STEAMING Hot BOHOL

Bohol is hot. The sights--both the natural and the man-made--are awesome. The streets are clean and paved. The people are friendly and smart. The pace is slow and relaxed, almost unassuming. All in all, our weekend break in Bohol was wonderful.

Unlike Boracay, which you can already get the best out of even while merely lying down on the white beach, Bohol needs to be explored. Luckily enough, Bohol locals are more than willing to tell you where to go and to take you around themselves. Don't make the mistake of going to Bohol and not going to:

(1) the famous chocolate hills (unquestionably marvelous)
(2) the Baclayon church (i can spend hours inside that church gawking and take pictures)
(3) the Loboc river cruise (which is enjoyable not so much as for its view than for the sheer novelty of the experience)
(4) the man-made forest, and
(5) the semi-cute semi-scary (yep I got scared of the little furballs) tarsiers.

Hope you guys enjoy the pictures that follow. I've got lots as we went to a lot of picture-worthy places, namely (1) to (5) above. They're all on your run-of-the-mill tour trips for PhP2000 for the car hire (which can seat three people). While you may have reservations about doing the automatic and stale tourist-y thing, your distaste for the usual is surely nothing a fresh perspective and eager mind can drive away.

I think this ends my summer sojourns. Pasukan na eh. At saka umuulan na. When the next will be, I have no idea. Hope it comes sooner than later. I've got my eye on Corregidor, Laoag, and, if time and funds permit, Palawan. Goody.

imbyerna moment with annoying jumping girls. in fairness, wala namang sign na "don't jump". still. hello? kailangan pa ba ng sign para malaman nyo na nakakamatay ang pagtalon sa may bangin??!!

the usual picture of the chocolate hills is taken on a bright, sunny day. we were treated to the dark alternative. it was dusky above our heads and you can smell the threat of rain in the air. not quite what i expected, but satisfying nonetheless.

i wonder what these railings are for?

"World peace? But of kors, maganda yan. Pero teka lang... maayos kaya ang hair ko so picture? Ang hangin e."

dona negotiating the 3xx-step climb up to the viewing area. or is it 4xx? 5xx?

self-realization over chocolate. check out the heart-wrenching declaration on cement: "no time for love". we hear ya, sister.

Bohol Beach Club

True to its promise... bohol beach club is one long strip of beach. Its not only a long strip, it's an exclusive long strip of beach. Upside: we have the seaside views virtually to ourselves. Downside: the deafening silence when there are no korean-chinese-taiwanese parties or videoke-contests at the excursionista area beside the resort.

cherry blossoms? dont think so.

multi-tasking... get burned while getting your burn

specimens for investigation: mga taong balot na balot sa beach. why????

tall and straight versus short and bakli

huts and their pointy things

they must've been the loneliest beach huts i have ever seen

what i don't like (to step on lang naman): moss and leaves and shells and rocks at low tide before the sun sets. while i don't like them anywhere near or on or under my feet, i'm ok taking their pictures.

the ewww-y moss can be seen underneath the otherwise pristine waters from the shore... waiting to entwine their gooey arms around your feet

the sun sets from the other side of bohol beach club so yung yabang-colors lang ang makikita dito, not the yabang-show we see in bora.

yet another yabang-color show at dusk

videoke and "ekskursyonista" center sa tabi ng bohol beach club. funny story about the guard who patrols the perimeter of the resort by using "line-of-sight security": he sits in a guardhouse just on the border between the resort and this area. he looks straight ahead to the water from his guardhouse, thus establishing the "line-of-sight". as soon as anyone happens to cross his line of sight towards the beach club, he pssst-psssts--and i mean, anyone, whether it be local or foreigner, single person or group, man or beast (e.g. dog), he psst-psst's them.

The Centuries-Old Baclayan Church

...with bell tower. This is taken from the side of the church, on the parking lot. Fronting the church is the highway. While hindi naman makotse yung highway and pwede naman akong kumuha ng picture from there, tinamad pa rin akong mag-take ng picture from the front. I guess it turned out to be OK because this church's best prospects are from within.

just behind the bell tower

creepy moment before stepping into the church

the most-photographed view of the baclayon church... is from the pews. unlike the paoay in laoag which is famous for its nilulumot-na-pero-nakatayo-pa-rin architecture, the baclayon is most glorious from the inside.

i know this is a church and all, but if not for the pews, i would imagine any or all of the disney princess would come waltzing down this aisle any second now...

i think it's the chandelier combined with the warm jewel tones that give the church sanctuary that ballroom feel

hats off talaga kung sino mang nagdecide ng colors for the paint job here. ganda! and they don't clash with the "old world" feel!