Feb 23 - Tuesday
We woke up early on D-day to have an early breakfast and traveled for two hours from our house in Bulacan to the airport. Our flight was scheduled at 12:10 and we got there 2 1/2 hours early - I guess that just shows how excited we all were for this trip. We initially planned to just eat sandwiches (which I made and packed the night before) at the airport and then eat a full lunch upon arrival in Tagbilaran so for the first hour we did nothing much but engage in one of our favorite past time - people watching. But with too much time on our hands and after all the running around that the kids did to keep from being bored - they eventually got hungry so our plan to subsist on sandwiches did not materialize.
It was almost 11 when we finally decided to eat at a Jollibee food kiosk at the NAIA 3. We had to eat hurriedly and almost ran to the boarding gate which seem a mile away...or so it felt! Then, when we passed thru the airport x-ray there was a bit of a delay because they scanned a blue torch lighter in the hubby's bag which they had a bit of difficulty locating! By the time we finally got through ...they were already making the final call for passengers bound for Tagbilaran. All this made me realize that maybe it's not so cool an idea being too early after all coz even if we checked in early... we were almost the last ones to board the plane...
Plane left on time and arrived ahead of schedule at 1 pm at the Tagbilaran airport. Upon arrival, we were met by Albert, the van owner/driver who will take us to the Panglao resort where we will be staying for four days and three nights. The driver/owner was a good guy and he charged us the regular rate of Php 500 for the airport transfer even if we didn't go straight to the resort. We requested for a slight detour to buy some food stuff and groceries at Plaza Marcela in Tagbilaran city.
Finally, after about 20 minutes of travel - we arrived at Alonaland resort and were given House number 10 - truly a very pretty place - a quiet and relaxing resort with our neighbors (mostly foreigners) keeping mostly to themselves, and with very clean and comfy surroundings. The only downside is that we had to walk about two blocks to get to the beach - well, at least we figured we could all use the exercise. They do provide free shuttle service that goes to Alona beach every hour...so I guess it's a bit OK. Also, at the rate we got this place, it already is a bargain (@2500 a night for an entire bungalow with 2 rooms, our own kitchen and living area)coz all the other beachfront cottages range from 5k and up. If we had wanted someplace near the beach, the ones within our price range were only fan rooms that could accommodate 4-5 pax and didn't have a kitchen. So we saved much not only on the lodgings but even our food since we cooked most of our meals. Never mind the walk to the beach...hehehe
After checking out the rest of our "house" the kids decided to take a dip in the pool - it was only 3 pm by then so I let them go while we prepared dinner. Here are pics of the rest of the house...
By 5 pm, we decided to have an early dinner so that 30 minutes later we were on our way to the beach. It was just our luck that the shuttle sked is 5pm, 6pm, 7pm and so forth so we were thirty minutes early for the next one. But rather than wait, we decided to walk the two blocks. Besides it gave us the chance to check out the area and saw that there was a bakery a few houses away where we could buy our morning bread... we also passed by an ATM and a convenience store in the street corner - things we never would have noticed if we rode the shuttle.
Finally, the beach! and boy ...Alona beach did not disappoint - the sands were so white and fine, the water so clear and blue --- my only problem was the very limited coastline available to swimmers. With the proliferation of too many shops and restaurants on the beach, there was very little space left for the swimmers to sunbathe or for the kids to play in...the kids and the hubby swam for about an hour and a half, I and my mother-in-law preferred to keep ourselves warm on the sand and just watched them and the beautiful sun set view. We then took the shuttle back to the resort, played billiards, and frolicked in the pool some more before finally taking a hot shower and settling in for the night.
ITINERARY FOR DAY 1 + EXPENSES:
8:00 AM - left early for airport
9:30 - check-in at the NAIA terminal 3 (terminal fee PhP 200.00 each)
early lunch at Jollibee food kiosk (PhP 500.00)
12:00 - departure from Manila
1:30 PM - arrival at Tagbilaran airport
travel to Panglao (van transfer PhP 600.00)
side trip @ supermarket for groceries (around P2K)
3:00 - arrival at Alonaland resort (house rental @ Php2500 per day)
unpack/cook early dinner/ SWIM time for the kids @ the resort pool
5:00 - early dinner
5:30 - to Alona beach for more swimming!
7:00 - back to resort for some billiards and frolicking in the pool
9:00 - time to rest...
February 24 - Wednesday
Today is the day of our countryside tour so we woke up early, had breakfast and took our baths. The van picked us up at 7:30 and we were all out and ready by then. Our first stop was the Chocolate Hills at Carmen, we decided to go to the farthest place first and go inwards toward the city... and besides, we wanted to go while the sun wasn't so high and hot yet. The trip to Carmen took two hours and we made the uphill trek slowly to savor the breathtaking beauty of the hills. I was glad that I didn't view the hills the first time I was in Bohol in 2007 when I attended my sister's graduation coz it allowed me to gaze at the hills with the same awe and amazement as my kids did... we had the usual picture taking at the view deck, took some wacky/tricky photos then we went down for some ice cream near the souvenir shops then left for our next destination - the Bilar man-made forest. We already passed this earlier on our way to the Chocolate Hills but this time we stopped for some more picture taking. The trees were quite majestic looking and provided a very cool respite from the very hot sun.
