The beauty of the Philippines shining through

Good Morning/ Evening / afternoon to my fellow bloggers outhere (whatever time you might be reading this blog). I was in Bohol last 2006 and can't ignore the feeling of being there. It was a pleasant and relaxing moment for me because I saw my brother after 5 years since I left Philippines to work in Saudi Arabia. He was assigned in Bohol for his pastoral ministry.

Bohol is a little island paradise in the southern Philippines. The most notable among the tourist attractions in Bohol is Chocolate Hills. However, there are more reasons why one should visit Bohol. The many activities and places to see is enough to make visitors see the place as a sanctuary for a lot of nature's beauty.

I've only seen the hills in pictures and in books as a young child in the Philippines and never had the chance to see them until this past January 2006. My family and I had an excursion in the island of Bohol courtesy of SVD family in there. From the airport, we drove 45 mins. to reach Chocolate Hills. In order to view the hills in its entirely, you need to climb almost a hundred steps on top of one of the highest hills designated to have a vista. The climb up may be hard and effortful, but the view from the top was spectacular. You can see more than a hundred of these hills scattered all over. It's truly worth the trip to visit Bohol for this natural site. One more thing I loved about my bohol trip was our boat trip to Balicasag Island. The island was such a great spot for snorkeling and diving. I definitely recommend travelers to visit Bohol and Balicasag.

This church was one of the stops in a typical Bohol tour that travelers can easily arrange from the airport. Coming to Bohol, I was excited about the popular sites such as the Chocolate Hills and Panglao Island . I had no high expectations about this church since the Philippines has tons of spectacular churches. So, imagine my disbelief when I stepped into this stunning structure. The church was very well preserved and so beautiful inside. The altar, with multiple levels , was unbelievable. My family and I were speechless when we laid our eyes into the towering altar that seemed to radiate an inexplicable glow that illuminated the whole church. This church , I believe was contructed in the 1500's , and was considered to be one of the oldest churches in the entire Philippines . I am just impressed with how the parishioners and priest have preserved the integrity of this church for people of this generation to enjoy. The church was made up of solid huge rocks (I'm not sure if it's lime stone), and it shows travelers how advanced and inventive the people from 4-5 centuries ago were. Kudos to the people responsible for cleaning the sorroundings of the complex, there' s a beautiful garden at the back , and the restrooms, although not free(10pesos in January 2006), were spotless! This is a must see in Bohol.

We didn't stay overnight in Bee Farm Hotel but was able to do 2 hours tour of the area for free of cost. It was nice to see and learn about bees and honey harvesting. The place was beautiful, especially the viewing deck below. It was too windy so we didn't go there take pictures but it seemed fun to lounge where by the strong waves of the ocean.

The food was the best we've had in Bohol. For 420 pesos per head for the lunch buffet, it was worth every peso. Salad was delicious! The rest of the food was yummy too. The waitress offered to serve our food so we didn't have to go all the way to the buffet table (it meant a lot since the dinning was huge and we sat quite far from the table). We got our pasalubong treats in bee farm too.

Blood Compact monument is worth a lenthy stop if you are Filipino and a shorter a shorter stop if you are not. I spent about 25 mins there which for me was enough. It was reasonbly well explained in tourist literature and at the site, so I will not repeat those points.

There are the souvenirs stands adjacent to the site. Parking is reasonably easy although I was not there during the late december-early January peak season, when it could well be more chaotic.

Unless you are staying in a resort on Alona Beach, the dinning choices for travelers are generally limited to what is offered by the resort you're staying in. Alona Beach resort offers varied international fare, owing to the many foriegners who stay on this trip of beach. Nightlife, though not as bustling as Boracay is found on the beach as well, with some dancing and small parties.

The Loboc River Cruise offers lunch to its patron. Wether buffet style or sit down, lunch is served over a leisurely trip down Loboc River while being serenaded by a live band.

Don't miss these sites whenever you are planning to visit southern part of the Philippines!

God bless everyone!