Where I ate in Bohol

Alona

 When we first went to Bohol, my family didn't want me to spend so much on food, that's why we went away from the beachfront restos which were generally more expenisve than those by the provincial road.
Now that I was here on my own, I still went to the road but this time, I was going to splurge a little to dine at what Lonely Planet and a local tv show declared the best restaurant in Alona Beach, Bohol: L'elephant bleu.

Alona Beach and Dumaluan Beach, Bohol

Alona Tropical's nipa hut-styled roof

I've been to Panglao's Alona Beach before and I loved how it's less crowded than Boracay, though Lonely Planet calls it a "congested strip of resorts".

Back in Bohol

I arrived on a cloudy day and I have not adjusted the photos so that you can see what Bohol looks like in the off -peak season

I love Bohol and if ever there is one place in the country I'd love to go back to, it would be this province. It has the everything I want in a vacation: nice beaches, plenty of activities to do, and a vibrant culture!

things i learned about bohol

here are some tidbits i learned from my trip to bohol

-like the mexicans, boholanos pronounce the "y" as "j" so "maayong adlaw"(good day) becomes "maajong adlaw"

-because of the 85-year rebellion led by francisco dagohoy , all the churches in bohol are built only around the periphery of the island as dagohoy's men controlled the mountains.

-there are no NPAs/rebels here because there were no sprawling haciendas here so most of the lands the boholanos till are their own.

-nowadays, europeans own most of the property by the seashore because according to our driver, mang jun, the locals didn't think much of saeside land because it was not arable.

-one property owned by a german has a huge balete /banyan tree which old people say is the home of spirits and elves. he did not believe in that but consulted a shaman anyway who said the spirits allowed their tree to be included in his property. what's curious is that there is another balete tree they didn't fence in and they had to make the gate go around it. maybe those spirits didn't want to belong to the german's land?

-sinigang is called tinola in the visayas and they use tomatoes to make it sour. they also put ginger and red bell peppers. they also put red bell peppers in the bam-i , their version of the pancit. i love how they serve colas and other bottled drinks here with the straw firmly held up by tissue to prevent flies and sand from getting in your drink.

-sandugo /blood compact (from twink's first trip to bohol)

-contrary to popular belief, Sulayman and Lopez de Legazpi drew blood from their chest and not from their wrists to signify their friendship.

-baclayon church

-the oldest chruch in bohol is made of coral, limestone and eggwhites. in the olden days only the rich had pews with chairs, some of which can still be seen there. for the more snobbish, there was a special area on the second floor where they could hear mass without mingling with the indios.

-tarsiers

-do not touch the tarsier's heads as the top of their heads(bunbunan) is very delicate

-tarsiers can rotate their heads 180 degrees and not 360 degrees like the possessed in the exorcist

-tarsiers are very territorial and may commit suicide by banging their head on a tree if transferred to a different location.

-tarsier sex lasts only 2-3 seconds but may last longer on a full moon.

-in contrast, the butterfly, which only has sex once in its lifetime lasts 6-10 hours (ay bastos!)

click here for more pix of bohol!

beautiful bohol

There is definitely more to Bohol than the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers.

We arranged for a countryside tour on our first day and our driver/tour guide fetched us from the airport at 7am. Tagbilaran is very clean and the roads are well-paved. Their tricycles have Christian phrases painted on them instead of lewd jokes and the people seem so friendly. There is no SM in the province and I think the city is better for it.

We went to the chocolate hills and though I've seen it on postcards and ads many times, it's still quite wondrous to see for yourself. They rise dramatically onto the horizon and make you want to believe legends that say they were formed by warring giants who hurled mountains of mud at each other.
Funny story, the wind blew my dad's cap to the steep side of the lookout point and we didn't know how to get it. Mama went down to get it and we were deathly afraid she'd fall! Fortunately, nothing untoward happened. The caretakers were impressed and remarked "taong bundok yata" hahaha!

Bohol is blessed with so much beauty and history that one might run out of adjectives so I'm not even going to try.
Baclayon churchThey have old churches and old houses...
Clarin ancestral home

Left: Outside the Clarin home Right:Mama sitting on the 'impolite chair'

And clean, emerald-colored rivers...

Loboc church and river

And long stretches of white, sandy beaches...

View from Alona Beach

Cliffside of Amorita resort, Alona beach

Relaxing---my camera cannot do justice to how pristine the beach is!

At low tide, you can spot wild starfish hiding around patches of sea grass. A sign of healthy marine life, according to lonely planet

Behind is Alona Tropical resort, which shares the widest stretch of sand on Alona. Our resort is right behind that and 3 times cheaper!

Dialogue: What are beaches for, but to beach around with other beaches!And seas full of colorful life where one can go dolphin watching


or snorkelling ...



pics courtesy of my PhP595 underwater film camera

Is that Dyesebel?

blue starfish

Don't worry, we put it back!

Feeding bread to fish on Balicasag island
When I ran out of bread, I tried putting my hand out and the fish would pass by again and again in the off chance that there would be food this time. (Reminds me of Finding Nemo's Dory, who had such a short memory!)

I really enjoyed snorkelling and wished I could stay forever! So much fun!

House number 13 on Alonaland had a kitchenette, ref, 1 aircon room and a TV for PhP2,000 a night!

I enjoyed Bohol immensely and you would too if you like a relaxing, peaceful vacation with a little culture and adventure to boot. But if you like partying in Boracay, Bohol might not be the place for you. There is virtually no night life. And the tap water is rather salty. But other than that, I'd much rather stay here... and I hope it doesn't lose its simple, beguiling charm. Places like these make me want to shout: I love the Philippines!

And there are so many other islands to explore!
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Some important numbers you may find useful:
For a guided tour of Bohol landmarks : Mang Jun (0917 6905627) P1,800 for aircon car tour/P2,500 for van. From Alona to the airport, car fare is P400/P600 for the van.

For dolphin watching: Mang Viao (0916 4645214)  P1,800 for rent of boat and trip to Balicasag island.