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February 19, 2009
Stranded in Paradise
A visit to Bohol was something I really looked forward to since I was a kid. I've been hearing my classmates rant about how awesome the Chocolate Hills were. And the closest I got was seeing it from the plane when I flew from Davao to Manila and I was already working at that time.
Bohol was just like a stone's throw away from my province, Negros. It would have been easy for me to visit this nice paradise given it's also within the Visayas region. Yet, it took me 26 summers before I finally set foot in Bohol, and oh, how I loved it! The trip, which happened years ago, was the first one I took with people who have become my constant travel buddies.
First Day
We took a ferry from Cebu and as we arrived at the port, we met our guide who took us to our hotel.
Meridian Hotel was small and a bit old but bearable. It just felt creepy though. A few steps from the hotel is Jo's Inato, which is a certified hit in Visayas, where we had our first meal.
Our guide took us around Tagbilaran, going to Chocolate Hills, Lobok River and the Tarsier Sanctuary. It was a long ride but an enjoyable one. Bohol never disappointed me.
Second Day
We packed our bags and checked out from the hotel. We had the morning to go around other tourist spots. Mag-aso Falls was one of the stops we had. Boy, how we spent our merry morning dipping at the cool waters! It was unfortunate though that one of our friends was caught in the strong current that we ended our fun abruptly. Nothing untoward happened to her but it was a scary thing.
Our guide then brought us to Panglao where the boat that would take us to Balicasag Island was waiting for us. After a half-hour boat ride, we landed in the island where there were only us and about five more guests were billeted.
Oh what a serene day it was: just listening to the waves, walking by the beach and enjoying our sumptuous meals without any time pressure. The stars were out and we spent our night talking like there was no tomorrow.
Third Day
It was still dark and I could feel the wind blowing outside our small cottage. We gotta rise early before the sun is out so we can catch the dolphins at dawn. The dolphins were a bit shy that day. We were going in circles for hours and we only spotted them when the sun was already freaking hot.
Still, the sight of those jovial sea mammals made our day. We went back ashore, had our breakfast and did some snorkeling. Everything was doing okay until heavy downpour came and guess what? A typhoon was coming. We had no choice but to stay in the island. If we had a choice, we would've taken the same option.
Fourth Day
Finally, we're back in Tagbilaran but there was still no ferry ride so we spent another night, this time in another hotel.
The typhoon wasn't a disaster. It was a blessing in disguise. I'm glad we decided to extend our stay.
Posted by clairealgarme at February 19, 2009 01:59 PM