I have heard a lot of good things about Loboc River and the cruise that is very popular to both local and foreign tourists many years ago, before I was blessed with the opportunity to set foot in Bohol province last week.
I have mentioned in my previous column that first on our itinerary when the fastcraft from Cebu docked in the port of Tagbilaran City, was to immediately head to Loboc, even if the driver reminded us that it would take us 30 to 45 minutes to get there. He knew we were very exhausted and famished. He even suggested that we take our lunch first somewhere near, in Loay, which according to him, is a good alternative to Loboc because it is only 20 minutes away from the city, compared to the more famous river. But I and my travel companion Doc Mima, were bent on seeing and experiencing Loboc.
When we got to the reception area, we were surprised to see tourists seated holding numbers assigned to them after registering. It was already a little past one o’clock in the afternoon. Our number was 107 and the man on the microphone was calling a group of tourists that was number 93 on the list. Indeed, this tourist destination is very popular that one local told us that like 5 or 6 years ago, the number of floating restaurants could hardly accommodate guests because of the deluge of tourists.
“There were too many tourists and too few restaurants on rafts then. Guests had to wait until the floating restaurants are back from a previous cruise and had unloaded tourists before a new batch could be accommodated,” said Roberto, a local driver who took us to Loboc. But now, the number of floating restaurants are adequate and tourist traffic is very smooth. I would say the Bohol Tourism Office and the provincial government are doing a good job in ensuring that guests are well-taken-cared-of.
When I stepped inside the floating restaurant, only one table for two was empty. That was our table. I admire how orderly guests were accommodated. Everyone was either seated or already lining up at the buffet table to get a taste of the sumptuous buffet lunch that featured mostly local dishes. By sumptuous I really mean delish! The line was already long and we badly needed something to put inside our empty stomachs. We rushed to that part of the table where the casserole of piping hot fish tinola was. That first taste of this popular fish soup native to the Visayan region, was a relief! Right there and then, we knew, the rest of the local dishes on the table had to be savored.
We were right! My favorite was the chunks of tuna cooked like adobo that were so flavorful and that dish that had langka or nangka (jackfruit) and small slices of pork, a little vinegar, siling haba or green chili pepper and some spices. Oh, and before I forget, their lechon kawali was so hard to resist! No Filipino feast is complete without pancit or noodles. I had 2 trips to the buffet table just to have enough filling of their bam-i. Bam-i or Pancit Bisaya, is a Pinoy stir-fried noodle dish that originated in Central Visayas, particularly in Cebu. This dish uses both egg and bean thread or glass noodles and vegetables like carrots, cabbage and baguio beans.
I can go on and on talking about our foodgasm while on board the floating restaurant but I do not also want this column to end without sharing with you our Loboc Riverwatch Floating Resto Cruise experience.
It was a smooth sail over clean and clear jade waters that gave tourists a refreshing experience. No wonder it is considered one of the cleanest rivers in the country. We were surrounded by verdant mountains with birds flying over nimbus clouds. When I looked up, I saw a dot traveling from East to West that I later realized was a cable car gliding by a loop of steel cable. The view was breathtaking. I was smiling the whole time. Nature indeed heals! It clears the mind and gives you a certain feeling of calmness. Every now and then, we would come across a floating restaurant or two with guests in it waving and saying “hello” to us and we would wave back and say “hi”.
The richness of Bohol’s culture is very evident in the province’s tourism. A local singer serenades guests on board the floating restaurant with Visayan songs like “Usahay”. There is a group of performers called Sug-ong Balsa, residents of Barangay Sug-ong, composed of young men and women, and housewives who entertain tourists with their native songs and folk dances. They are all cheerful and very encouraging that guests are immediately drawn to them. Tourists happily join them as they perform folk dances and sing while playing musical instruments like the ukelele.
Boholanos are very hospitable. They very well know how to make a guest feel at home and enjoy their stay in the province dubbed as “The Heart of the Philippine Islands”. I did a little research and learned that to a Boholano, the fiesta is the highest form of expressing one’s self to the community and is manifested in the way he and his family receive their guests. It is an honor for a Boholano to serve visitors the best way he can regardless of his economic status.
Every one of us on that cruise had a blast. It was a treat and experience that is one for the books. I did not see a guest leave the raft not smiling. Most of us were actually singing along with the local talent who was belting “Sweet Caroline” as we were on our way out of at the end of that enchanting 45-minute river cruise.
Loboc River, you are enchantingly beautiful.*
