As if the universe listened to my request, I finally got that trip I've been longing for! Bohol was as beautiful as Paulo promised and the memories we made there are definitely a core memory for me. I saw some old friends, made new ones, and mindfully enjoyed the places we went to.
It was such a blessing to go to all the places I've put on my bucket list. The weather would change quickly during our stay so we thought of staying in but on that day we decided to go around... an opportunity presented itself and so the plan was to:
see the Chocolate Hills and see if they're exactly as brown as we talked about back in HeKaSi class
meet some karlitos in the Tarsier Conservation Area (since I work for kumu, I just had to see our mascot irl)
On the way, we saw that the Loboc River Cruise was already open and thought of eating lunch there since it fits in the schedule. It was originally part of my bucket list too but last time I checked, the place was still under repair due to Typhoon Odette. Good thing we came just when they reopened!
And so here are the places we went to 💚
Loboc River Cruise
The scenic view was calm and serene despite the light rains and some of the visible remnants of the typhoon's aftermath. Peace best describes what I felt upon seeing the trees stretch outwards as the boat glided deeper into the river.
On the way back, the sun graced us with its warm rays of light and it was so nostalgic to hear the musicians sing my lola's favorite songs. I had to put my phone down at some point to be in the moment 😆
Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area
Shortly before this trip, I found out that they have suicidal tendencies when bothered or trapped in an enclosed area. It's great to see that they have enough space here and that they're all safe and accounted for after Typhoon Odette. One of the guides asked us not to trust the fake news circulating that only a handful of tarsiers are left after the typhoon.. it was actually the opposite because it's mating season for them 😆
Small did you know fact: kumu's mascot, Karlito, is a tarsier (aka carlito syrichta). The genus carlito is named after well-known tarsier conservationist Carlito Pizarras.
Chocolate Hills
The highlight of this tour was the steep climb up the viewing deck to see the Chocolate Hills. I'm not a fan of tall buildings/places but for the thrill of it and for the worthwhile view, I'm down to hang tight and embrace that fear. As you can see from the picture I took, the Chocolate Hills are still green though there are hints of brown already showing - I'll stick to my joke that these are matcha hills now! 😆
Man-made Forest
The sun was setting on our way back and we decided to take some pictures since we were already there. There were only subtle hints of what Typhoon Odette left. At this point, I had tired feet but a happy heart because looking back, it was a blessing that the weather cooperated with us that day.
With all the beauty we saw in these places in Bohol, we also saw the impact of natural calamities to these places. There were still areas around the island that had no electricity due to Odette. There were still areas with fallen trees and electricity posts. To see how everyone is trying to bounce back from the pandemic and from the recent typhoon - it says a lot of how disaster risk responses are important.
Just when I thought our adventure was over and since we were set to leave the next day... we were then invited to a group tour with friends: they were planning on island hopping. As a spontaneous pair, of course we joined in and it's one of the best decisions we've made because of how beautiful each moment was 🥺 We got to swim with turtles, see dolphins swim near the boat, and listen to great music with good company. I can still hear Summer Paradise by Simple Plan as I reminisce (lol!)
The trip was far from perfect - we had our flight rebooked twice and we had some misadventures during our stay... but overall, it was all worth it! The people, the places, the food (in Bohol Beach Club hehe) - 10/10 will go back for pt 2 😋
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