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Posts Tagged ‘Cebu-Bohol tour’

It is sunset already and we are still driving. We constantly asked our driver where we can buy delicacies and other stuffs all day long and he said that he will drop us to it at the end of our tour. It is dark already when we arrived at Aproniana Gift Shop. It is located in Taguihon, Baclayon. It is considered as the one-stop ultimate gift and souvenir shop in Bohol.

We are thankful that our driver even provided us discount coupons on this shop. Native handicrafts, shirts, bags, magnets, keychains, bracelets, necklace, hats and other souvenirs abound this shop. One of the best things here is the wide array of delicacies that you can buy.

We bought boxes upon boxes of Peanut Kisses, Bohol’s famed delicacy made of peanut that is shaped like the Chocolate Hills.

I don’t know if it is indeed right but some claimed that this store sell souvenirs and delicacies at a reasonable price, because I think the price is just the same outside and not even cheap, the store just has a good ambiance and the items are well organized.

Our last stop is none other than to our resort; Dumaluan Beach Resort 1, which was the only resort that has an available room in Panglao.

Things you need to know:

• It is handy to have discount coupons. Normally, the tour driver has some coupons with him. We believe the shop partnered with several tour companies as a marketing ploy.
• You may also buy some souvenirs at the Hanging Bridge because some are much cheaper than what the Aproniana Souvenir Shop is selling.
• Always check the food stuffs for their manufacturing and expiration date. Usually, the stocks are fresh but it will not hurt to know.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Unwinding at Dumaluan Beach Resort 1: Day2 Bohol Tour

We now are at the Hanging Bridge in the upper part of the Loboc River. The bridge is made of bamboo and approximately 20 meters above the river. Crossing the bridge is not for the faint heart!

The load limit is about 10 people to pass at a time. The entrance fee is P10 and you will see several shops selling souvenirs at the end of the bridge. We bought mostly of our pasalubongs here because mostly the souvenirs are the same as from the outside, but the price is exceptionally cheaper.

It is dusk already and we are almost done with our tour. We are now on our way to the resort where we already reserved a few days before.

Things you need to know:

• Do not get too jumpy, the bridge can only hold a certain amount of weight.
• If you want to get a good shot, you can try to ask a favor from your designated driver to take a shot of you on the other side of the bridge.
• Souvenirs at the other end is much cheaper than other vendors. It is better to buy here than on the road. You can haggle for the best price for your budget.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol

The Simply Butterfly Conservation Center is our next stop in Bilar, Bohol. There is an entrance fee of P60. The center is full of….butterflies of course, what else!

It has a garden, restaurant and more. Here, you’ll see how butterflies evolve and their lifecycle are clearly explained. There is so much to learn about; however, because there are several butterfly centers spread across the country, we believe that this one is not an attraction that is exclusive on the island only.

We even took pictures across the glass with butterflies and look like crazy fairies!

It took no more than 20 minutes and we’re off due to our tight schedule before nighttime. We don’t want to miss the other 2 attractions plus shopping for pasalubongs and delicacies.

We then trooped to the Man-Made Forest. Mahogany trees flood the 2 kilometer stretch of the highway between Loboc and Bilar. A reforestation program was launched in the 1960’s and thousands of Mahogany seedlings were planted. Both sides of the road are lined up with trees and the uniform height and the branches block any ray of light. A cool breeze greeted us once we entered the stretch. We couldn’t help ourselves but take pictures of everything surrounding the area and it’s also a good thing that vehicles drove here once in a while and you get the chance to take pictures at the center of the highway without worrying that you will be accidentally hit by a passing vehicle.

It is almost 6PM and we need to hurry up and finish our tour before twilight. We are now en route to the less prominent attraction, the Hanging Bridge in the upper part of the Loboc River.

What to Expect:

• Nothing much to expect in the butterfly center, same old butterfly sanctuary.
• As for the man made forest, its a winding road full of trees that almost bend over to kiss the other tree across the road.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol Tour

After checking out those cute tarsiers, it’s time to venture Bohol’s main natural attraction, the Chocolate Hills.

We drove to Carmen, Bohol as part of our Tagbilaran Countryside Tour and went up to a hill where a facility was developed to let visitors take a peek at this breathtaking natural wonder. There are over a thousand hills and I’m not sure what the exact count is because there are several contradicting statements across the Internet.

The mound shaped hills are spread all over the town of Carmen, Sagbayan and Batuan. The hills vary in size from 30 to 50 meters high. The hills are covered in grass and the color is brown in summer and sunny days, hence the name Chocolate Hills. It is brownish green in the rainy season. More than a few legends existed on the hills’ creation and it is amazing how far the imaginations of people take.

We cannot get enough taking pictures of this natural wonder. The 360 degree view is spectacular and we cannot fathom how this kind of natural formation even existed!

As much as I would like to stay longer, but the battery of my camera is not cooperative and was almost giving up. Aside from that, we cannot also stay longer than we wanted to because we have an itinerary to follow and we would not have the leisure to go to the other tourist spots so we decided to go to our next destination, the Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest.

