Our main destination is Candijay, Bohol. My wife’s birthplace. Luckily, fiesta sa kanila. Kaya naman madaming baboy ang gustong atakihin sa puso para hindi sila ma-litson. Madaming mga tao. Sobrang busy sa pagluluto ng handa. Madaming ginagawa. Madaming preparasyon.

Nanghuli pa nga kami ng tulia, crabs, at marami pang sea shells para may mabaon at makain kami sa pag-gagala.

The next day, since we arrived, we started to visit places. Here goes…

Candijay, Bohol

The name of the town is said to have come from the words “Kang Dihay” meaning belonging to Dihay, a strong man with many followers. The name was eventually changed to Candijay and was organized during the Spanish regime and was then one of the 34 towns in the province in 1879 with a population of 5,030.

The main transportation here is called “habal-habal”. It is basically a motorcycle where 2-4 person rides on it. The fare per trip is Php 20 per person. Aside from habal-habal, there are also some buses, jeeps, and GT Express vans. Jeeps here are jam packed. Parang lahat ng parte ng jeep sinasakyan. Kung pwede lang sakyan ang gulong sasakyan nila.

People here live simple. Rice fields are everywhere. Most of the households have pig pens. Animals such as cows, carabaos, chicken, birds, cats, dogs, and others roam freely. You can easily catch crabs and different kinds of sea shells for food.

There are a lot of trees on every backyard. Kaya naman kahit mainit ang panahon masarap humiga sa papag para magpahangin. Madami ding palayan, palaisdaan, sagingan at iba’t ibang taniman.

Below are some of the shots taken around the town.

Basdako Beach

From the Visayan words “Bas” which means Sand and “Dako” which means Huge or Wide, this vast white sand beach is spectacular. The awesome waters will capture your eyes by its bluish colors. Located at Anda, Bohol, this is one of the best beaches you could visit in Bohol. Konti lang ang tao kaya naman maganda at hindi magulo. Of course you’ll pay for a fee of Php 170 for the shed. Probably they’ll use this for maintenance of the place. Anyway, we had lechon, bopis, dinuguan, suman, steamed crabs, shrimps, and rice.

Below are some of the photos taken.

Chocolate Hills

Concentrated near the town of Carmen, the Chocolate Hills is one of the famous spot every tourist in Bohol visits. There are different interesting facts that surrounds this wonderful landform which will leave you saying “Aha!”.

Entymology

The Chocolate Hills was previously named “Carmen Hills”, well, it is because most of the hills are found in the town of Carmen. According to the Boholanos, the name Chocolate Hills was given when a foreign Liuetenant soldier visits the town in summer. The hills are covered with grass which easily turns to a brownish color during summer. When he saw the hills, he said, “Oh! The hills looks like Hershey’s Kisses Chocolates”.  Thus, the name Chocolate Hills.

Legends

During the trip, our driver, Dante, said that different legends has been told about these magnificent hills. One of this is about two giants that engaged into war with each other. They threw rocks, boulders, and sand at each other. The fight lasted for days until they both were exhausted and decided to be friends. They forgot about the mess they made and soon these became the hills.

Another legend is about a giant named Agor who fell in love with a woman named Aluwa. One day Agor learned that Aluwa is getting married with someone else so he kidnapped Aluwa. Agor imprisoned Aluwa in a cave but she died. Because of her death, he felt sorry and started to cry. He cried more than 1,000 times. His tears fall into the ground and soon became the hills. Today, there are exactly 1,240 hills.

There are other legends that were passed through generations but these two are the famous ones.

Facts

According to wikipedia:

The Chocolate Hills consist of conical karst hills, called mogote, created by a combination of the dissolution of limestones by rainfall, surface water, and groundwater and their subaerial erosion by rivers and streams after they had been uplifted above sea level and fractured by tectonic processes. These hills are separated by well developed flat plains and contain numerous caves and springs. The Chocolate Hills are considered to be a remarkable example of conical karst topography.The origin for the conical karst of the Chocolate Hills is described in popular terms on the bronze plaque at the viewing deck in Carmen, Bohol. This plaque states that they are eroded formations of a type of marine limestone that sits on top of hardened clay. The plaque reads:

The unique land form known as the Chocolate Hills of Bohol was formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rain water and erosion.

