Whirlwind Bohol Tour

We made Bohol a weekend getaway back in 2006. It wasn't the usual backpacking trip under a shoestring budget, but a friend visiting from The Netherlands actually paid for most of the expenses - including the airfare. And since I didn't shell out much money, I am not aware of how much we spent. He didn't disclose the amount because he knew I would insist to pay.

I did not take a direct flight to Tagbilaran. Instead, I flew to Cebu first to meet up with him after his dive in Malapascua. From there, we took a fast craft direct to Tagbilaran, which only takes an hour and a half (more or less P500). A regular boat is about three times cheaper, but will take four hours.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a moshpit of drivers offering their cabs for hire. They even have laminated brochures to show tourists the places included in their 'package'. Travelling with a foreigner can be exasperating. Expect to be overcharged all the time. I support the tourism objective of providing jobs to local people, but I find it very insulting when they give a fellow Filipino a ridiculously sky-high price.

One driver said yes to our P2,000 rate. Come to think of it, if there were four of us, it would have only been P500 each. Decent price. He took us to the following:

Scenic Loboc River, photo taken by our boatman.

Tarsier Sanctuary

Bohol's most famous attraction, the Chocolate Hills. Sorry for blocking the view, I actually wanted to show you the Bohol Coke I'm holding here!

Blood Compact Site. This sculpture was made by National Artist, Napoleon Abueva (a Boholano himself).
We also visited Hinagdanan Cave, Baclayon Church and Bohol Bee Farm before the driver finally took us to Alone Kew White Beach Resort. While day one was so hectic, day two was uber lazy - except we left that same day in the afternoon. If you have a weekend and extra money to spare for a quickie vacation, Bohol is definitely doable. Too short, but way better than hanging out at some urban mall.

This photo taken in Panglao still lingers in my head. It is by far one of the best beaches I've ever been to.

TweetShare


This page was viewed times.