Things you need to know:

• Do not go to the edge too far just to take pictures and you might slip.
• Try to go to the other side of the platform or to the lower balcony to take a good shot. Most of the time, tourists will flock the highest platform wherein they can get a good view of the hills. You do not want them to populate the screen and have unfamiliar faces in your photos.
• Be patient in taking shots. People will come and go, so try to focus on the scenery and don’t be hasty in clicking the button.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol

Witnessing the well-known tarsiers is our next destination in our Tagbilaran Countryside Tour. This creature is considered one of the world’s smallest primates. We are fortunate to drive by in the Tarsier Visitors Center in Sikatuna, Bohol. There is no entrance fee to witness this petite beauty but donation is very much encouraged.

The tarsier is a nocturnal creature that has eyes as big as its brain! Its large eyes are fixed in the skull and to compensate, it can move its neck and rotate its head for 180 degrees! The color of the eyes is almost the same color as its fur. The entire body is covered with brownish rough short fur, while the tail is twice as long as its body is free of fur used in balancing. The long ankles give its name, tarsius. The natural habitat of these creatures is lowland rainforest. Its role in the habitat is great unlike its small size. It preys on insects at night and helps in the balance of the food chain because it also becomes prey on other larger animals. It is a voracious eater as it needs lots of food to survive, as much as 10 percent of its body weight.

From where we witnessed this wonderful species of tarsier, they are enclosed in an area where small trees grew where it served as its shelter. Taking pictures is allowed but using flash is extremely prohibited as this will cause stress on this nocturnal creature. Don’t ever think of having it as a pet because it will be greatly distress and may commit suicide.

The tarsiers are amazingly adorable but knowing that the numbers in the wild is dwindling, it horrifies us to know that it became an attraction to us tourists without knowing its plight. It is good to know that there are organizations that help conserve this endangered species. Reforestation is also one of the conservation initiatives by the local government to help preserve the natural ecosystem.

After our tarsier experience, it’s time to venture Bohol’s main natural attraction, the Chocolate Hills.

Things you need to know:

• Do not ever use flash in taking pictures. This may cause panic and blindness in these delicate creatures.
• Do not touch or hold them as this will cause them stress.
• As much as possible, avoid speaking loudly or if this cannot be prevented, try to speak in a very low tone of voice.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol

After our short stint at the Blood Compact Shrine, we went to Baclayon church. It is considered as one of the oldest church in the Philippines. The Jesuits started the construction in the 1717 but the current building was completed in 1727. The exterior of the church is undeniably very old but is well preserved. According to historians, coral stones are dragged from the sea and skillfully made into blocks of stones and a ton of egg whites are used to reinforce it. The walls are mossy, and this is because of the coral stones and this added character to the architecture.

One of the attractions of this church aside from its striking architecture and historic aura is the image of Padre Pio in one of its pillars. I will not elaborate on who this Padre Pio is and you can look it up in the Internet yourself.

The church strictly implements its dress code. My girlfriend was wearing a sleeveless top and a skirt and she was given a shawl to cover.

The gold plated main altar is splendidly stunning as well as the side altars!

But what really strike us are the stained glasses that provided a dramatic lighting in the interior. It even has a sermon pulpit for the priest. There are also some secret balconies for those who do not want to be seen hearing mass.

The church also housed a small museum at the second floor, which houses antiquated artifact and other sacred items. The entrance fee to the museum is P25 and any form of photography is prohibited. As much as we would like to tour the museum but the weather is not cooperative and it looks like rain is imminent. We then head off to our next stop, take our lunch while cruising at the Loboc River.

Things you need to know:

• Dress appropriately. But if you cannot, the church provide shawls; however, it sucks on the pictures like you were attending a wedding and you are one of the bridesmaid.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol

Our first destination on our Bohol Countryside Tour is the Blood Compact Shrine of Datu Sikatuna and Spanish Explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Sandugo as we knew it in Tagalog is the term that was used centuries ago, to seal a kind of pact or bond within two parties. It is a part of tradition long ago by our ancestors to make a small cut in the wrists of the people involved and drop it in wine and drink.

We arrived here at 10:45AM and a horde of tourists greeted us to our shock. As much as we would like to get a good shot of the shrine only; however, we are not fortunate enough, we actually lined up just to get the shot that you see above. To our dismay to wait again for another take, we left to our next destination, Baclayon Church.

What to Expect:

• Tourists, tons of tourists waiting to get a shot of this landmark.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 1 Cebu trip
• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol Tour

I’m here again trying to ward off my writer’s block. It is the end of the month again and I almost forgot to write our February birthday travel to the stunning queen city of the south, Cebu.

I really wanted to go and experience Cebu and fortunately the girlfriend want us to celebrate my birthday a little differently from the usual drinking sessions with friends. I heard so many good things about Cebu that the excitement builds up right before the girlfriend asked me if I want to travel 4 months ago.

