Bohol's Chocolate Hills and Man-Made Forest

Bohol's finest and most popular tourist attraction is no other than the CHOCOLATE HILLS.

Chocolate Hills (which of course are not really made from chocolates) are thought to have formed due to weathering of marine limestone. They only appear chocolaty during summer or hot season when the green grasses growing on them wither and the brown soil gets exposed. This is how Chocolate Hills got its name. Trees actually grow at the base.

There are more than a thousand hills covering 50 square kilometers lot.These cone -hill structures are sometimes labelled as "breasts or tummies of pregnant women". These wonders stand 30 meters to 120 meters from the ground. You can actually have a full view of these land formations when you go to the viewing deck of Chocolate Hills Complex.

Meet up with Bohol's Prony, Python and Butterflies

     Time to meet Bohol's tame and not so tame animals! lol
     We had our next stop at Largest Python in captivity area. Just at the entrance, you would see vendors selling ube, peanut kisses and other pasalubong stuff.

sleeping python

     At first, the place was a little boring because the python was sleeping and it should not be disturbed and the caretaker was out so no one would dare to open its cage. Pfffff...So what were we waiting for? We could just have left the place and moved to our next destination - but we didn't.
    A "lady" in red was just sitting outside the python's cage. I was wondering what she was doing there. We were taking pictures of the animals and for no reason I invited her to have pictures with us. "She" was really hesitant and snobbish at first. Ok fine. But my group was really game. We had a little chit chat with "her". We learned that her name was Prony.

Hesitant and snobbish Prony hehehe

   Soon enough, Prony felt a sudden energy pump (perhaps she liked us) that she herself toured us around the place with laughs and giggles. (She really has so many stories to tell.) All the while we were thinking that it was just a simple tour until she asked us if we wanted to see her perform. Perform? Yeah, perform as in sing and dance! Of course, the answer was yes!

Blood Compact and Baclayon Church in Bohol

     Your tour in Bohol would not be complete without you visiting the historic place where the blood compact or sandugo took place between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (Spain) and Raja Sikatuna (Philippines). The monuments were built to commemorate the friendship between two nationalities. (Which later on, became a political anomaly.)
    There were lots of tourists when we got to the place. Nevertheless, for photo addicts like us, no one and nothing could deprive us from taking pictures! lol

Hardly see the monument!

"Hi sir, how are you?"

    

Bohol + Kuya Dodong = Cheap and Super Fun trip

    Meet the right person to be with if you are planning to make a trip in Bohol. Just saw his ad in the net. I emailed a lot of agents regarding our 2010 Bohol trip, never did I imagine that a certain guy named KUYA DODONG would make our stay super worthwhile and affordable!
   Jeconias Ursos, Jr is his real name. He has facebook account so people do not fail to add him :))

Kuya Dodong and his Starex Van

       Kuya dodong owns the van himself and he has more than one to accommodate the growing number of his tourists. He has been into the business for years now. That has made him a pro when it comes to Bohol trips. 

Sandbar in Virgin Island (Bohol)

     After we took our lunch, we went straight to Virgin Island. (Named so because no one stays here for good). Here, we were welcomed by powder-like sand. The sand was really fine that you would enjoy walking along the shore barefooted.

loving the white fine sand

     Though the sun was really high, it didn't prevent us from enjoying our stay in the island. There were also lots of tourists in the area - locals and foreigners. (And some honeymooners! lol) You might want to try the sea urchin which the Boholanos are selling in bottles. (Best when cooked with scrambled egg)
    We enjoyed strolling around the island. It's a small island that you can survey its perimeter by feet. Palm trees cover the whole place with lots of unusual shrubs too.

heat, sand, beach- perfect!

sandbar in Virgin Island

Dolphin-watching and snorkeling in Bohol

     It was the second day of our Bohol Trip. We had waken up very early in the morning just before the sun kissed the mountains. (Dolphins are likely to be spotted in the early morning that's why) We were off to dolphin watching!
     We went to ride the motorized bancas in Alona Beach. The view was perfect.

while waiting for the dolphins

     There were also lots of bancas chasing after the group of dolphins in that early morning - colorful bancas, big, small. I hated it the most when boatmen would really literally chase after the dolphins; they were not contented perhaps to just view the creatures from a least threatening distance. As bancas aggressively chased after the group of dolphins, the more that the poor creatures swam to a farther place away from the noise of the boats' motors.

Bohol City Panglao-Dauis Tour

     Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines and situated in the heart of the Visayas. It would take you an hour via airplane from Manila to get here.

     We went to Bohol last May 2010. For most of us, it was our first time to visit the place. And I tell you, it's all worth it!
      You wouldn't be impressed on how Tagbilaran Airport looks like. It doesn't tell much of what the place has to offer to tourists. This should be something that the local government should improve on.
We were fetched by our tour guide/ driver/ tatay named Kuya Dodong (that's what he prefers to be called). His real name? Jeconias D. Ursos, Jr. Now you have an idea why he prefers to be called as such. You would know it was him because he would be bringing his banner with your names on it!
After the fetching and resting stuff at our hotel, the tour began. Our first day was basically a getting-to-know-the-town trip. Kuya Dodong drove us around the city and to some scenic spots.


FIRST STOP: Dauis Church

Dauis Church

A surprising beauty at the back of Dauis Church (Photo by: Angie Pacay)

     It seemed an ordinary church when we had our first glance at the Church. Yeah, for most it was a typical church. What has made the church so special (aside from its age and history) is the Cartesian well inside it. Yes, it has a well inside that used to supply water to locals around the church. But for now, it is no longer used since it is seated just in front of the altar. At the back of the church, there is a spacious venue where at night, tables and bands are set for tourists.

The well inside Dauis Church

     At daytime, you can have your group picture taken as shown below since the view and the lighting are both perfect ! :)

SECOND STOP: BEE FARM

Welcome to Bee Farm

Unexplored beauty of the Bee Farm

     Unfortunately, there were so many visitors in the Bee Farm when we got there that we even decided not to go to the farm anymore. As an alternative, there was this store in the farm with so many cool stuff like bags, souvenirs, purses and others that you might want to visit while waiting for your tour guide. There was also a restaurant at the back of the store. Just  follow the trail leading to taht and I am pretty sure you'll get there hehehe. The restaurant was facing the South China Sea. The view was relaxing. The sound of the waves were really comforting. And the smell? It was a salty breeze! lol