I have been wanting to start writing about my Philippines trip since the first few days I got back but it seems as though everything made it difficult to start writing again - it took me a couple of weeks to get inspired to write. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know who reads this stuff, I guess I am writing for me. So here goes nothing...
Our Bohol trip started a little rough. I woke up pretty early in the morning (around 5am to be exact). Pablo had brought some cold Red Horse beer in the room - and we started drinking from then on. He mentioned that he couldn’t find his phone, so we start looking for it. A couple of hours later, that’s when I knew this was going to be a serious dent on his day - and ultimately a serious bump on the road for the entire group. I never like to see a friend in a bad mood and I could tell that it started to bother him a lot.
The time of our pick up was fast approaching and still no sign of his phone. At this point, everyone was looking for his phone. He didn’t want to go to Bohol until he found his phone, which I can understand since it is an expensive phone. But I really wanted him to come with us because I knew he would really enjoy the day even though he was in a predicament. So the group gathered together and finally convinced him to go. It was a relief that he decided to come, I never like leaving a friend behind.
So off we went and into our tiny truck with drinks on hand. And yes, 8am and still drinking... I always get excited before a trip and Bohol had been on my mind ever since we decided to visit the Philippines, the photos I’ve seen online were nothing short of beauty, excited was an understatement. I am really thankful that Bobby was there because when we arrived at the Cebu Port, everyone was either drunk or buzzed. He made sure that we didn’t mis our ferry.
When we got to Bohol, we were greeted by this lady who ended up being our tour guide. It came with a monkey bracelet and everything - it was legit. We get in our mini tour bus and what do we do? We drink...
Our first stop was the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, Bohol. The drive there was quite beautiful, driving through jungles, mountain tops with beach views - it was beautiful. Tarsiers are haplorrhine primates of the family TARSIIDAE, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once widespread, all the species living today are found in the island of South East Asia. We were told to be very quiet throughout our tour in the sanctuary because noise bothers the little guys and we couldn’t get too close since it might scare them. It was quite an experience seeing how small these guys are, how calm they were and how amazing it is that of all the places in the world, they decided to populate in Bohol which became their sanctuary. A moment through my travels that I will never forget.
Our next stop was a river cruise through the Loboc River, that came with a lunch buffet. a 2 person band and views that became a feast for our eyes to see. With our food of course came the beer - I would like to point out that we never stopped drinking . It started at 5am and it was now around 1pm (and by we, I mean myself and Pablo). The entire experience was so beautiful that it became overwhelming for everyone. A few people got emotional - because the moment you realize how lucky you are to be where you are at one particular point in an adventure, it becomes overwhelming. It is a humbling experience - we were truly lucky to be experiencing nature at its best. You always want your loved ones to be there with you when a moment like this becomes real and for some, this thought was very real. You can’t really do much but to just let everything go and cry, happy tears.
Metaphorically, the river we were in led to a river of emotions streaming down from our eyes - all we saw was the beauty around us.
Another highlight from the river was at the midpoint where these local dancers and singers performed a traditional Filipino dance called “tinikling”, a dance consisting of 2 bamboo sticks and dancers hopping over them while dancing to a beat. It is a very colourful dance that gave us good vibes.
Our next stop was the famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol. It was a zoo when we got to the peak (view point), it was just crowded with people - and we only had 15 minutes, which was quite short. The Chocolate Hills are a geological formation in the Bohol province of the Philippines. There are over 1700 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square km. They are covered in green grass that turns brown (like chocolate) during the dry season, hence the name CHOCOLATE HILLS. There were really no words to describe the 360 view of this place, you see it online and then you see it yourself, it was unreal. I wished we had more time and that there weren’t as many people. If I ever get a chance to go back to Bohol, I would make sure NOT to see it through a tour group.
Our next stop was a Spanish Colonial church by the ocean. This is where we saw fishermen and fisherwomen by the water - so we drank beers as we watched them do their thing. IT always amazes me how much hard work people go through everyday - and these people were working hard, it kinda puts everything in perspective. After that, we were on our way back to the port to catch the last ferry back to Cebu.
I always tell people the reason why I travel is to chase little moments in our lives that means something. It could be a quick interaction with someone I have never met, or seeing something for the very first time, learning something new with friends you care about. Those little moments will always forever be with me and that is what I will remember - this is what I will bring home with me. Bohol was an emotionally charged experience for some of us, but at the end of the day, we all got through it together. We had fun together, laughed together, ate together, drank together, cried together and were there for each other. A moment I will never forget.
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