After the pic taking, off we went to the Hanging Bridge at Sevilla to buy some souvenirs. According to most travel websites I browsed, this is the place to buy cheap souvenirs and indeed they are cheap as compared to the souvenir shops we saw at Carmen and even much later near the Tarsier sanctuary, the Loboc river restaurant and the Blood-compact shrine. After we crossed the hanging bridge, we were met by a man showcasing his prowess in opening a coconut with his mouth - the Buko king of Bohol. We were able to buy some keychains, bracelets, coin purses, ref magnets and other trinkets to give away as pasalubongs to friends and officemates. After that, we proceeded to a tarsier sanctuary where the tarsiers can only be photographed but not touched - so unlike the tarsier place I went to the last time where they allowed us to have the tarsiers photographed on our shoulders. Well, I am sure I couldn't get my daughter to do that anyway, she was afraid to even stand next to one even if I reassured her that they were sleeping or even half-asleep being the nocturnal animals that they are.
After the visit with tarsiers, we were getting quite hungry so off we went to eat lunch at a floating restaurant of the Loboc River Cruise. The van driver (Ludy) did not take us to the usual site (near the church), instead he brought us to a newer and more popular site (or so he says!)...turns out though that the package was much higher than the ones in the regular boat ride because we were charged Php 350 per person...quite steep really coz the other site was only PhP 250-300 but we didn't bother arguing with the driver and just took the cruise (I figured he had a 'percentage'). We had a nice leisurely lunch buffet - the food were plentiful but not really spectacular. It was the funny musician that kept us entertained throughout the hour-long ride across the river. Of course, the refreshing view helped made the meal a totally enjoyable experience,too. There was a stop in one of the coves in the river bank where there were waiting natives (in complete costume get-up) who showcased their fire-breathing skills while the others were jump-diving in the water, some tourists had their pictures taken with the 'natives' but we just watched and returned to the boat when the show was over. The boat turned back after a while and returned to our point of origin where our van driver/tour guide was waiting.
After eating so much food, we wanted to sleep the afternoon off but there were still three more places to go to in our itinerary - The Python mini zoo, The Baclayon church and The Blood Compact Shrine. We saw different animals in the zoo although the most memorable was the famous large python featured recently by Kuya Kim in Matanglawin. After that, it's off to the church we went...I would have wanted to take another look at Loboc church but we already went past it on our way to the river cruise and besides the children's choir wouldn't be there anyway so we just let it go. Anyway, the Baclayon church is also quite beautiful and we spent a few minutes in
its cool interiors to pray and thank the Lord for allowing us to visit beautiful Bohol. After that we left for the Blood compact shrine but since it was so hot by then (around 2pm), there was no more pic-taking at the shrine itself. Besides, the kids were already sleeping in the van. Instead, we just bought some shirts at the nearby souvenir shops and by 3 pm we were back at Alonaland resort to rest the afternoon away.
After an hour, the kids were itching to go swimming and since I wanted to buy some fish at the beach, I relented and went with them and left the others still sleeping. We took the shuttle to the beach where we swam and had fun making sand castles. After a while, I browsed the beach area and searched for fresh fish but there was none available. Some locals I talked to say some fishermen sell their wares on the beach in the early morning but not always...I guess they prefer renting out their boats to tourists than going out to sea to fish...or maybe it's just the season. Nonetheless, we went home an hour later without any fish. So when the hubby awoke, I asked him to go with me to a nearby market where we were able to buy some fish (tulingan at PhP 120/kilo and tamban at Php 30 per kilo) and alimasag (PhP 120 per kilo) for our dinner and baon tomorrow. Getting there was a different story - Jun and I took the habal-habal after a trike driver charged us PhP 200 to go the market and then back again to the resort. Good thing I saw this motorcycle beside the resort who charged us only PhP 120, he was also kind enough to tell us the current prices so we'd know if the market vendors are overcharging us for being tourists. . After our sumptuous dinner(where we also had ice cream! ...an advance celebration for my mom-in-law and so that we could use the plastic gallons for our baon tomorrow), we all slept early to get ready for another big day.