The plaque also makes reference to a fanciful explanation of the origin of the Chocolate Hills that is unsupported by any published scientific research, i.e. either Hillmer or Travaglia and others, when it states:

the grassy hills were once coral reefs that erupted from the sea in a massive geologic shift. Wind and water put on the finishing touches over hundreds of thousands of years.

Below are some of the photos taken during our visit at Chocolate Hills.

Danao Extreme Adventure Park

If you are the one of those who yearn for a shot of adrenaline, this is the best place in Bohol you should visit. Known for activities such as Rappel, Plunge, Suislide, Wall Climbing, and many extreme activities, you’ll definitely get all the adrenaline you want.

We tried the Suislide wherein you’ll be strapped and slide through a zip line across the cliff. According to E.A.T. Danao website:

Suislide is basically a zip-line consisting of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline cliff. The Suislide has two lines, going forth and back. Its starting point is parallel to the Sky Ride and Plunge’s height.
Suislide is the local version for zipline, a sky ride or a slide for life. Sui-slide is coined from the word, “Suis“ (the sound of the cable ride once you get to slide) and “slide”. It could also mean for some who is so much petrified with heights to be a suicidal slide. It traverses around half a kilometer from one mountain to another, taking you to less than a minute exhilarating ride…

Working load is 5 tons. It can slide a maximum of 200 pax in a day.

Below are some of the photos we took.

And here’s a video I got for our Suislide experience.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tarsiers and Loboc River

Approximately 30-45 minutes away from Chocolate Hills, this next destination is the home of tarsiers and is where the movie Panaghoy sa Suba was shot. According to Wikipedia:

Tarsiers are small animals with enormous eyes; each eyeball is approximately 16 mm in diameter and is as large as their entire brain. Tarsiers also have very long hind limbs. In fact, their feet have extremely elongated tarsus bones, from which the animals get their name. The head and body range from 10 to 15 cm in length, but the hind limbs are about twice this long (including the feet), and they also have a slender tail from 20 to 25 cm long. Their fingers are also elongated, with the third finger being about the same length as the upper arm. Most of the digits have nails, but the second and third toes of the hind feet bear claws instead, which are used for grooming. Tarsiers have very soft, velvety fur, which is generally buff, beige, or ochre in color.

We had fun looking at the tarsier. It’s amazing to look at its eyes. Yun lang medyo nakakaawa. Kasi lagi siyang night shift tapos may mga turista siya sa umaga para gisingin siya para makita ang mga mata niya.

In the town of Loboc, the Loboc river is known for its wonderful and rich marsh life. According to bohol-philippines.com:

The Loboc River is located in the Municipality of Loboc, a mere 24 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City, the winding river plays host to cruisers on board small bancas or floating restaurants. Visitors are treated to a vista of lush tropical vegetation such as nipa palms, coconut trees, banana groves, and bushes.

A cruise along the river starts either from the Loay Bridge (a neighboring town) or at the town’s Poblacion. The Loay Bridge is 20 kilometers from Tagbilaran City while the Poblacion is about 25 kilometers away. Small motorized bancas can be availed of for a minimal fee yet for those who want to eat while cruising, floating restaurants are available offering Filipino cuisine buffet that costs P400 per head or more and local delicacies.

Below are some of the photos we took during this trip. I apologize for the grainy quality of the photos here since I have set the camera to 1600 ISO because I can’t use the flash to take the tarsier’s photo. Bawal daw kasi.

Side Trips

During our trip, we did some side trips that aren’t included in our itinerary but it made a worthwhile visit.

Butterfly Farm

According to boholboard.com:

The Butterfly Farm is an enclosure that house many colorful butterflies that will please you to the nines. It is also such a wonderful thing that getting inside the butterfly haven costs less than USD1, which means all the fun is yours for such a minute sum of money.

After enjoying the company of butterflies, you can get out of the Butterfly Farm and explore the world around.

Here are some of the shots we took.

Man Made Forest

According to bohol-philippines.com:

The Bohol Forest is a man-made mahogany forest stretching in a two-kilometer stretch of densely planted Mahogany trees located in the border of Loboc and Bilar towns. Before and after this man-made forest are the naturally grown forests of Loboc and Bilar which are thick with a kaleidoscope of green foliage, different species of trees and giant ferns lining the road.

The man-made forest stands out because of the uniformity in height of the big trees, the spread of its branches, thickness and design of leaves. Seedlings abound around the older trees. Trunks, some thick and others just a few months old, grow resplendently straight up towards the sky which is obscured by the branches and the thick leaves.

