Two days and one night are not enough to explore this beautiful place but everything that happened and what I experienced on that short stay are more than enough to inspire me for a lifetime.
The Pawikan River Cruise did not only re-fuel us with its sumptuous meal – after an almost 3-hour travel time on land and sea – but also re-filled our eyes with wonder on the luscious greens and our ears with dynamic music. But what stood out was the visit to the Ati tribe. Experiencing a different culture has always been my primary goal when I travel, and this Bohol trip hit the nail just like that. I had a marvelous time jamming with the “band” of this small community, and how could I forget that peck on my cheek from a little girl?
We also went to a cave which they called Hinagdanan because of the stairs-like rock formation which served as pathways. What’s interesting is the lukewarm, crystal clear water inside the cave which the tourists delightfully bathe in. I just wonder if it were clean considering the bats overhead? ☺
And of course, we absolutely made sure not to miss Bohol’s finest features. We went to a sanctuary for tarsiers and Juneaue was amazed when his eye caught one. I saw him stare at it in awe with his jaw dropped; it was a funny sight! It was my first time to see these so-called “smallest monkeys” up close, but they were so quiet and hidden and I was only lucky enough to see three among many. It was so fascinating to learn how come they’re so few- too lazy and slow to produce for its generation and too emotional to continue living when faced with “adversities” (I’ll let Wikipedia explain that further). ☺
After a quick rendezvous with the tarsiers, we drove to one of the world’s seven wonders – The Chocolate Hills. We had to endure numerous levels of stairs which felt like forever but seeing the view at the top was all worth it. Juno was so eager to get to the peak and did not seem to mind his aching tiny legs from climbing. When we got to the final level, I was deeply astonished. For indeed, the pictures from the postcards came into life. At times like these, you can just can’t help but admire God and Mother Nature for creating such masterpiece.
Lastly, what’s a summer vacation without the sand and sea. Panglao is famous to beach-goers and we headed right away to Alona just right before sunset. The next day, all we did was laze around by the beach. Good times, definitely. ♥
