Over a week on the island of Bohol
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2009
1
16
37
Trip End
May 06, 2010
Where I stayed
Buen Bella pension house
Tagbilaran City, Tagbilaran, Philippines
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The next day we walked to the motorcycle rental shop a few blocks up from our hotel and rented the bikes for a slightly discounted 450 pesos (~$10) per day for 4 days total. This was splurging on our shoestring budget, but we knew it would be worth it. Really, how can you say no to touring a remote island on a motorcycle?!
...
Bohol is amazing. Specifically, driving around Bohol, on- and off-road, on a motorcycle is really amazing! We've been in Bohol for 5 days now and have more or less completed all the excursions and sites we wanted to hit. Using the motorcycles to make day trips to hit a few sites at a time really helped. We took an enormous number of pictures and videos (including live motorcycling videos using Mike's headcam!) so I will have to split them all up in a few different blog entries here just to make it more manageable and viewable.
Just a few of the highlights:
Day one (with the motorcycles)...
- Walking across the hanging bridge
- Seeing Tarsiers up close and personal
- Viewing the perplexing Chocolate Hills
- Touring the butterfly sanctuary
Day two...
- Driving up rough jungle doubletrack to the top of Mt. Calmanoc
- Seeing Samantha, the huge Burmese python
Day three...
- Seeing the beautiful Mag-aso Falls
- Discovering a small local spring and cave
- Drinking coconut wine with locals on the side of the road
- Being ushered down to "ring-side" seats at a cockfighting event outside Tagbilaran City
Day four...
- Climbing in the Hinag-danan cave and trying not to slip into the pool of water in its bottom
- Laying in the shallow water of Alona Beach @ Panglao Island off the tip of Bohol
All in all, Bohol is my favorite place of this trip so far. No idea how there's over a million people living on this island. It seems far from it. Even the capitol, Tagbilaran City, doesn't seem very big (you can practically walk the length of its main strip). But that's ok, because the laid back, small island feel of Bohol is what I really enjoyed.
Mike's Thoughts:
Bohol, my man, where have you been?!? Bohol was awesome. More continuation of the sunny, clear skies that we saw in Cebu. One of the highlights of Bohol had to be the motorcycles that we rented for 4 days. Any rise in temperature was quickly offset by the cool ocean breeze rushing past our face. A little slice of heaven. We took the motorcycle to most of the sites -- Chocolate Hills, Tarsier, peak of Mt. Mayana, and whatever struck our fancy along the way. Unfortunately, I'm now going to have to buy a bike when I return to the US. If you are planning on seeing Bohol, there is no better way to do it than by bike. Also, take advantage of the Filipino food -- get the fried rice whenever you get the chance. And of course a trip would not be complete without some type of *silog. Some type of meat/fish with rice and egg. I would say don't bother too much with the beaches on Panglao Island -- they are overcrowded with tourists, high-priced resorts, and over-priced food. Do something different -- go check out a tiny little restaurant at the back of the local meat/fish markets. It won't kill you...
Comments
this entry makes me wanna go back home, a block from where u were staying there... thanks for sharing this to the world... that they may know that we've got more than tragic events here in the philppines... Ü
Thanks for the comment! I loved the Philippines and Bohol in particular.
I have been to Tagbilaran City 2 times and i am returning in May. I never saw such a complete mall it has everything. we even ate there daily . Best food .. One day wahile at the mall to eat a little girl followed us to our table. She may have been 7 or 8 years old. joined us. told us her life story.. and her Mom worksed there at the mall. I asked if she wanted half my food she said yes and ate all . then we bought her an ice cream cone. THEN SHE INTODUCED US TO HER MOM. i LOVED IT. it will never happen in USA.