When you enter the forest, one will feel the abrupt change in temperature, especially during summer or hot season. It is hot outside the forested area, but once under the overhanging trees, one is refreshed by the cool breeze. This mountain area seldom sees the sun shine and most often than not, it rains here. Local folks attribute these to the presence of the dense forest.

Below are some of the shots we took.

Canawa Spring

One of the places I felt afraid of is the Canawa Spring located (of course) in Barangay Canawa in Candijay, Bohol. I felt afraid not because of an eerie feeling but because the water is too deep and I can’t swim (Haha!). The spring is said to be endless. Many foreign divers tried to reach the bottom but failed. People near the spring told us that many have drowned but no bodies floated. Despite of this, many of the locals goes here and swim. Some climbs the top and plunge to the spring’s cold and crystal clear water.

Below are some of the shots we took.

So, there you go. Our Bohol tour.

Total Pocket Damage: Php 6,000/person (all included)

As usual, we stood up our tent and we spent another night in Anawangin. The sands in Anawangin is not as white as Potipot’s. It is darker. Probably because of the fact that the sand in Anawangin is mixed with ashes from the volcano. Nevertheless, the scenery is amazing. You can swim through the shallow waters of the sea or trek through the mountains. Either way, these activities will give you breathtaking views of the place.

Below are some of our photos in Anawangin.

The next day we went to Capones Island. Unlike Anawangin, the sands in Capones are as white as the clouds and a lot of huge boulders you can climb up and jump down to the sea water below. An adrenalin rush if you will. The scenery here is amazing. You can see the blue waters and the surrounding islands. There is a lighthouse on this island but we hadn’t had a chance to visit it because of the huge waves. Instead, we were dropped off at the other side of the island. But in any case, this is by far my favorite island we’ve been.

Below are some photos taken in the island.

After hours of stay in Capones, we moved to the next island – Camara. I know it sound like we’re going to meet some senators but we’re not (Ang corny)! Here in Camara, we saw Moby Dick. Well not THE Moby Dick but its something that resembles him. For all we care, he probably seen Medusa’s head that’s why he turned into stone. Well, that didn’t stop us from making fun. We posed and took some shots with Moby and of course, if there’s boulders that are high enough and the clear sea below it then that usually equates to jumping towards the sea.

Below are some of the shots we took.

So that’s our 2 nights 3 days trip at Zambales. We really enjoyed our trip. Even though we all got our skin darken at least we made new friends and experienced together what nature offers.

Thanks sa invite Zoi! ‘Till next time.

More photos at Lea’s album.

Total pocket damage: Php 2000/person (all included)

First stop, Potipot Island. A small island located in Uacon, Zambales. With its white sands along its shores and the blue sea and green trees, this island will leave you in awe. You can clearly see the life under the water without submerging yourself. Well you can see more of course if you do. Anyway, we spent the night in Potipot and slept in tents.

The disadvantage though in going to Potipot during this time (holidays) is that there are many people that come and go. Madami din kasing ibang mga dayo na pumupunta dun. But the sad part of this trip to Potipot is that you will feel sorry for the island. You can see how the island is slowly being commercialized and how tourists treat it.

It is not bad to have other people visit the island. As long as they preserves the ecosystem and doesn’t destroy anything on the island. It’s ok to get starfish and be amazed then return them in the sea. What is NOT okay is if you start catching them then lay them in a plastic and sprinkle it with salt and leave it under the sun. Ano ‘yan daing? Kung ikaw kaya i-daing ano kaya mararamdaman mo?

This is just one of the many things that I was able to observe visiting Potipot. Others includes clearing out some trees to have rooms for cottages that can be rented by tourists, people walking through some corals, collecting jellyfish for fun, catching small fish just so he can get applause from other visiting tourist and get some sort of “Wow! Ang galing naman niyang mangisda!” remarks. Iiissshh!

Anyways, despite all of these, we were still amazed with the beauty of the island. And below are some of our photos we took.

I believe I had done what I didn’t do the first time I went in Dallas. Surely, the next time I get back here (if there will ever be a next time) it would be different again. Masaya din ang tumira sa US. Maganda pamumuhay, madami kang mabibili. Tamang tama lang sa kinikita mo. Ang mahirap lang ay ang kultura. Ibang iba sa kulturang pinoy.

We have this friend – kuya Ed – isang kano na may pusong pinoy. He’s very fond of our culture. We heard his story and was surprised that he believes that our culture is great.