Cebu is diversely rich in culture. With limited time, we wanted to experience much of it as possible. I spent hours after hours every day scouring blogs and websites to compose an itinerary for our trip. I also asked some tips from my ever reliant friends and coworkers who already went there. There are several ways to spend your time in Cebu and it is hard to decide what route you will be taking. Endless possibilities await you once you step in Cebu.

The itinerary that we created seemed to cover the base and we have little leeway to wander off. We managed to extend our stay from 3 days to 4 days due to the usual incapability of Cebu Pacific to handle its operations, but I would say that this also might not be possible if the company didn’t released any promos and I bet all of you readers will agree that it helped a lot to us travelers who want to spend wisely.

Well, fast forward to the travel date; Day 1, it was a sunny morning and we got off at Mactan International Airport at around 9AM and then we hailed off a cab. We didn’t took the cab with a fixed rate and the one that has an additional fee; we opt to fall in line on the metered fare cabs.

Our first stop was Lapu Lapu Shrine and Magellan’s Marker at Punta Engaño, Mactan Island since it was the nearest spot at the airport.

There is no entrance fee on this destination, just a donation box for the maintenance. There are several tourists, mostly foreigners and we didn’t waste time and took several pictures around the place.

Next stop is Plantation Bay Resort and Spa. We haggled with a cab driver to take us there and use the meter. The girlfriend is eager to go to this resort to take a peek and experience high class resort amenities and we are not disappointed. We now head to Cebu City pier to get tickets to Bohol via fast ferry. Later on, I realized that we should have first tried eating at the famed Sutukil restaurants at the Lapu Lapu Shrine where you can buy fresh seafoods and have it cook 3 ways, Sugba, Tula and Kilaw. I cannot elaborate on this further because we haven’t experienced eating here but we will surely try this on our next trip to Cebu.

After getting our ferry ticket, we head to CnT restaurant at the front of SM City Cebu to eat our lunch and to order the lechon that we will be bringing back home. Unfortunately upon arriving, there are no more lechons and only the normal meals that they usually serve. We just tried the restaurants on the other block. After which, we now head to our hotel, Gran Tierra Suites, a boutique hotel situated near Osmena Boulevard to drop off our luggage.

After relaxing a bit, we hailed a cab going to Taoist Temple. The temple is fantastic and I cannot help but awe at its splendid awesomeness!

After taking the tour, we wasted no time, and we’re off to downtown and went to Magellan’s Cross, the most famous historical landmark in all of Cebu and a popular tourist attraction, due to the fact that it is the spot where Ferdinand Magellan planted the Christian cross upon arriving in Cebu.

The cross is housed in a small chapel with mural in the ceiling depicting the scene of the first mass.

Next to the chapel is the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino; a 16^th century church. This basilica is under care of the Order of St. Augustine. This is also Cebu’s oldest Roman Catholic Church.

It was almost 5pm and our adrenaline is starting to build up by simply thinking of Sky Adventure at the Crown Regency Hotel. We want to experience the Edge Coaster and see the Cebu skyline before dusk and do the Sky Walk Extreme at nighttime. But this was not the case. We are trying to find our way riding a jeepney, and we kind got lost without even trying to ask some locals for directions. We are almost heading off to Fort San Pedro, which was originally on our itinerary on our first day but we haven’t got the time to go, and there it is almost several meters in front of us without us even knowing it! We just rode the jeepney that drove us to our hotel to take some important things.

It was already dark and we went to Larsian near Fuente Osmeña instead to grab a bite of its famous street food mecca lined up with grilled meats and seafoods such as pork and chicken barbeque, chicken skin, gizzard, liver, intestines and also some chorizo, longganisa and different kind of seafoods such as squid, fish and a lot more. It is a gastronomic festival!

You can select what your heart or should I say stomach desire and then it will be grilled to perfection. You may then eat it as is or with puso, or the hanging rice. The price is reasonable and for sure satisfaction will not be left behind! After this eating escapade, together with the long lost cousin of the girlfriend, which eventually became our tour guide around Cebu, we now went straight to our hotel to call it a day.

Our bodies are so tired and aching of this entire day exploration of the city. I forgot to mentioned that the hotel by the way is quite new, the room is spacious enough with amenities that you will see in first class hotels, the staff are accommodating and very friendly and you would not have a hard time hailing a cab or ride a jeepney. It did not even crossed our mind to change hotels after our trip to Bohol, but that is for another day.

Tomorrow is a different day as we will try to see the sights of the countryside of Bohol on our Day 2 Cebu-Bohol trip.

For details on the trip, you may read on these related posts:

• Day 2 Bohol Experience
• Blood Compact Shrine: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Baclayon Church: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Dine at the Loboc River Cruise: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• A Day with the Tarsiers: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• The Magnificent Chocolate Hills: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Butterfly Center and Man Made Forest: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Crossing the Hanging Bridge: Day 2 Bohol Tour
• Pasalubong galore at Aproniana Souvenir Shop: Day 2 Bohol tour