Bumming Around Bohol

I think of that famous Chocolate Hills and that little monkey called Tarsier whenever I hear about Bohol. I flew from Manila to Tagbilaran after a much deserved vacation from work, making Bohol as my first destination during my long holiday trip. I met a local working as a policeman who helped me get to Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier conservation place.  Chocolate hills are well, small greenish brown hills in the countryside. The hill is a beautiful work of nature alright, but also over hyped. It’s better to see it and be amazed for a moment then proceed to other interesting places this island offers.

Tarsier has become a major attraction here, claimed to be the smallest monkey in the world. From the Chocolate hills I was taken to this Tarsier conservation area where I met these little nocturnal primates. I found myself walking carefully as I did not want to be the cause of death of these cute creatures. I've heard that they go head banging to death when they get stressed.

Bohol is not just about the Chocolate hills and Tarsier. There’s the Loboc river, zipline, cave, Spanish colonial town and the old church. I preferred to explore the city only for a day as I was headed to where I always wanted to be - the beach.

I planned to spend a night in Alona beach in Panglao island just a few kilometers away from the city. It was getting uncomfortable as the policeman obviously wanted something in return after taking me to Panglao Island by motorbike. Money was not an option here.  I had this tendency to accept help and be naive. I learned this the hard way after being in dangerous situations during my travels. Fortunately the guy finally understood my need to be left alone, so I found my guesthouse by the beach and settled there.

Snorkeling and dolphin watching were the activities I came here for. However it was not like in Palawan where you get everything for around $15. No free seafood buffet, one whole day of island hopping or whatever. Prices are all separate unfortunately, and I think it’s really a rip-off. I was sharing a boat ride with these German couple who were complaining about paying for everything. We didn't see any dolphins after the dolphin watching tour. So we were just taken to this island for snorkeling to compensate for our unluckiness.  And yet here we were asked again to pay for a small boat to get to the middle of the sea. We didn't give in after much complaint, so we swam up to the middle with our snorkeling gears.  And finally, I've got my marine life experience of Bohol. 

Say cheese fish face. 

Tourist trap it is. I've seen bars, hotels and lines of foreigners sunbathing as I walked on the beach. Travelers talking to the same people and all that shit, I knew I wasn't going to stay here for long. I was sitting on the beach enjoying my solitude when this elderly couple passed by and talked to me. A friendly Filipina and his Hawaiian husband, the woman was asking me if I could go snorkeling with her husband the next day as it will be safer to go with someone out there in the sea. I told them that I was leaving for Camiguin. They seemed so nice but I have to move on due to my limited time. Nevertheless, they invited me for a dinner and they were like my family for a night. The couple were also inviting me to visit them in their rest house by the beach in Zambales before they go back to United States.  I failed to do so as I was caught up in the routine and all my domestic travels. I hope to visit them in the future.

They say that the best thing about travel is the people you meet, and this makes all the difference.