Summer is long gone in the country since rain were pouring heavily lately. But this won't stop me from going on a week-long vacation :) Yes, I just had my late-summer-vacation last week. It was so good and very much relaxing. This time I went to the beautiful and exotic Bohol :)
Bohol is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Region. It is very much near to Cebu, Siquijor, Dumaguete, Camiguin and among others. The island is very much known for the Chocolate Hills. But as years passed by, there were a lot of new discoveries that are worth visiting.
It's my first time to visit the place. On our first day, we had our city tour which is a must-do for first timers. It's a whole day activity around Tagbilaran City, the capital city of Bohol. We were able to visit the following sites:
Sanduguan (Blood Compact Site)
-the site were Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna sealed their friendship/agreement-
Baclayon Church
-one of the oldest church in the country. Remember to wear appropriate clothes since this is after all a religious site-
Loay River Cruising
-our tour guide/driver Mang Reno suggested this place. We were planning to have our lunch in the famous Loboc River. According to him, most of his clients preferred Loay than Loboc. In fairness, the food was good :) It's an eat-all-you-can buffet for the price of Php450. Though there is a regular one for Php380 but the food were limited. Drinks are not unlimited though :(-
Tarsier
-look how small the cute tarsier against my face (hahaha!). There is no entrance fee here but only donations-
Man-made Forest
-this is my favorite site that we visited. It is so serene and beautiful. I felt like I'm somewhere abroad. Mahogany trees were grown along the road which gives a perfect-picture for anyone. You'll passed this as you head on to the Chocolate Hills. Highly recommended place!-
Chocolate Hills
-I thought I'll never see this famous God-given creation. I only got to see this on my elementary Social Studies books. I'm so happy and amazed when I got to see them finally for real! It was raining at that time so the hills were greens. It should be called then Green Hills, hehehe =)-
Butterfly Sanctuary
-I wasn't really excited for this since I hate anything that flies. For butterfly enthusiasts this is for you :) An entrance fee of Php25 is collected-
Hanging Bridge
-I had fun crossing this bridge several times. They collect a fee of Php10. There is a small tiangge at the other side of the bridge where you can do some souvenir shopping.-
On our second day, we wanted some extreme experience and so we're off to Danao Adventure Park and a side trip to Sagbayan Peak.
-We spend one-whole day here. You need to be there early to fully enjoy the place. We left our hotel at 6:30am and arrived at around 9:00am. Danao is 72kms away from Tagbilaran. According to Mang Reno, our driver, we need to leave Danao by 3pm because it would be difficult to travel back at night. Though the place provide overnight stay. This place is for those who love extreme activities. I always thought of riding the zipline and the adrenaline Plunge. But the moment I saw how deep and high the mountain we were at, I lost all courage to do it :( We weren't able to ride all because some were close while some will take most of our time. It actually needs 2-days of your time to entirely enjoy it all. A new zipline, which is three-times longer than the current one, is being build right now. Fees are collected on each activity.
Sagbayan Peak
-Mang Reno brought us to Sagbayan Peak were you could see Chocolate Hills and enjoy the scenery on top of a mountain.This is a resort and recreation center. A Php50 fee is collected.-
We dedicated our third and final day for swimming, diving, snorkeling, island hopping, and dolphin watching! =)
Whew! I wish I'm still there. The place is totally relaxing. Boholanos were very much friendly even though they had a hard time speaking, Filipino. Good thing I know how to speak Visayan at least :) If you haven't come to this place yet, do put it in your list of places to go. You'll definitely enjoy it and worth of your money and time =) Will definitely be back here again!
It's our department 113th Anniversary, not much work today (hopefully!). Enjoy :)