ITINERARY FOR DAY 2 + EXPENSES:
5:00 AM - wake up sleepyheads! bath time
7:30 - leave for COUNTRYSIDE TOUR
9:00 - Chocolate Hills - Php 50.00 entrance fee
picture taking (PhP 100.00 for a 5R pic)
Bilar man-made forest (FREE)
Sevilla Hanging bridge - PhP 10.00 entrance fee
souvenir shopping (around PhP 500.00)
11:00 - Tarsier sanctuary - PhP 50.00 donation
11:30 - Loboc river cruise - PhP 350.00 per pax
12:30 - Python mini zoo - PhP 10.00 entrance fee
Baclayon church (FREE)
Blood compact shrine and souvenir shop (around 1K for shirts)
2:00 PM - back to Alonaland resort (PhP 2,500 for tour/van rental)
2:30 - short nap/rest
4:00 - to the beach for swimming
6:00 - back @ the resort
7:00 - to the market to buy some fish (PhP 120.00 for the habal2 /PhP 500.00 for fish/crabs/fruits/bread etc)
8:00 - eat dinner
8:30 - Sleeping time
February 25 - Thursday
Another early day for us...I was awake at around 4am to cook our baon/breakfast then I woke them up na so they can get dressed and help fix the food and things to bring for our dolphin watching trip. By 5:30 our boatman arrived at the resort to pick us up and walk with us to the boat docked at Alona beach. We had to walk the entire two blocks because the earliest shuttle leaves at 7 am pa. And that would be too late for us na. So off we went with all our stuff and we even stopped by a nearby store to buy pandesal and more mineral water.
By 6 am we were out at sea and we began our quest for dolphins. We saw the sun rise and it was truly amazing...the boatmen said this is the usual time for dolphins to feed but at first we were frustrated when we only saw very few of them...then as we speed up to get a bit nearer, they would suddenly disappear below the water's surface. After a while we transferred to a different location and we were rewarded with numerous sightings of dolphins...they were quite playful and some even jumped above water like in dolphin shows but these ones aren't trained. I guess they are really quite used to human interaction in these part of the waters...it would have been more fun though to actually be able to swim with them but considering the speed with which they swim, I guess it would be impossible.
By 7:30 am we grew tired running after the dolphins and decided to go to Balicasag island to have breakfast. We also ordered some fish which the locals cooked for our lunch. After eating breakfast, we took another small boat to the fish sanctuary for some snorkeling. Fish feeding in Bohol was a totally awesome experience - they were quite plentiful and swam freely in a protected area where the fishermen aren't allowed to catch them. The only downside though was that since it was still early in the morning, the water was a bit cold...so my daughter had to get out at once and did not spend more time with us feeding the fish like in Palawan. Then, my mother-in-law who didn't fancy swimming but gamely fed the fish while in the boat, felt a little dizzy since the waves were rocking the boat a bit. So she and Kaye decided to return to our cottage on the beach and left the other boat for us to use. We stayed in the water for another hour more feeding the fish and even went farther out into the sea.
It was already around 10:30 when we decided to return to our cottage and get ready for lunch. But instead of having our lunch there, the boatmen recommended that we pack up and have lunch at Virgin Island. And boy we were not disappointed! We ate lunch on the boat amid the breathtaking view of the island and the calm tranquility of the deep blue sea. I guess I would just let the following pics speak for themselves.
After a delicious lunch we all felt sleepy and tired (some of us were looking for a restroom already and since there were no resorts ...not even a store in Virgin island) we decided to head back to Alona beach and back home to the resort. We each took our baths and spent the afternoon sleeping. By 7, we had dinner of fried fish, sinigang and some pork BBQ bought at the street corner. We, then spent the evening just watching TV while the boys played billiards outside before going to bed.
ITINERARY FOR DAY 3 + EXPENSES:
4:00 AM - wake up/cook breakfast/fix things to bring to the beach
5:30 - walk to Alona beach (Php 1500 boat rental)
bought mineral water and bread for fish (Php100)
6:00 - Dolphin watching at Pamilacan
7:30 - Balicasag island to eat breakfast
bought more fish/pusit(PhP350.00) for lunch(paluto at PhP 100.00)
snorkeling at the fish sanctuary (smaller boat rental at PhP150/pax)
(snorkel mask - PhP100@/aqua shoes - PhP100/pair)
10:30 - Virgin island for more swimming and LUNCH
1:00 - back to Alona beach / Alonaland resort
take bath...short nap
4:00 - watch TV/ prepare dinner
7:00 - eat dinner
10:00 - sleep...
February 26 - Friday
We woke up a bit later than usual and had a leisurely breakfast. We had nothing much planned in our itinerary today except the airport pick-up at 10 and a short visit to Dauis church. After eating, we proceeded packing our things na, took our baths and got ready to leave. I paid the resort the remaining Php 5000 balance (since I deposited Php2500) as our downpayment. We left at 10 am and went to Dauis church to once again thank God for granting us the opportunity to visit Bohol as a family. I hope we would be able to do this again some time soon - in another famed tourist spot in the country...or even back here in Bohol to savor once again the treasures Bohol had to offer.
After that we left for the airport, had lunch at a nearby cafe and waited for boarding time at their small waiting area. By 3:30 we touched down at NAIA airport and we boarded a bus that would take us straight to our place in Bulacan. Indeed, the past few days have been a bane on the budget but no amount of money can beat the happiness and excitement in the faces and hearts of my kids and mother-in-law. I am sure, this experience will be something that they would cherish and treasure for the rest of their lives.
