Bohol Sojourn

“Bohol has it all.” This was my overall impression when my family and I came back from a trip to Bohol early this month.

Unlike its more famous neighboring island to its west that is Cebu, Bohol is a relatively new tourist destination. And I think there lies its virtue – unspoiled and clean beaches and pristine natural sceneries plus people at their best and hospitality at its finest. We also easily noticed government support for the tourism industry in new infrastructures like roads, bridges and the newly-built and modern pier at Loboc river.

The People of Bohol. Boholanos speak Bisayan of the Cebuano kind but with an accent peculiar to Bohol. They are mild-mannered and peace-loving people. They say Boholanos are to Datu Lakandula who forged a friendship treaty with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the famous Blood Compact, as Cebuanos are to Lapu-Lapu who waged a battle with Ferdinand Magellan. For us, Paul, our driver throughout our stay in Bohol personified the friendly, warm, and helpful Boholano from the time he met us at the airport upon our arrival until he brought us back to the airport again for our departure back to Manila.

The Food. Our flight from Manila left at an odd hour and arrived past lunchtime in Tagbilaran. Paul, our driver, brought us to the nearest restaurant where we were treated to the best chicken inasal we have yet tasted at Sinugba ni Abdul. Of course, we partook too of the famous kalamay of the Boholanos as well as their star products, Peanut Kisses and Peanut Biscuits during our stay in Bohol.

Nature Trips. Bohol, like Boracay, also has its powdery white sand beaches and even more! We did several nature trips outside our beach resort. From the airport upon our arrival, Paul brought us to Magaso Falls, a lovely, yet unspoiled water falls in Antiquerra town. The water was clear, cool and perfect for swimming… A day tour to Balicasag Island brought us to a marine sanctuary where we snorkeled and got close to rare species of fish that were a sight to behold under water. On the way we watched dolphins at play… Of course, what is a trip to Bohol without seeing the tarsiers and the famous chocolate hills! Except that this time the hills look more like green hills than chocolate!...Finally, we experienced the widely-featured Loboc River tour with lunch on board a floating restaurant. The food was not that spectacular but it was generous. It was also during this tour that the Boholanos’ love for music surfaced with a singer on board who serenaded us with Visayan and Pilipino love songs as well as old time favorites in English. We also stopped by and watched a group of young people who entertained us with songs and dances in a make-shift stage along the Loboc river bank. (Of course, we were hoping secretly for the world-famous Loboc Children’s Choir to appear and entertain us too!) Then we went to Bohol Bee Farm, recently listed as one of twelve most romantic places to go to this Valentines Day by a Philippine Daily Inquirer article. There we treated ourselves to organic pizza and refreshing herbal tea drinks and watched a demonstration of how bees produce wax and honey. Other nature sceneries along the way: an ancient underground cave, a man-made forest, the longest python in captivity, and a hanging bridge.

A Taste of History. It is not only in Europe where one can get a glimpse of history from its ancient structures and museums. We also had that opportunity in Bohol… As our second stop on the first day upon our arrival that afternoon, we visited the ancient Punta Cruz found in the town of Maribojoc overlooking Tagbilaran bay. Actually a watchtower, it was used to serve as a look-out for marauding pirates in the olden days. It now serves as a view deck for tourists that offers a breath-taking view of the sunset at dusk as well as a picturesque vista of the Mindanao Sea and the provinces of Cebu and Siquijor in the west. What is interesting, however, is that it shows the unity of Church and State at that time as the watchtower apparently also served as an oratory with the statue of St. Vincent Ferrer inside it and the Holy Cross outside… Paul also brought us to the Blood Compact site where a memorial now stands depicting the main personages of the event like Datu Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi….Three centuries of Spanish rule followed after the blood compact. To this day, there still stand in Bohol many structures like Churches that serve as mute testimonials to its rich historic past. Baclayon Church is the best preserved Jesuit-built church in the region, although its facade and most of the stone structures surrounding it were built by the Augustininan Recollects in the late 19th century. Other mission churches of architectural distinction include Dauis Church with its beautiful frescoes, Loboc Church with its three-story convent, Panglao Church with its ornate antiquities and ceiling murals, Loon Church, the most stunning church built by the Recollect Friars, and the 19th century Maribojoc Church.

So as you can see, like an SM mall, Bohol’s truly “got it all”!