Day 2: The driver arrived a little past 8 a.m., which worked out in our favor. I obtained an itinerary from the concierge. Our first stop was at Colon Cross, a massive sculpture structure near the original Chinatown. After taking some requisite pictures, we went to Casa Gorordo. Casa Gorordo is a beautifully preserved house made in the 1800′s. The man was of Spanish/Filipino blood, while the woman was of Filipino/Chinese bloodline. They charged P40 per person for the entrance, and it was well worth it because the furniture and its gardens were very much intact, thanks to the Aboitiz foundation. The walls were made of coral limestones and egg whites, and the top floor was all heavy molave wood. There was even a small art gallery at the ground floor.

The next stop was the Cebu Cathedral. The Church was recently updated and is comparable to the other new cathedrals in Manila. Acrosss the street, there’s a museum for the archdiocese of Cebu that showcases some artifacts dating centuries ago. There was an entrance fee of P50 per person. There was a tour guide when we we entered the air-conditioned room on the first floor, but none on the open air second floor. There’s a view of the garden and the car that the Pope rode when he was in Cebu. The museum is also funded by the wealthy families of Cebu, particularly the Lhuilliers.

After the Cathedral, we proceeded to the famous Magellan’s cross. There were hordes of students on a historical tour that was blocking the view, but we managed to take a good look at the cross. We then went forward to the Basilica of the Sto. Nino. The museum was closed due to some festivities, but we did go queue up to look at the replica. The inside of the church is very old world, with stone faces at the courtyard and a Spanish looking fountain. Inside the church, there were lovely paintings adorning the ceiling.

We then went to the Yap-San Diego house, the oldest house in Cebu. After paying P50, the tour guide showed us around the house. Some of the wood had deteriorated due to the years of neglect, and even the upper portion had this musty smell of old houses. It is not as well preserved as Casa Gorordo by a long shot, but it had its own charm. They also allowed the use of pictures, which was great for us.

After the Yap-San Diego house, we were off to Lahug to experience lechon delights at the Cowrie Grill. The lechon was really very tasty and filling, which is all well and good as we had to go to the Taoist Temple afterward. It was inside a village called Beverly Hills, and the exercise to climb to the peak after lunch made the digestion of food smoother. The view was stunning from the peak, and we took a whole bunch of photos. After descent, it was now time to go to Mactan.

After crossing the bridge, we landed at a guitar factory in Mactan where they have several beautiful guitar pieces that are all completely manually made. My partner had quite a chat with the owner. It was then off to Lapu-lapu shrine. It was really just a statue of Lapu-lapu facing the beach, but there were many souvenir shops at the area. Outside, the souvenir shops had a wide selection of bags, trinkets, shirts, and magnets. The magnets were P20 apiece, which is cheaper than if you were to get it at the airport, for instance.

When we got exhausted from all the touring, the driver dropped us off at Ayala Center in Cebu. The tour actually lasted 6 hours ONLY, so we kinda felt a little ripped off given how the negotiations went. We also didn’t get to go to Tops. Once at Ayala Center, it’s like a much bigger and brighter Glorietta. Their Terraces was a more spectacular version of Greenbelt 5. Some of the hip dining places that you can find on Greenbelt (plus Fully Booked!) are there. They even have a Metro mall inside that carries a wide selection of stuff. In my case, I needed a swimsuit, and fast. I bought one on sale since we had researched and made arrangements to go to the beach the following day.

Day 3:The following day we rose bright and early. We would be heading off to Maribago Bluewater, an exclusive resort at Marigondon, Mactan Island. We left around 9 a.m., and we were getting nervous about how the day would go since it was drizzling. It took about thirty minutes to arrive at our destination. We had to cross the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, again, along the way. When we got there, the staff was very courteous. We paid P1000 for swimming. Out of that, P700 was consummable. That sounded fair, considering we could only use the beach and not any of the pools. My partner paid a deposit of P400 for the ‘free’ towel.

