visayas backpacking: bohol

August 7th, 2007

the following morning, we went back to dumaguete to catch the next trip to bohol. weesam had an emergency maintenance thingy at that time so we had no choice but to get oceanjet tickets.

we arrived in tagbilaran late in the afternoon and there was an ongoing event outside the port to celebrate the sandugo festival. we decided not to stay in alona since our budget went low after siquijor, so we took a tricycle and stayed at la roca hotel. get a free city map from the port’s tourist center. this is a very informative map because it’ll show you almost all of the hotels, restaurants and tourist spots around bohol. with the map, you can easily go around tagbilaran via tricycle. fare was P6 per person.

when we arrived at la roca, the reception area was almost deserted except for the receptionist (well, duh). it seemed we were the only customers at that time, the dining area looked like it needed housekeeping, the pool looked murky even though it looked clean from afar, and the whole place was eerie and quiet you could hear a pin drop.

our rooms were so-so, the furnitures were old but at least the air conditioning was good, cable tv works, the beds were really soft and they have heated water. this room was P800 a night, good for 2 persons excluding meals.

later that night, we decided to have dinner at the sandugo flea market just outside the sea port. we had puso, their version of rice wrapped in leaves, and grilled chicken. there’s no spoon and fork available, so you’d have to eat with your hands. don’t worry, eating there is best enjoyed using your hands lol(and i noticed that wherever you go in the visayas, you will always encounter grilled food far better than the ones you had in manila. honestly!)

second day, SNORKELING

our boatman at that time is originally from bais, a city minutes away from dumaguete that also have its own dolphin watching activity. based from his experience, he says there are more dolphin and whale sightings in bohol than in bais, which probably explained why pamilacan island (part of bohol) used to be home of the dolphin/whale hunters. watching them in the wild is very different from watching them in an oceanpark; it’s kinda exciting to have them swim alongside your boat early in the morning.

i went dolphin watching years ago around october, but we didn’t go for it this time around because the dolphins are probably migrating somewhere else. keep that in mind, because you still have to pay full price even if you haven’t seen any dolphins/whales.

when you’re in bohol, what you must NOT miss is snorkeling/diving. for those who just want to snorkel but still close be to bohol’s rich marine ecosystem, go for balicasag. motorboats aren’t allowed to anchor in the richest part of the marine sanctuary anymore, so if you’re scared to snorkel on your own to explore the fantastic areas, there are “sanctuary guides” on really small boats offering “guide services”. if you have an underwater camera, you can ask them to take a photo of you while you’re down there. be careful tho. the underwater current was very strong that time. fee for the sanctuary guide is P100 per person. our boatman charged us P1500 for the boat, and the motorcycle pickup from our hotel and back. (yes there were 3 of us on a motorbike going to doljo beach lol sakit sa singit)

bring crackers if you like, fishes there love it and would beg for more lol :)

next day, LAND TOUR

manmade forest

the usual. chocolate hills, tarsiers, flying lemurs, loboc river buffet lunch (P300-500 per head, depending on which float restaurant you choose), blood compact site, zoo with python, hanging bridge, man-made forest, hinagdanan cave (with underground pond and full of bats), and baclayon church.

since our plane leaves at 5 in the afternoon, we decided to start the land tour at 8. we’ve already checked out when our guide picked us up for the tour. car service from your hotel to the airport costs P450, so we asked our guide to drop us as the airport after the tour to save us money hehe :)

chocolate hills