It was like “The Amazing Race" minus the competition and the million-dollar prize. And it happened like this: last month, I went to Bohol for a seminar together with six other reporters from Manila. We stayed at the Bohol Bee Farm on Panglao Island, about an hour’s drive from the airport, for three days. But due to our tight schedule, we had no time at all to see the sights of the province. We could not, however, resist Bohol’s charm. We could not stand the thought of having been to the province and not seeing its beauty. And so we figured that we could squeeze into five hours a mad dash around Bohol before our flight back to Manila, just to catch a glimpse of the place often called “God’s Little Paradise." We boarded a rented van just before sunrise at 5:30 a.m. Our first destination was, naturally, the famous Chocolate Hills. The viewing station for these unique geological formations in Carmen town is about one hour away from our starting point, so we had ample time for power naps en route to the place. At around 7 a.m. I woke up to shrieks of awe from my companions. When I opened my eyes, I found out what drew their admiration: little mounds of earth that seem to have been formed from a single mold and plopped into the ground side by side, extending to the horizon.
The hills are alive. The Chocolate Hills in Carmen town are best seen from a viewing deck, where you can appreciate the vast area covered by these fascinating mounds of earth.
The view was even more breath-taking when we reached the viewing deck. There, we saw the expanse of this natural wonder. According to one signage, there are over a thousand Chocolate Hills spread over three towns. What fascinated us more was the fact that these land forms are actually made from limestones and fragments of marine organisms such as corals from many years back. Indeed, these dome-shaped formations are nature’s masterpiece. It was a little disappointing, though, to see litter all over the viewing deck even at that early hour. The place needs better maintenance, considering that a P50 entrance fee is collected from visitors. We left the Chocolate Hills at 7:45 a.m. and headed for the lush man-made forest at the border of Loboc and Bilar towns. The towering rows of mahogany trees made us feel like we were in the location of the film “Twilight." The forest glowed with the rays of the morning sun filtering through its canopy. It was good to know that Boholanos are doing their share in caring for the environment, while beautifying their province as well.
Breaking dawn. The man-made forest between Loboc and Bilar towns is especially picturesque in the morning, when the soft rays of the sun accentuate its natural beauty.
At 8:30 a.m. a short drive from the man-made forest took us to our next destination: the tarsier conservation area in Loboc town. I was particularly excited to be here, for I have been raring to see the world’s smallest—and in my opinion, cutest—primate for such a long time.
Wide-eyed wonder. This cute tarsier sure knows how to strike a pose. It is, however, highly sensitive to light, so be sure to turn off your camera's flash before taking a picture.
The Philippine tarsiers did not disappoint. They looked totally adorable when hugging tree branches, with their glistening wide eyes and velvety fur. Our guide was also more than willing to share facts about these little wonders. Sadly though, these cute creatures are very much endangered. I hope the national and local governments exert their best efforts to save the tarsiers, so that future generations will get to see them too. Although we were pressed for time, we couldn’t go back to Manila without pasalubong. We decided to quickly shop in nearby souvenir stalls, and of course, we all had to grab packs of Bohol’s homegrown delicacy peanut kisses. Because of the irresistible goodness of the sweets and my lack of self-control, I decided to open a pack, and I did not regret it. The lightness of the meringue really goes well with the crisp peanuts. While munching on delicious peanut kisses, we settled for the long ride back to the airport in the provincial capital, Tagbilaran City. Along the way, we passed by the Loboc river, where the famed cruises are held. At this point, I really wished we could just miss our flight and just enjoy the water, but we were really running out of time. We dropped by the centuries-old Loboc Church, said our short prayers, and dashed to our final destination. We arrived at the airport at 10:30 a.m., just a few minutes before our airline’s check-in counter closed. We had to wait for half an hour before boarding, and the wait was not easy. The airport is really cramped, with limited seats for waiting passengers. We were all sweating while we sat on the floor. Good thing there was a group of musicians who made the humid air jubilant. The Tagbilaran airport really needs to be developed, considering that Bohol is a major tourist destination. All in all, the mad dash around Bohol was an exhilarating experience. I will definitely go back to this lovely province, hopefully, with the luxury of time to explore what else Bohol has to offer. –
YA, GMA News All photos by ANDREO CALONZO 
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
