Trip Lang #21 - Bohol Bonding Day 1 & 2

July 19-20, 2015

It was years ago when I went to Bohol with my friends and teammates from Teletech. I enjoyed so much that I wanted to visit again. This times I'm with my partner, Alvin.

We want the experience to be as "provincial style" as possible so we chose to stay at Natura Vista. The place is a few minutes walk to the beach and near Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa.

We spent couple of hours sleeping and replenishing our strength that got exhausted for the early morning travel that we had to make. The moment we've been fully charged, we decided to head to the beach to explore the area and of course, watch the sun set.

This trip was intended for total relaxation so before dinner, we decided to have a full body massage from some of the local ladies that lives near Natura Vista. It was soooooo goood... Soothed all our aching muscles. 

The following morning, we woke up early for our country side tour. An old guy with a private car picked us up. He's our driver and tour guide for the entire day. 

Our planned first stop was located the farthest among all other attractions of the tour, the famous Chocolate Hills. However, along the way, we decided to drop by the Tarsier Conservation Area hoping to see and touch tarsiers.

Well, we weren't able to have personal encounters with tarsiers like what I had before. Touching them is no longer allowed so we watch them hanging while sleeping from trees. Also, I got scared when this 3-4 inches beetle crawled up my shoe! I got shoosh by the caretakers because too much noise is not allowed in the conservation area, it causes stress to the little animals. About 30 minutes after, we went straight to Chocolate Hills viewing deck.

The place was different because of the earthquake in 2013. There's a part of the view deck that looked like it was chopped. Before, there was this dedicated area for tourist taking pictures, jump shots, etc. but that area is now closed. Also, the locals that offers picture printing and souvenirs near the viewing deck are no longer there.

Next stop, The Ship Haus. A house turned in to an attraction and hotel at the same time by its owner. Based on our guide's story, the owner of this house is Capt Gaudencio Dumapias, a successful seaman. This house was said to be built for his mother. The house was designed to resemble the front of a ship. Inside, you'll find different areas that can also be found on an actual ship. I'm not sure what they call them but based on what we saw, they're quiet nice.

It was almost lunch time and we're hungry. We really can't eat heavy for snack because we have a river cruise with buffet lunch at Loboc River. Our guide suggested we grab something to eat at the Butterfly Sanctuary. Along the way, we also stopped at the man-made forrest and took some pictures.

A few more minutes of driving before we finally arrived at the Loboc River Cruise receiving area. We paid for two people and went straight to the floating restaurant where buffet lunch was waiting.

After the sumptuous lunch, we went to see Prony the beloved python of Bohol. I've seen him alive during my first Bohol trip but the snake died on August 14, 2013 and was taxidermy-ed . The owner have transformed the entire place in to a mini zoo filled with snakes and birds. Marimar, the pretty entertainer I've seen doing her "Buwis Buhay" stunts years ago, also performed for us.

Our next stop was the famous Baclayon Church. The upper part of the bell tower got totally ruined by the earthquake. Lucky that I was able to see it before, looking old but still beautiful. We've also entered the church which I was not able to do before. Though it was under rehabilitation, history shouts from all corners.

The museum also features old religious statues, priests clothing, old bibles in Latin, and many more. And... like other museums, no photos allowed but we were able to take pictures from one of the museums window where you can't see the items mentioned above.

It was almost late in the afternoon so we decided to head to one of the famous souvenir shops in Bohol, The Aproniana Store. We bought some "Pasalubong" for the folks back home.

And finally, our last stop for the day is at The Blood Compact Shrine. It was totally different from what it was before. A new building was built beside it, a hotel if I am not mistaken. Also, there's another souvenir shop beside it and a lot of vendors outside.

I was not able to take picture but it got too crowded when two buses filled with Korean people arrived. So... we head back to the resort and rested to prepare for the next day's activities.

Here are the videos of Day 1 & 2. Enjoy!