Work brought me to Bohol this week. I and my colleague in the Academe, Doc Mima, the Vice President for Academic Affairs of STI West Negros University are attending the 32nd Visayas Business Area Conference in Panglao, representing the education sector. But I am also here as a journalist covering and writing for the VDS. But a little “play” on the side won’t hurt, right?
As the saying goes, “All work, no play makes Jill a dull person,” so we took advantage of free time we had upon reaching Bohol pre-conference. We took a countryside tour to make sure we would not miss the beautiful destinations. Since we got to Tagbilaran City Port almost noon, we headed straight to the best place for a sumptuous lunch while basking in the beauty of nature and culture: Loboc Floating Restaurant and River Cruise was our first stop.
We feasted on a lunch buffet while cruising through one of the island’s biggest rivers. Loboc River is very clean and obviously well-maintained by both the local government and the community. I marveled at the picturesque sight of lush green mountains while listening to a local performer singing, “Usahay”. The highlight of our 45-minute delightful lunch was the stopover in Barangay Sug-ong where local performers sang while playing instruments. They invited some of us to dance along. We and the rest of the tourists on board our raft were game! To say it was fun is an understatement. The Megastar Sharon Cuneta, former Senator Kiko Pangilinan did the same when they were here in Bohol with their children, a few weeks ago.
Another first for me was seeing up close and personal George, May Ann, Karen and Sally. They are among the world’s smallest primates and the stars of the tarsier sanctuary we visited! Greg is the oldest of the more than 100 adorable bug-eyed tarsiers in the 10-hectare sanctuary in Villa Aurora, Bilar town that we visited. Nine-year-old Greg was asleep when we reached his post (tarsiers are territorial creatures, by the way) but as soon as local guide Elnie Cabahug instructed us to pose in front of him, Greg’s neck made a 360-degree turn from the back and he suddenly opened his huge eyes in front of the camera, just in time to grace our photo op! We were tongue-tied! As if he knew he was about to be photographed and had to be gracious and accommodating to guests. Elnie said, Greg is the most senior in the family of tarsiers that are either rescued or bred in captivity in the sanctuary. We also met May Ann, Karen, and Sally, and had photos taken with them.
“Tarsiers are nocturnal. They sleep most the time when it’s day time. They are endangered. They don’t like noise and they get blind when you take a photo with them using your camera’s flash,” she told us during our chat.
We capped our visit to the tarsier sanctuary with scoops of dragonfruit and guyabano ice cream in cassava cones. A showbiz personality posted photos of Bohol Bee Farm’s yummy ice cream made extra creamy and naturally sweet by fresh coconut milk in one of her socials many years ago, I told myself I will make sure I don’t miss this treat when I get to visit Bohol. Good thing, they’ve got a stall just outside the sanctuary. I first ordered a scoop of dragonfruit ice cream which is among their new offerings. I loved it! My second scoop was guyabano, or soursop ice cream. This one I enjoyed the most because I was able to savor natural guyabano goodness plus coconut milk makes the dessert extra creamy and smooth, making it a yummy and enjoyable treat.
We also went to one of the country’s national treasures – Baclayon Church. La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria Parish Church is a declared National cultural treasure and National Historical Landmark. The actual parish missionary was founded by the Jesuits in 1596. The church is structurally original and still with original materials dating back to the 1700s.
However, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in October 2013 damaged the church, leaving it with a wholly collapsed portico, a ruined bell tower, and exposed interiors. It took more than 4 years to fully restore the church. Repairs were made on the facade and frescoes, the tower, and its centuries-old bells, the altars or retablos, and the antique pulpit and pipe organ.
The Papal Nuncio officiated the mass when it reopened in February 2018.
Nobody goes to this beautiful province without heading to the Chocolate Hills, declared as the country’s 3rd National Geological Monument on June 18, 1988. Of course this spot in Carmen town was on our list of must-visit sights. It was very windy when we reached the world-famous Chocolate Hills that is made up of 1,268 cone-shaped hills that turn brown in the summer but were greenish and lush during our visit because it has been raining for months already. The winds were very strong as super typhoon “Egay” was still in the Philippine Area of Responsibility and was enhancing the Habagat or the Southwest Monsoon at that time.
On our way back to our hotel in Alona town, just a few kilometers away from the Chocolate Hills, we passed by the man-made Forest in Bilar that is simply breathtaking.
Also called the Bohol Mahogany Forest, this two kilometer stretch along the border of Loboc and Bilar towns is mainly made up of white and red mahogany trees and is part of a reforestation project that started over 50 years ago.
When we entered the forest, we instantly felt w sudden drop in temperature. We had to don our sweatshirts when we got out of our car because it was almost dusk and we felt the chill. The forest’s density is courtesy of the trees’ height and considerable spread of its branches. Interestingly, the trees grow straight up towards the sky and are largely obscured by the thick leaves and branches.
Finally, I am not going to end my column without mentioning that Panglao’s white sand beaches are indeed awesome. No wonder it’s one of the main tourist destinations of the Philippines. We stayed in one of the resort hotels in Alona. Panglao is the most popular tourist spot because of its white sand beaches, world-class diving spots and rich marine life. It is the tourist hub where one can enjoy different activities.
Glad work brought me not only to Bohol but specifically to Panglao – a beautiful beach getaway. Sadly, got too little time to be able to cover all the best things one can do while in Bohol.*
