Half Day Bohol Tour Part 4: the Loboc River Cruise

The essential trip to Bohol would not be complete without having at least these items: tarsier-sightings, viewing the Chocolate Hills, and going on the Loboc River Cruise.

Our cruise started from Loboc town. One can also have as jump-off point Loay Bridge. A group of around twenty can charter a floating restaurant  with lunch or dinner served buffet-style, with a singer serenading the passengers throughout the hour-long trip.

The people of Loboc are a a musical lot, the town being known as the musical capital of Bohol, and its Children's Choir is quite renowned, with wins both here and abroad. Our guide told us that many in Loboc are either singers or adept in musical instruments, or both.

the ubiquitous papaya

a glimpse of the convent of Loboc church, the Church of San Pedro,
the second oldest church in Bohol

our cruise begins

a salad of seaweed, chopped tomatoes and onions

sisig!

fresh coconut topped with hibiscus

the view was awesome

i hope the riverside remain lush when you visit 

at this point the boat headed back

we stopped by for some song and dance

some of the members of our group joined the fun

back at the docking station

nipa palm trees

the fruit cluster of the nipa palm, used as decor detail in the floating retaurant

bye bohol--hope to see you soon!

Half Day Bohol Tour Part 3: Mint Choco Hills

Let's continue with our quick trip around Bohol. Last time we visited the tarsiers in the newly built conservation area and considered some items in the Bohol Bee Farm's Gift Shop. For today we'll drive up the town of Carmen to view the Chocolate Hills. En route we passed by the magical man-made forest, comprised mostly of mahogany trees. Lately they have planted more indigenous tree species.

our faces lit up when we saw this sign

we passed by a few solitary hills, like this one, on our way to the viewing point

the hills are green during this time of year

to get to the viewing point, one can either take the stairs or the ramp

I've learned in my visits that the Boholanos are very religious. I don't know if this
has anything to do with the proliferation of papaya trees wherever we go. 

Bohol is usually spared  visits from typhoons, but during our visit the sky was overcast.
Luckily the sun appeared briefly for a few minutes.

Quick Makati Escape: Cocooning in Dusit Thani and Loot from Salcedo and Legazpi Weekend Markets

I love traveling alone. My friends are precious to me, but there are times that I just want downtime on my own. That's the introvert in me speaking--to revitalize myself, I need solitude. 

Another peculiar thing about me is that I don't mind spending all day in a tasteful hotel. I live alone with no help, thus I rely on myself to keep thing spic and span. Unfortunately I'm a rather flaky house-maker, thus the thought of people cleaning and tidying after you is bliss. Thus, I'm a sucker for hotel special offers, the latest of which is via Dusit Thani Hotel.

I had my room upgraded to junior suite. Don't ask me about the extra bed (smile). I can live here for weeks.

After booking my stay, I later discovered that December 21 was the day the Mayans allegedly predicted the end of the world. Oh well, I told myself, should that come to pass, at least I'll end in style. Luckily I'm writing this post, so the world still stands.

I love Thai food, as I fell in love with the cuisine during my visits to Thailand and Pattaya. The prawn fried rice and tom young soup were okay.

The next morning I made a quick trip to the Salcedo Saturday market. Of course, my purchases were food.

Azuthai's Massaman lamb curry with potatoes and peanuts. Rich and saucy,
not gamy at all. Reminds me of caldereta. A little more heat would be nice, though.

Azuthai's prawn salad. It was just okay.

For my best buy, click here.

A few days later I went to the Legazpi Weekend Market. This is my loot: garlicky Cabanatuan longganiza from the Cooking Papas stall (P150); Inang Salud's ensaymada (P180); and a bottle of organic cocoa butter (P190).

This pillow-soft , melts-in-your mouth ensayamda can easily feed 3. It was excellent,
and comparable to Mary Grace's. I prefer my ensaymada salty, and I get that just by
unwrapping it. 

Half-day Bohol Tour Part 2: Souvenir Shoppin at Bohol Bee Farm's The Buzz

If you're in Panglao Island, drop by the Bohol Bee Farm. You can check-in the resort or try the restaurant (something I'm planning to do the next visit). During our last visit we were lucky our hotel was just a skip away from the Bee Farm. During the first night we tried the quirky ice cream flavors and the squash loaf. Read about it here. The next night we checked out the souvenir shop.

Quirkiness permeates the resort's DNA. Exhibit A

Exhibit B

While shopping you can try the ice cream options.
I love the spicy ginger

A variety of loaves of different makes

this is one of the bestsellers

soaps galore

My loot: mango and honey spread, Bee Natural Moisturizing  Shampoo,
and Bee Natural Innocent Body Lotion. I swear by the shampoo--I have fine, limp hair,
and the shampoo leaves it light and full-bodied

Happy shopping! Let's support small independent merchants.

Bohol Bee Farm and Resort

Dao, Dauis, Panglao Island

(+63) 38 5022288

At the Sidcor Sunday Market

Where the Legzapi and Salcedo weekend markets are uppity, the SIDCOR Sunday market is decidedly middle class and a little bohemian. Formerly located at the Lung Center, it has transferred recently to the Eton Centris parking lot, located along EDSA corner Quezon Avenue. To get there I took the MRT ride from EDSA station and alighted at Quezon Avenue station.  

At certain spots, the weekend market looks like your typical palengke

Rule of thumb: always go where the crowd is. This is Mary's Kitchen's stall.

Kain galore!

To escape the building heat, we chose a spot near the stalls selling plants

I always have a weakness for paella negra, but this one's forgettable

I also bought some flavored hopia (bean-filled pastries introduced
by Fujian immigrants). Let's just say these were pretty 

My friend fared better with her choices. Click here to see here purchases.

I love the down-to-earth vibe and the accessibility of the Sidcor Sunday market. Plus, it's close to UP-Diliman, my alma mater, so the nostalgia factor is there.

6 am to 2 pm

Half-day Bohol Tour Part 1: Tarsier-Sightings

Forgive me for lying low for weeks. Let's just say things took an interesting turn. But the important thing is that I'm back, and for this week I'll be writing about my trips to Bohol.

I've been to Bohol about three years ago, enough time for me to get excited to see what makes the province a tourist magnet. We have half a day for the tour, meaning we'll only see the highlights, and our first stop was the Tarsier Conservation Area located in the town of Loboc, about two hours from Panglao island where we stayed.

A quick note on the tarsiers: they are solitary, territorial, and nocturnal creatures, whose diet consist of insects, and they are well distributed in Southeast Asia. They prefer small-growth forests for their habitat. The foremost expert on tarsiers run the conservation, and to listen to the tour guide regale us on how the former became one after starting out as a taxidermist is quite interesting.

Many of the tarsiers were from private collections. In the conservation facility,
each tarsier has at least one dedicated human looking after it

We were told to keep our distance from the tarsiers--and absolutely no touching.
Of the tarsiers. :-)

This is how the tarsiers in the wild are during the day.

Incidentally, one of the tarsiers was named Charlie in honor of
Britain's Prince Charles when he visited the country.

Again, reminders, should you visit:

1. Observe silence upon entering the premises
2. No shouting--speak in hushed tones
3. No flash photography
4. No touching of the tarsiers

Rest assured that no primates were harmed during our visit.

Entrance fee is P50.00, and comes free with a postcard. The caretakers were pretty knowledgeable about their wards, and they'll also assist you come up with the best angles for pictures with the critters. And, oh, the restrooms were relatively clean and well-maintained.

Next stop: the (Mint) Chocolate Hills