It was a decade old dream of having a vacation together for
the Estrella and Ilagan families. Bohol has always been the first choice. It
was last December 2011 when God finally answered our prayer and opened up an opportunity
for this dream to materialize. Swthrt and Lea had agreed to book a trip to
Bohol on the 16
th to 20
th of April 2012. We have decided
to take a Cebu flight and took a ferry going to Bohol and be back to Cebu on
the last day of our trip. In this itinerary we can tour two places, Bohol and
Cebu. It was a vacation everyone had long been waiting for.
Day one
Having recovered from an acid reflux incident that brought
me to the ER of The Medical City, I was able to join the group bound for Cebu
and then to Bohol. We met at the
Terminal 3 of NAIA early morning of April 16.
Though a little tired and not yet
fully recovered, I took advantage of resting while on flight to Cebu. We
arrived at Mactan Airport just in time to transfer and board the 10:00am Weesam
fast craft bound for Tagbilaran, Bohol. It was at least two hours cruise going
to Bohol. It was an adventure for us and
the kids.
Having traveled for many hours, everyone was already hungry. Louie managed to call the hotel staff where we will be staying and then arranged a lunch for us. We stayed at the
El Portal Inn in Tagbilaran City. After having lunch, everyone took a rest for the day except Swthrt and Lea who managed to go to Marcela Mall and bought some pasalubong for family and friends.
Day two
Our second day at the island starts with a breakfast at the
hotel. Our itinerary was the Panglao
Island tour. First stop was the Dauis Church in Dauis, Panglao Island. An old legend
relates that once, when the town was invaded by pirates, the people of Dauis
locked themselves into the church. However, they soon ran out of food and
water. Then a miracle occurred: a well appeared at the foot of the altar. This
same well is still the main source of water for the people living close to the
church, and, although the well is only a few meters from the sea, the water is
absolutely fresh. The water is said to have healing powers.
We also dropped by at the nearby Cafe Lawis/ Handumanan.
Unfortunately, we were too early to taste on their specialties. The café opens
at 12 noon but we got to enjoy the scenery at the back of the café.
We then proceeded to Hinagdanan Cave. One of a must see tourist attraction also
located in Dauis. It was amazing that guides have developed a systematic way to
entertain and to guide visitors underground. They would know the best spots to take souvenir pictures. They have also mastered the settings of
different type of cameras that would capture natural lighting of the place.
A
brief stop at the fruit shake stand gave a refreshing feeling after the tour
underground. Be sure to bring extra clothes because it could be hot down there.
Anyway, if you forgot one, there are souvenir stores around the area. We
actually bought some shirts.
We were just in time for lunch before our next stop, the Bohol Bee
Farm.
We had a short briefing on the farm’s herbs produce and the bees which was the star of the show. The bees were actually European bees and were quite tamed as compared to our local wild bees.
Photo sessions holding the beehive was exciting.
We also had a tour at the farms livelihood area.
After the tour,
we all proceeded to the farm's restaurant for our sumptuous lunch overlooking
Bohol’s clean waters.
Before we go, we drop by at the farm’s store
to buy some of their delicious produce using honey.
For our last stop, we went to enjoy the white sand beaches of
Panglao Island. We all had a great time.
Day Three
After breakfast, we
were all ready for another adventure. This time we were headed for the
countryside tour. This includes the visit at the famous Chocolate Hills and the
Tarsier Conservation Area.
Our first stop for the day was at the Blood Compact Monument
in Tagbilaran. It represents the Sandugo
(blood compact) between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Raja Sikatuna in
March 16, 1565. According to our Driver/Guide, that was not the actual place
wherein the blood compact was held but it was somewhere in the town of Loay.
However, the monument was placed in Tagbilaran probably for easy access to
tourist visiting the city. But with its current location, it needs further
development to be more attractive for tourists. One thing to look out was what
we call the “snipers” or the photographers who would take pictures of you and
after which they would sell you the printed copies for 100 pesos each that
would go down to 50 pesos each just before you leave the place. The pictures
were good though with the layout and designs but what is annoying is that they
would seemingly force you to buy them.
We also had a brief stop for picture-taking to one of the
great spots along the highway overlooking the clean waters of Bohol.
Our next destination was the Tarsier Conservation Area in
Loboc, Bohol. Here we took a glimpse of the world’s smallest primate, the Tarsier
of Bohol. A briefing before the tour was held.
Tarsiers are nocturnal animals
and must not be disturbed at their natural habitat. Before, tarsiers were made
as pets by some shop owners along Loboc river as tourist attractions but it was
later banned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It was
found out that tarsiers can be highly stressed when held and captured and they
have the tendency to commit suicide. Today, the conservation area helps in
protecting the tarsiers.
Following next was the world famous Chocolate Hills of
Bohol. Along the way we passed by the Shiphaus. It was a house in the shape and
form of a ship.
The Chocolate Hills are the main attraction of Bohol. Estimated
to be from 1,268 to about 1,776 individual mounds, these cone-shaped or
dome-shaped hills are actually made of grass-covered limestone. There were lots of theories and legends on how these
hills came about but for whatever it may be this is surely an amazing site to
behold. It was a wonderful creation from God.
On our way back, we dropped by at the Man-made Mahogany Forest
stretching in a two-kilometer stretch of densely planted Mahogany trees located
in the border of Loboc and Bilar towns. It was only the four of us who took
some time to have our jump shots taken with the forest as our backdrop.
Another brief stop along the way was the Sevilla Hanging
Bridge crossing the Sipatan River in Sevilla, Bohol. This bamboo bridge with
steel cable reinforcement is becoming an adventure tourist spot with tourists
crossing the two bridges with a span of around 40 meters each. Be prepared though for a 20 peso toll fee to cross the
bridges.
After the short adventure, off we went to the Loboc River
Cruise for our lunch. There were four restaurants that cater the cruise to
choose from. Menus are posted on big tarpaulins. We decided on the second
restaurant and bought the ticket for the buffet meal which costs 300 pesos.
Another 100 peso fee was charged which
covers the maintenance and security fees while cruising along the beautiful
Loboc River. This for me was one of the best parts of the trip even though I
was not able to eat as much as I wanted to because of my stomach’s acid reflux.
Following the wonderful river cruise was a visit to a Butterfly
Farm and Xzootic Animal Park for a picture- taking with the Burmese python.
Finally, we took a look at the second oldest church in the
Philippines, the Baclayon Church.
Our day ended with a frustrating early dinner at an over-rated
Sugba Tula Kilaw (SUTUKIL) Food Haus.
Last day of the Bohol trip
After having our last breakfast at El Portal Inn, we had
some picture-taking for souvenirs and everyone was set for another ferry ride
going to Cebu City.
Cebu trip
Upon arriving at the Cebu Port, we took a van going to M
Suite where we will be staying overnight before heading back to Manila.
After checking in our baggage and had a lunch at Shakey’s at the nearby Robinson’s Gateway
we then hired another van for a city tour visiting the
Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City
and the
Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Mactan.
We end the day with a dinner at the Cebu Ayala Center at Bigby’s Café and Restaurant.
Last day of the vacation
The whole trip was truly a wonderful experience and would
be cherished for a long time. The vacation has come to an end and everyone was
tired but thankful for the opportunities God gave us to have this trip. God was
really gracious.
Our flight was slightly delayed going back to Manila but we were all very happy to be back home!
Praise the Lord for the wonderful time we had in this
trip!
