This is a super duper long overdue post.

This is the second part of our Bohol Adventure last December 2007 (Sobrang tagal na noh!). To view the first part of this adventure, you can check it here. Actually, I have written this post months ago, it’s just now that I have finally decided to finish it and share more pictures. Sorry for the delay.

On my previous post, I have written about the first three locations we have been in Bohol. Now, I will write about other locations that we have visited during our day tour. Here it goes…

Fourth: Chocolate Hills

After passing by the Manmade Forest, we went straight to Bohol’s most famous attraction, Chocolate Hills. Your Bohol trip won’t be complete if you have not come across this place. This is one of the highlights of our tour. It’s a marvelous view. We climbed 214 steps towards the viewing deck to have a great view of the chocolate hills.

Most people who first see pictures of this landscape think that it is a man-made work of art. But they are not. There are different stories on

how these hills are formed. According to a myth, the hills existed when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally tired, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. But, I think the most acceptable hypothesis is that they are the weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone on top of an impermeable layer of clay. You can read this explanation on a bronze plaque located on top of the observation hill. According to our tourist guide, there are no less than 1268 hills and some claim this to be the exact number. They are green when it’s sunny. They are covered with grass, which turns chocolate brown at the end of the dry season. From this color, the hills derive their name. During our visit, the hills were green.

Fifth: Butterfly Conservation Center

We went to Simply butterflies Conservation Center located near the town of Bilar. They will show you how they breed and conserve butterflies. They also sell various butterfly souvenirs and butterfly releases for special occasions. They are the first to start a butterfly livelihood or breeding and conservation program in Bohol. They seek to raise the butterfly population and at the same time bring livelihood to the locals who work with the center as sub-breeders.

Sixth: Hanging Bridge

Across the upper part of the Loboc River in Bohol is a hanging bridge made of bamboo. We didn’t stay here for long because the bridge is slippery because it was drizzling that time. So we just took pictures at the bridge’s entry. This bridge hangs approximately 20 meters above the Loboc River and sways back and forth as you walk across.

Seventh: Loboc River cruise

This is one of the highlights of our tour. This is the Loboc River, where floating restaurants are famous. We had our lunch on board the floating restaurants. The 45 min cruise started after finishing our very satisfying lunch. They served native dishes, such as grilled squids, fried chicken, pinakbet, vegetable salad, steamed shrimp, and fresh fruits. You will also be entertained by their singer during the entire cruise. We have stopped at a group of Boholanon children who entertained us with their music.

Eighth: Old Churches (Loboc Church, Baclayon Church, Alburque Church)

Aside from the fantastic white beaches and the beautiful rivers, Bohol is also rich in culture and history as shown by the existence of several old churches. Due to lack of time, we have only been to three of Bohol’s historical churches, which include the Loboc Church, Baclayon Church, and Alburque Church. The Baclayon church is considered one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Beside the church is an old convent, which houses a small museum with religious relics, artifacts and other antiquities that are centuries-old. The Loboc Church is the second oldest church in Bohol, which is decorated with carvings of cherubs, the Papal tiara, and emblems of the Jesuit. A three storey convent, which today houses the Museo de Loboc on the third floor, is attached to the church. This museum houses a few old statues of saints, and some other antique religious artifacts.

Ninth: Clarin Ancestral House

We also dropped by at the 167 year old Clarin Ancestral House. It is the residence of Don Aniceto Velez Clarin, a former governor of Bohol. His son, Jose Aniceto Butalid Clarin became the first senator of the 11th district. The house has a traditional architectural design that was built in 1840. The National Historical Institute declared this historical house as a heritage site. It is being maintained by the descendants of the Clarin family. It is also the most visited of all ancestral houses of Bohol, which is now a museum that houses family collections that date back to the American period. It also has a café that serves native Boholano delicacies such as torta Loayan (omelet), puto (rice cake) with hot chocolate, and putomaya (malagkit rice boiled in coconut milk, flavored with ginger juice and sweetened with sugar).

Tenth: Aproniana Gift Shop

This is where we bought all our pasalubongs like peanut kisses, broas, souvenir shirts, kalamay, and key chains.

After this tiring tour, we want back to the resort and had our dinner. We slept early that night for us to be able to wake up early for the dolphin watching and island hopping.

Finally:

Come Sunday morning, we woke up at 5am for the Dolphin watching. We traveled about 45 minutes to reach the dolphin sanctuary. We’re happy to see a group of dolphins jumping. After that, we went to Balicasag Island for snorkeling. Unfortunately, we do not have underwater camera to take pictures of beautiful fishes and corals underwater. But then, we enjoyed it very much. It is one of the highlights of our travel. After about an hour of snorkeling around the marine sanctuary, we had our lunch at the Balicasag Island. After that, we went back to the resort to prepare for our departure.

It was really a great travel experience! We wish to go back and visit Bohol again and explore other beautiful beaches there. Bohol is such a wonderful place. We have to wait for new airline promos to avail cheap flights for our next travel. I hope you enjoy the tour.