loboc river cruise

12 august 2011

you can never miss loboc river cruise when you visit the province of bohol. it is a perfect mid-day rest for a whole day country side tour, while enjoying a sumptuous lunch. the starting point of the cruise is just near the town of loboc, 24 kilometers from tagbilaran city.

the tour is just a typical 1 hour river cruise up and down the loboc river, on a floating restaurant, where you will get to enjoy a buffet lunch served with mostly filipino dishes. this a very good way to promote filipino food to foreigners, since bohol is a common spot to be visited by non-pinoy tourists. 

there are small water falls which i think is the mark for the boat to turn around since it cannot go any further. somewhere along, the boat will stop on a jetty where some natives will perform a cultural show to entertain the guests.

this is totally relaxing activity for the day. chill lang. in fact, this was my dad's favorite. not to mention that he ate a lot. ;p

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bohol country side tour

12 august 2011, bohol
chocolate hills, butterfly sanctuary, manmade forrest, tarsier watching, hanging bridge, loboc river cruise, prony the python, baclayon church, blood compact shrine

the countryside tour is the highlight of tourists' visit in bohol. with this 1 day tour, you will get to experience the entirety of bohol and clearly appreciate what the province has to offer. when someone says "bohol", what comes first to your mind? i bet there are two: chocolate hills, and tarsier. these nature's contributions can only be found in this little island. for the tarsier, i mean within the philippines.

we woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and our van arrived to take us to our very exciting countryside tour.

chocolate hills

i've been waiting to see this god's great masterpiece. as soon as i started seeing a number of hills, i just can't help myself but to stare and admire. i was just seeing these creations in books when i was young. but now they were just right in front of my eyes. how amazing is that? :)

it was not summer season yet when we visited, so the hills are not yet chocolatey-ish. the grasses were still green and abundant. i can't imagine how many the hills are. i wanted to climb up on one of those. 

butterfly sanctuary

i've already seen several butterfly houses. this one in bohol is just like a typical butterfly sanctuary, yet worth it to see.

the sanctuary houses 300 species of butterfly native to the province. they do butterfly breeding to conserve the species and raise their population as well. live pupae are also being sold to butterfly enthusiasts who want to raise their own butterfly farm. framed butterflies are also available.

manmade forest

bohol's man-made forest is a 2-kilometer stretch of mahogany trees in loboc and bilar. i believe these trees were carefully planted, as visible with how the trees have uniformly grown in terms of height and spaces between trees. this is a really good sight to see, as you were in the middle of the forest, passing through a concrete road though.

"The terrain from both side of the road goes up; to I don’t know how high. What you see are only the Mahogany trees that look like thousands of sentinels guarding the road, standing erect. No other vegetation is growing among the Mahogany trees. One only sees the brown trunks stretching forth from the earth and the green canopy above. And that’s what makes them look so attractive!" source

tarsier watching

philippine tarsier, the world's smallest primates and endemic to the country can only be found in bohol. the tarsier sanctuary covers a 134 hectares of land that serves as protected habitat to these little creatures. tarsiers are nocturnal. and did you know that a tarsier's eye is larger that its brain? hmmm.

tarsiers have been an extinct and endangered species. before, people used to catch them and sell, or preserve and stuff them. it is its nature to commit suicide when caught. because, they say it does not want to be touched by human.

hanging bridge

for us who live in the city, crossing a river through a bridge is fun. the hanging bridge is not really an attraction, but a simple enjoyment for the tourists who are not used to it. 

the bridges are made of bamboo and supported by huge metal wires. i read that 10 persons are allowed to cross at a time. but when we were there, more that 10 were crossing at the same time. cool right? :p

at the other side of the bridge, food specialties (peanut kisses, etc), shirts and souvenirs are being sold.

loboc river cruise

see main blog entry. click here

prony the python

named after its captor, sofronio salibay, prony is the largest python in captivity. it was captured october 1996, weighing 5 kilos and was 5 feet long. but prony had grown so fast.  it now weighs about 300 kilos and is already 27 feet long!

what does prony eat? goat and pig... and prony wants it alive. or else he will not eat. cool! haha.

we took a picture with prony inside his cage. scary, but worth a try. :p

tapang o!

baclayon church

formerly known as the church of our lady of the immaculate conception, baclayon church is one of the olderst church in the philippines and one of the best preserved jesuit build churches in the region.

the church was completed in 1727. in it is a dungeon, used to punish natives who do not follow the rules of the roman catholic church.

blood compact shrine

sandugo ("one blood") is a blood compact that was performed in bohol between miguel lopez de legaspi and datu sikatuna. it was the first treaty of friendship between the spaniards and the filipinos.

the shrine is in tagbilaran city.

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bohol's virgin island

11 august 2011, bohol

after having a sumptuous meal, we headed next to bohol's virgin island. the long white sand bar greeted us hello as our boat approches the place. the boats were docked just on one side of the bar. this island was really relaxing, it gives comfort and unwinding feeling - nature at its best :)

what loosened up us more was the coconut which was available for P40 each. i just find it cool drinking coconut while my feet were immersed in the ocean.

my brother enjoying his coconut

we walked within the stretch of the island. the sand was fine and white. we did not mind the heat of the sun, but enjoyed the sight, breeze and the water.

babies on the sand

for this bohol trip, this is my favorite. this is a really beautiful place, a paradise. *camiguin also has a version of this island, they call it the white island.

back to bohol main blog                                    next blog: bohol country side tour
 

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balicasag island

11 august 2011, bohol

after our fun-filled experience with the dolphins, balicasag island is our next stop. "balicasag island is a 1.5 acre island that is famous as a marine sanctuary and place for snorkeling and diving. balicasag island is a 30-45 minute boat ride from alona beach, panglao island in bohol, philippines. panglao is most noted for its pristine white beaches, diving sites, and world-class resorts." (source)

we had our breakfast first, just noodles, bread and coffee. before we go snorkeling, we ordered some fresh fish for our lunch. the sellers are going to cook your preferred ulam, with a charge of course. prices of fish and cooking charge is not so expensive, and food was great!

photo courtesy of virtualtourist.com

we then prepared for snorkeling. we were charged P150/head for the boat ride and guide going to the sanctuary, and P150 for each set of snorkeling gear. The boat was quite small but the boatman said it can carry all of us. he paddled till we reach the site.

there were lots of fish and corals. i can't help myself trying to touch the cute little fishes passing within my sight. our baby boy louie also dipped into the water and enjoyed playing with the fishes.

my dad helping louie with his vest

we went back to the shore and get ready for our sumptuous lunch. nom nom!  

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singapore : a really fine city

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officially the Republic of Singapore, is a southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. The country is highly urbanised with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is being created for development through land reclamation. (wiki stuff)

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