He is impressed on how filipino family is setup not just because he himself have a filipino family but according to him he never felt that happiness having a family before. That’s an important aspect of filipino culture that I am proud of too.

Anyway, we’re now here at the DFW airport, waiting to board the plane. To kill time, we roam around the airport. We even got some starbucks to keep us awake while waiting for boarding. We’ll be traveling about 17 hours. Good luck to our butts!

Below are some of the photos we took.

Here’s a synopsis from IMDB.com:

A poor, oversized and under-educated teenager is recruited by a major college football program where he is groomed into an athletically and academically successful NFL prospect. Written by IMDb editor

“The Blind Side” depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. Written by Anonymous.

As expected, we took some photos and below are some of them:

Aside from the steaks, the place is noticeable too. With barrels of free fried peanuts, you won’t get hungry as you wait for you to get a table because of huge crowd getting to the place which generally means its popularity.

Here’s what they say in there website:

It all began when our founder, Kent Taylor had a vision of great steaks, killer ribs and ice-cold beer at a price that families across America could afford.

We currently have almost 310 locations in 44 states and plan to open many new locations throughout 2008.

“We wanted to provide a place that the whole family could enjoy,” says Taylor.“Texas Roadhouse is about a hearty, good meal with service that is friendly, energetic, and enthusiastic. Life should be fun – so the workplace needs to reflect that as well – and that is why we put our employees first.”

The Texas Roadhouse Story is simple. Legendary Food, Legendary Service®!!!

Hand-cut steaks, award winning ribs, fresh-baked bread and made from scratch side items are the standard at Texas Roadhouse. All of our food is created from scratch with only the highest quality-freshest ingredients. We combine large portions and great value to give you Legendary Food at a reasonable price.

But we’re not just about steaks. With great ribs, chicken dishes, fish, salads and lots more, we can satisfy almost any appetite. We guess that’s why you all voted us #1 in both Menu Variety and Value in the 2004 Restaurant & Institution Magazine’s Choice in Chains Guest Survey.

Legendary Service for every guest and Legendary Fun with our employees, are also main ingredients in our recipe for success. At Texas Roadhouse, our team has an incredible sense of pride in everything we do. We want our guests to have such a good time they’ll want to come back again tomorrow.

As usual, we took some photos of the place as well as with some cute servers.

What the hell just happened?! Focus! Focus! Focus!

Anyways, yeah, after church we decided to go climb up those peaks again – Twin Peaks. Naahh! Just kidding. We had our lunch there. We figured Hazel hadn’t had the chance to get into Twin Peaks last time because she’s so busy “resting” at the hotel due to “unforeseen stiffness” she experienced a few days back.

Well, I ordered some chicken breasts. The others ordered chicken fried steak. We had a good meal. While waiting for the hotel shuttle, Hazel did some hula-hoops while Anjay was busy taking her pictures. Grex and I were busy with our mobile devices.

Of course, we took some more pictures.

We had a great service and reminisce if everything we did was on God’s teachings and laws. Today’s lesson was great. Some stroke through. Some kept.

After the worship service, we head out and took some photos. And, said goodbye to some of the church members. It was a great day really.

When I get back here again, I hope I can bring my duty to sing in the choir. I miss singing hymns already. Back in Baguio, I am in the English Choir so I kinda memorized almost all the hymns. Well, babalik naman na kami kaya ayos lang.

Here are more of the photos:

Anyway, yeah, we spent our lunch at Genghis Grill again today. And this is our second time really. Last time we’re here, Sei Wei (sorry if I mis-spelled it again) joined us. We just went back because Hazel is drooling over Joey (Hmmm…do I feel something just waved?).

This is what they say in their website:

Genghis Grill-The Mongolian Stir Fry, is a build your own bowl, fast casual, Asian stir-fry concept. The atmosphere is colorful, lively, and a lot of fun! It’s actually not a cuisine, but an INTERACTIVE style of exhibition cooking modeled after a centuries-old legend. According to this legend, 12th century Mongol warriors, led by the mighty warrior GENGHIS KHAN, heated their shields over open fires to grill food in the fields of battle!

Genghis Grill is all around texas and all over US as well. Now go and grab your keys and head to the nearest branch near you.

Here are some of our photos (last four photos are taken on our first visit here):

The usual food they serve are what we call “damo-damo” (grass-grass? weeds-weeds? idk!).

Below is the menu for this month of January.

And here are some of the photos taken: