With my last 6 nights in the Philippines I was looking forward to visiting Bohol and Cebu. Bohol has a number of attractions all possible to be done by public transport. With that in mind I stayed in Tagbilaran the Island capital and use it as my transport hub.
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| Philippine flag flying proudly over the beautiful Virgin Island |
I stumbled on a gem of a find for accommodation, Nisa Travellers Inn had single rooms for just 500 Peso (about £8), had hot water showers (separate) and included breakfast. It had a large common room where it was easy to meet and chat with other travellers which were a nice mix of holiday making Filipinos and foreign travellers.
The ferry I caught went via Dumaguete (which was an earlier destination of mine) and it took quite a long time to get to Bohol.
Before dark I looked to find anything that resembled any kind of nightlife. I had on a place in mind, but couldn't find it despite having walked past it 3 or 4 times. Even when I did locate it, it looked rough and edgy from the outside. It was with great trepidation that I went inside and up the dark back stairs to the bar. Inside however it was really nice. The people were friendly and the live band was good.
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| Best bar in Bohol - singers weren't bad either |
I fancied a tourism day and I wanted to do it all on public transport. Catching a cheap tricycle ride to the bus station I hopped on the local bus to Carmon, 2 hours for 80p. I love the local buses in the Philippines the non ac kind are even cheaper and with all the windows fully down it lets fresh cool air rush through the bus. One problem with the buses is compared to the buses in England the seats that are meant for 2, fit 3 locals. Sometimes I had an unpleasant ride, If possible I tried to tactically choose seats where I was going to get a bit more room. Locals are very friendly on the buses and usually you spend the whole journey having a good laugh with them.
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| Chocolate Hills |
Getting off at the Chocolate Hills complex look-out point, I got to see hundreds of cone shaped hills which were brownish due to the dry climate. From the top it was impressive, sadly my photo's haven't done it the justice it deserved.
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| More Chocolate Hills |
Jumping (quite literally) onto a bus pulling away I was bound for my next stop the Tarsier Sanctuary. Tarsiers are native to Bohol and are said to be the inspiration behind the film ET.
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| A Tarsier hides from the camera and the sun |
Again my photo's aren't great, but these little fellas are tiny and nocturnal. You could get reasonably close to them, but they were hidden under the shade of trees.
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| Best I could mange on my smartphone |
Next stop was Loboc. This bus ride was particularly interesting as it was spent with a local mother trying to fix me up with her 24 year old daughter, very nice she was too.
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| Loboc river cruise |
Loboc wasn't really on my radar for the day, but when the bus went through earlier I saw a wide turquoise river passed through it. Speaking with others travellers that day they said it was a nice place to walk and you could take a tourist cruise on the river.
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| Kids hanging on to the side of our boat |
Time was getting on a bit, so I opted for the cruise. It was touristy, but I liked it. It slowly went through beautiful scenery. Local kids were diving in the water and got pulled along by the ropes attached to the boat. Some kids would traverse up coconut trees hanging over the river and jump in to entertain the passengers.
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| Kid jumping into the river |
We stopped off at a local dance group who put on a short performance of traditional dancing.
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| Dancing girls |
Catching the bus back to Tagbilaran and then a Jeepney to close to my hotel, I'd had an excellent day out, very cheap and enjoyable. I love self organised day trips.
I stayed an extra night in Tagbilaran, not because I had lined up anything extra to see, but I liked the hotel which was cheap with lovely receptionists, I'd made lots of mates during my time in the common room, and really I couldn't decide where to go next.
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| Jeepney selfie |
My extra day was Sunday, I spent it wandering shopping malls, testing out the theory on how easy it is to get chatting to women in malls. It was, I didn't need any shopping, but it was quite a relaxing and enjoyable day. The evening was very quiet. I spent it recharging the batteries of my laptop and phone and more importantly my own battery which had been running on low power for a few days.
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| Bohol, Philippines |
My last 3 days were to be in Cebu (22nd biggest city in Philippines) or head south to a connecting (by road bridge) island Panglao for 2 days by the sea and 1 night in Cebu. All the people I spoke with said it was a no-brainer, so I headed to the beach.
Again I wanted to do it local style and by Jeepney. 2 Vietnamese girls came with me from the hotel. This ride was a classic experience. I counted 37 passengers crammed in the Jeepney, plus there would be others buried under the mass of people. There were also a few on the roof along with my bag, which I was worried about as I'd left my wallet and passport easily accessible. I needn't have worried as it remained untouched.
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| Not much room in this Jeepney ride |
I didn't have anywhere to sleep, the Vietnamese girl I liked the best (and had got on very well with) said I should try the same hotel as them, which I did. She asked for me whilst checking in, and came out and told me they only had the super deluxe room so I went elsewhere. Alona was a small place we were both there for 2 nights so I was bound to meet up again later. I never, which was a great shame.
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| Alona Beach |
Finding some cheaper accommodation and saving about £10 I used this to book 2 tours. I hadn't been on an organised tourist trip all the time I'd been travelling since the end of Feb, in fact I think it is something where Philippines lacks a little for the solo traveller. However most things are easily done cheap on public transport.
The first tour I took in was a firefly trip along the river. I'd read up on how best to photograph fireflies but didn't understand any of it, I think the website I was reading was for the serious photographers with SLR cameras not just a smartphone. The trip was good, I was joined by 3 Danish girls, a German girl and a Chinese family.
The fireflies were impressive, looking like Christmas lights in the trees. My photo's were dire, just a black screen, no matter which mode I tried to take them. The guide was very informative about the fireflies and the tribes that live in the area.
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| Fireflies at night! |
This trip finished at close to 10pm and my other trip was a 6 am start, so when the German girl asked if I want to join her for a drink I did the sensible thing and said yes of course. Seriously though I was sensible to call it a night after a couple.
The next trip was a dolphin watching and island hopping trip. The dolphins did play along after a while and we got to see quite a few. The rest of the trip was ok, the highlight been when we visited Virgin island, a small beautiful island with a religious theme.
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Dolphin watching
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That evening was one of my favourite nights in the Philippines. I ate for ridiculously cheap by the beach with a load of locals, had drinks in a small bar again chatting to mainly locals and finished with a nightcap across the road from my hotel, again meeting some lovely people.
The next day was mainly a travelling day, doing it like the locals by catching a Jeepney then the ferry to Cebu. One bad taste on the ferry was I think I was ripped off at the baggage check in. I was certain I was overcharged but I had little time to query it. It was just £1.50 after all.
On the ferry I met a girl from London who told me of somewhere cheap and good to stay in Cebu. It was a great recommendation however the area around wasn't the best so I had an early night.
My last day in the Philippines I took the opportunity for another cheap haircut 80p and went to look at the sights. My half day tour of Cebu was probably suffucient.
It was the 450th anniversary of something religious and a street carnival was celebrating this fact. A nice way to end my stay.
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Fiesta selfie
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I loved ever minute of my stay in Philippines, the highlight was definitely the people and in particular the smiles. The greetings you got from locals instantly transformed your day. I was ready to move into a new country, Taiwan, but it wasn't long after leaving Philippines I missed it enormously.
Philippines I will be back.
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