Before my hubby’s IT project in Cebu will end, he enjoined me to go there and we will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in Bohol which is a one-hour water trip through a fast ferry ride. Together, we will explore the famous and beautiful attractions in this region.

He fetched me by 1 a.m. at Mactan Airport on Saturday. The next morning was a fast breakfast and bath and off we went to Pier 1 through a taxi (P110 fare).  We chose the fastest route via Tubigon, one-hour travel time, and much cheaper as compared to the route via Tagbilaran City. A helpful vendor accompanied us to the ticketing booth bound for Tubigon outside of the pier. The 8:30 am trip already left so we waited for the next trip at 10:30 a.m.  We paid P220 for our trip through “Star Craft”, Tourist Class with aircon. Other rates, P200- Economy (non-aircon) and P280-Business Class (with aircon and tv).

When we were at Tubigon port, a local approached us and offered his air-conditioned car for a day tour and a refreshing treat to Panglao Island for the last destination. Rate-P3,000. We haggled it to P2,500 but he refused. Other vehicles for hire: non-aircon multi-cabs- P2,000 and tricycle-P1,500. Since we were only two we ended up hiring a tricycle owned by Kuya Iyong.

Our first destination is in Chocolate Hills, Bohol’s prime attraction. Heavy rain poured along the way. Later we stopped beside the road because Kuya Iyong replaced the flat front tire. Me and my hubby exchanged glances, feeling the same way of disappointment. But the initial dismay died down seeing Kuya Iyong getting wet because his umbrella was partly torn just like his old shirt. We offered to hold the umbrella but he kindly refused. It was a pitiful sight looking at the old man who was trying his best to fix his old trike so we can continue our trip.

After passing the town proper of Carmen, heavy rain hit the road again. It stopped when we were paying the entrance fee (P50 per head). We took the 212 steps (based on my not so accurate counting) with no sweat because we paused every now and then looking for the breathtaking views, the spectacular hills in particular of course.

When we were at the view deck, I was thrilled even more seeing thousands of hills scattered everywhere. They were perfectly cone-shaped and were beautifully covered by grass. The hills were colored brown because it is now a dry season. It looks like “chocolate kisses” so yummy to eat. They were indeed a unique landform. Just imagine how God created this natural wonder.

Tarsier Sanctuary. This is located between the towns of Sikatuna and Corella. The entrance fee is P60 for adults, P50 for children and senior citizens. Our ticket stub was a beautiful postcard with a vivid photo of a tarsier. We were told at the reception area that every tarsier has a guide wearing a white shirt.

As we walked in the forest, it was easy to find this cute primate because of the proper procedure. We were amazed looking at the first tarsier grasping in a branch and hiding in the leaves. I guess it was only 8 cm long, so little and shy. We were advised by the guide not to use a flash in taking pictures because it was sensitive to light.

According to the guide, there were 113 tarsiers in the 134 hectares but only a few were visible to the public. The rest was on the breeding ground. We only had 6 close encounters with these little nocturnal animals. After a short tour in the forest, we headed down to souvenir stores. T-shirts and display items were quite expensive. I bought a small table display with a little tarsier on top, price-P100 whew!

Time check-2:30 pm. We were both hungry. We were sad because we already skipped the opportunity to eat our lunch in Loboc River which is open till 2 pm only. We passed by an eatery along the way in Corella. We enjoined Kuya Iyong to eat lunch with us. We paid P194 for 3 rice, 1 chicken kaldereta, 2 pork adobo, 1 pinakbet, and 3 sprite.

Man-Made Forest. As we were passing the road along the town of Bilar we chanced to visit a tourist attraction called Man-Made Forest. From afar, it looked like a giant painting of an enchanting road, indeed, a good subject for photography. The mahogany trees stood amazingly beside the road. Kuya Iyong told us that these trees were planted by locals during Marcos’s regimen.

As we walked around, we were greeted by a cool breeze and the chirping sounds of birds. It was awesome looking at the brown trunks stretching upward to the sky. The top branches bend slightly downward, the above canopy was so attractive to gaze at. I felt we were walking in an enchanted forest, so peaceful and quiet.

Hanging Bridge or Sipatan Hanging Bridge is located in Sevilla.  The entrance fee is P20.  There were two hanging bridges.  One is for the entrance and the other is for the exit.  Since it rained, the Sevilla River looked like a hot choco in color. The bridge was shaky for it was only made of bamboo supported by steel. It was a bit scary especially when we were in the middle.  Looked like the bridge will fall or we will fall.  But as what my hubby said, the shaky part was the thrill of it all. Though a bit scared, I was able to take pictures while holding the steel support.

There were stores at the end of the entrance bridge which sells various items like t-shirts, souvenir displays, and food at affordable prices. Seven assorted accessories like bracelets, magnetic fish, and key chains cost P100. Colored t-shirts range from P120 to P180 (depending on sizes). Much cheaper than those items at Tarsier Sanctuary.

There was Buko King, a contestant in a talent search tv program selling buko to visitors. When we headed to the exit bridge, I got irritated with a group of teenage boys in our back who kept shaking the bridge and laughing out so loud. I was about to explode but my hubby was smiling at me and told me to just ignore them. Grrr!!!

Loboc River.Time check-3:30 pm.

Too bad, we missed the opportunity to eat our lunch in the floating restaurant as well as the cruise around the town of Loboc. What we did, we asked the attendant if we could see the boats docked at its station. They were so accommodating for letting us had a short tour along the riverside. Anyway, it wasn’t that regretful if we miss the cruise because the water was not clear because of heavy rain a while ago.  We’ll just enjoy that activity when we go back with the kids in the future.

The entrance fee is P100 and P300 for the food (eat all you can). P600 for a night cruise.

Kuya Iyong suggested visiting other spots along the way. But as we noticed, he had poor eyesight so we opted to go straight into Panglao Island so he can go back to Tubigon ahead of total darkness. We were very thankful to him for his good accommodation. As a reward for his kindness, we gave him an additional P300. We ended up at Dimaluan Beach for a night’s stay. We had a candle-light dinner with a serenade from a live band.  And this is the celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary.

Next time, we will see to it that we will explore Bohol much earlier so we can enjoy visiting all the wonders in this place.

And that would be with our kids.

Next morning.  Dolphin watching and island hopping at Balicasag Island.