"BOHOL BLISS" Province of Bohol by regmanh

For a bit of recharging, nothing does it better for me than scuba diving. So off to Bohol I went to dive Balicasag Island. Getting to the city of Tagbilaran is an hour and a half flight from Manila or an hour and half by fastcraft from Cebu. Alona beach is in Panglao Island about 20 minutes from Tagbilaran City. Although not as fine as the sand in Boracay, it still is white and powder-like. Not being crowded and touristy, island life is slow and relaxed keeping a laid back atmosphere. The beachfront is lined with different resorts, dive shops and restaurants. Palm trees abound ready to give the beachcomber cool shade after hours in the sun. The beach itself is far from the gradual sloping terrain of more popular destinations but still lends itself to a refreshing swim and the water is cool and crystal. Panglao Island reminded me of some of the islands in Thailand like Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi. The place isn’t bombarded with blaring music and it doesn’t have that ‘party-place’ theme that Boracay nowadays resembles.

Diving Balicasag is awesome. The visibility was so clear you could see over 20 feet. This place has been declared a sanctuary so the marine life is thriving. Reef fish like lionfish and moray eels swim around the lush coral growth. The famous schooling Jacks were all over us, under us, left and right of us. I’m talking about numbers in the hundreds. It was like swimming with a wall of fish, their silver scales glistening like mirror balls under the sea. From around a corner, a large sea turtle swam gracefully along the reef.

chocolate hills

First stop was the memorial site of the Sandugo or blood compact between Datu Sikatuna and
Captain General Miguel Lopez de Leagspi in 1565. This event was the subject of the famous Filipino painter Juan Luna in one of his masterpieces. The Sandugo sealed the ties of friendship between the Tagbilaran chieftain and the Spanish explorer and colonizer. “It was the first international treaty of friendship between the Filipinos and Spaniards” The monument sits on a pedestal that has a grand vista of the waters of Bohol reminding its people of its proud history. Other attractions are old stone churches dating back to the 18th century Spanish era.

The province is also home to the world’s smallest primate, the Tarsier. The sanctuary is a good hour and a half drive from the city but well worth the time to see these amazing animals. They’re small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and their eyes are so huge relative to their bodies they seem to be popping out of their tiny heads. One can take a banca ride to see the natural habitat of the Tarsiers among the trees along the riverside. On the cruise, you will also come across a wonderful waterfall, its flowing waters a soothing sound of grace and power. At the end of the ride, you can opt to have lunch at a riverside restaurant or even eat at a floating café that goes up and down the river for that gastronomic nature trip.

Of course a trip to Bohol is not complete without seeing the intriguing chocolate hills. It is said that this part of the province was completely submerged and when the earth shifted, these mounds rose from the water or something like that. It is a sight to see these hills, and there are a lot of them, as they are strewn all over the place in almost uniform size. The farmers have worked their crop plots around them making them like centerpieces of the tableau that is their land. I’m assuming it got its name from the fact that when the vegetation is dry and the hills take on a brown color, they resemble those chocolate candies that makes us want to kiss after eating them.