos! They have not only attracted tourists but preserved nature as well.
I was always lost for words to describe how I was really struck by the beauty of Bohol. I was even more at awe when we started to see small mountains scattered at both sides of the van we were in. We immediately realized that those were already part of the wondrous Chocolate Hills. When we arrived at the viewing site, which is at the zenith of one of the hills, we were even more amazed. I thought that Bohol must have been a spit away when God showered natural abundance and beauty. Truly, this is a blessing that should be treasured and should be well taken cared of. I wish Surigao, my home province were also blessed with natural wonders like that of Chocolate Hills.
The final site we went to was Sagbayan Peak. Also part of the Chocolate Hills but it was more developed. They built rooms for guests who are willing to stay overnight. They have also a hall which can actually hold conferences and corporate meetings. They have also made the entire site very colorful to attract children. They were currently building a playground for kids with real little houses and gardens.
One day is not enough to unearth all of the province’s treasure. There are still beaches and caves to discover. There are still other historical sites on the other side of the island which I believe are worth visiting too. Next time, I think we should have a higher budget so we can savor everything about Bohol. And maybe next time, I can grab one cute guy too.
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