Doing Touristy Stuff in Bohol

When in Bohol, doing the Countryside tour is always on top of the list. Every tourist should set a day to visit all the sights known in Bohol. As the province is rich in history and culture, you will never get bored with the various places to see. With trusted tour guides and driver, you're on for an educational tour.

A van was hired for a whole day tour. First stop was the site of the Blood Compact between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Rajah Sikatuna.




This was built to give honor to the First Treaty of Friendship between Spain and Philippines. Sculptured by Napoleon Abueva, a National Artist.

The view here was breathtaking....




We dropped by the cage of Prony (named after the captor), a 26foot python.







You will be greeted by this goddess, with an ambulance red lipstick.




Prony is 14 years old this month. It weighs 250 kilos. It is being fed with pig or 2 goats once a month.




Prony became controversial years ago as the owners fed it with dogs. It became known as a dog-eating-snake, until PETA stepped in.

Several animals can also be seen in this place. There's a monkey:




A turtle:




Some birds:










And a bikini, made from the scales of Prony:




We passed by the famous Man-Made Forest. A long strip on the highway lined with mahogany trees.




It was a like a scene in Twilight, where Edward flew from tree to tree with Bella.




And here I am, as Bella, hahahaha.




Until Jacob came, and ruined everything!




Nah, not real, okay. Just posing for fun.

Of course, never leave Bohol without seeing a tarsier!




The Tarsier Sanctuary is new, operating for over 2 months now. Years ago, I was able to hold and touch a tarsier. But it has been prohibited recently.




Taking pictures without flash was advised in order not to to stress the tarsiers.




This is the world's smallest primate. Cute. Except the tail. Reminds me of a rodent ;)




Just like Master Yoda of Star Wars.







And these are some of the biggest tarsiers!










More places to be featured tomorrow.
Happy Thursday, everyone!


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Rooting for Azkals

This is a belated post.

I had been rooting for Azkals for so long, until their last game with Kuwait. Hahaha…bitter much.

I almost gave up on watching the game. The first day the tickets went on sale, sold out agad by noon. My cousin had been teasing me that they have tickets from Dan Palami, team manager of Azkals. I was green with envy.

Anyway, July 28 came. Still no ticket. I was okay. Until a friend tweeted that Phil Younghusband is giving away 6 tickets, and she mentioned my name. Naku, the news literally rocked my world. No matter how I stalk and tweet Phil, it was way impossible pa rin to get tickets from him.

Then good news came by 4pm. My cousin got an extra ticket for me!

I rushed home after work. Because this came as a surprise, my camera had only 25mins of battery life left and my Ipad was batt empty. My gulay. I didn’t have time to charge the batteries as the game will start at exactly 7pm.

The queue was long. We started milling just under the Vito Cruz LRT station until we reached the Rizal Stadium. Students with painted faces, children in football tops, foreigners, grandparents, couples and employees in office attires were all there.

Business was booming. Souvenir shirts, hats, fans, keychains, badges and baller id’s were sold on the sidewalk.

I got this, for only Php150.00. 

It’s yellow and not really nice, hehehe. I wanted it in blue but the small sizes were no longer available.

Inside the stadium…WILD!

Azkals in white.

Too much Kuwaiti drama.

Hundreds of fans flocked the stadium.

My cousin, Nice.

When Shrock made a goal, pandemonium!

Sorry for the blurry pic, as I was screaming with joy here.

And then it started to rain.

People came prepared, and stayed.

Colorful raincoats.

Though Kuwaiti won the game (3-1), the Pinoys were still cheering for the Azkals as they circled and marched around the field.

We didn't leave in tears. It was a wonderful game, a wonderful moment. And I had a photo with one of my favorite PBA players who watched the game:

Dondon Hontiveros and his Ipad.

Until your next game, Azkals!

*******************************************

Some tips to remember when watching a game:

1.) Umbrellas are not allowed inside the stadium. Yes, you will be required to leave them at the gate. No claim tags. Though upon leaving, you can get any umbrella as a replacement =)

2.) Bring a raincoat, especially if you're on the bleachers side. Unless you want to get wet when it rains. Disposable raincoats are sold just outside the stadium for php150.00.

3.) Food and drinks are not allowed. You will never get hungry inside as there are a lot of vendors selling burgers, hotdogs, chips and drinks.

Payag Restaurant

Yeah boy! The best chicken is right here in Tagbilaran City.




The Payag Restaurant, home of the original Jo's Chicken Inato, is a must when in Bohol.




Where rice is unlimited.




Affordable food at its best. They have value meals, the cheapest of which is a 2-piece pork barbecue with rice (unlimited) for only php58.00.




Lots of drinks and desserts to choose from.




The place is clean and very homey. The interiors are sight for sore eyes. The stairs leading to the second floor are lined with paintings.




There's a real huge tree right inside the restaurant. Its branches spreading all the way up to the ceiling.




The woods that were used (as posts, trellis, doors) gave the place a country-ish feel. Really lovely.







My favorite is this chandelier, hanging under a carved wooden sunflower, surrounded with hand-painted sunflowers. Cuteness indeed.




Syempre I ordered the house specialty, and ate it with bare hands.




The kinilaw was superb (I failed to take a pic), to think I'm difficult to please when it comes to such. It spelled really Y-U-M-M-Y for me.

Then I had leche flan for dessert.




Burp.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tagbilaran City, Bohol

Solo Travelling

A great escape, a much needed break.







I took the 9:55am flight. Hassle-free. I was able to check-in in less than 20 minutes. Then had breakfast at Cinnabon.






Brewed coffee plus cinnabon is a perfect combination, as the latter is VERY SWEET.






Oh no, i don't like it when its masikip. Not enough leg room. That's my knees, touching the seat in front of me.






Landed after an hour. The last time I was here was in 2003, during my internship with Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC). I was with a co-intern from UP Diliman and a Peace Corps volunteer from Wisconsin. I bet a lot has changed since then.





The baggage carousel is small, befitting a small airport. Just like in Bicol and Boracay.

Here's my sundo from El Portal Inn.




I was made to wait while the van made a u-turn from the parking lot in this chair with no seat:





It's raining now. It had been raining the past few days according to the driver.

This will be my bed in the next few days:






And my decent bathroom:






Nice place. And very affordable. Plus free wi-fi. Documenting this escape will be real time, hahaha.

El Portal Inn is just 5 mins from the airport.






I'll hit my books for now. Tah-tah! ;)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tagbilaran City, Bohol