We promptly went to the beach and cornered a spot in the shade with two lounging chairs. I inquired at Aquamarine regarding their rates, but was appalled at the exorbitant ‘tourist’ prices for island hopping and snorkelling. At 4,500, that is pretty much, considering our typical outlay does not exceed 2,000. We decided to skip the whole boating experience. The guide was nice enough not to recommend snorkelling. He mentioned that the water facing us was full of seaweed, and that we wouldn’t see much because of the low tide. An hour or two later, I decided to take a dip on the water. I took a couple of laps, and felt iffy because of the masses of seaweed covering the floor. It felt squishy under my feet. The sandy area wasn’t soft but hard and can scrape your feet if you are not too careful. The water was pretty cold, which was fine by my standards. I lasted all of thirty minutes floating and swimming. There were some Koreans paddling a kayak that eventually bumped me; I took that to be my cue to step out of the water.

I let myself dry while taking pictures with my partner and then reading a book. When it was time for lunch, I went to their main restaurant, Alegre. I ordered the prawns sinugba with mashed potatoes, lemon butter sauce, and garlic rice. It was a delectable meal and I stuffed myself. I then ordered their trio of creme brulee (buko pandan, original, and ube). Now that was simply divine. I savored every morsel of it, taking care not too finish it too quickly but to let it linger on the palate. I would alternate the flavors to savor each one.

Around 3 p.m., the water level has dropped considerably so I walked to reach the man-made island in Maribago. The view from the island would show the open sea in front of it. I tried to do some floating on the shore, but there were simply too much seaweed debris floating around for me to enjoy frolicking at the beach for a long period of time. When I walked back to the shore, there were plenty of seaweed that had been washed into the beach. Ick. I decided to take a shower right after. Their rest rooms were done in marble and were well appointed.

We then decided to take a cab back to the city. There were cabs right outside, and the guard gave us the plate number. It cost about P200 to ride back. On the average, it is about P170-240 to ride to Mactan, depending on the route the driver takes. We had the driver take us to SM City Cebu. It’s a big, sprawling block of a mall. We chowed down some siopao to appease our hunger while we checked out the sales at the bookstores and bought books, again. We then took a cab to Osmena Circle’s Shamrock. It’s a delicacy store where we bought dried mangoes for pasalubong for my partner’s officemates. We had dinner at a restaurant nearby, and walked back to our hotel to prepare for an early flight.

Day 4:We woke up a bit late and decided not too rush to the airport too soon. We had a late breakfast, and then called a cab a little before 8:30. This was quite a gamble as our Zest Air flight was scheduled at 9:50 a.m. The cabby drove quickly. Since it was a Monday holiday, traffic was light. We got to our destination at 9 a.m. Check in was fast. We liked Mactan International. Prior to checking in, there were coffee shops and pasalubong stores outside of the counters. When you get inside, there are more pasalubong stalls still. What I noticed is that the main delicacies of Cebu are Otap, Dried Mangoes, and Mango Pureee primarily. This is in marked contrast to a Bohol pasalubong store that I visited that showcased many types of delicacies. In fairness, Zest Air actually boarded us on time, without making us wait too long. This is our first on time local flight since we’ve been flying at the start of the year. We landed at the domestic airport in Manila a little before 11 or something like that. What was different this time around is that the cab drivers were airport taxi service. The flag down rate is P75 instead of the usual P35.

I have not done any research regarding hotel accommodations so I wasn’t sure where to book. Unlike previous experiences where I had the luxury of checking things online, I did no such preparation for the Thailand trip. The only thing I checked was the airfare, which I found expensive. The estimated combined costs led me to conclude that it would be very expensive. That prompted me to go with the promo that Skynet travel was offering. The rate was reasonable, roughly $250 per head, plus extra night, and P1620 Philippine tax.

I called Skynet Friday and asked them to make PAL airline reservations. I decided to go with PAL because of the better time. We were slated to leave around 7:30 p.m. Thursday night, and decided to go back 11:30 p.m. on a Sunday. We would be arriving in Manila around 4 a.m. We had the option to leave 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, but my partner decided against it. I had wanted Wednesday, but the agent said that we were already wait-listed for the Wednesday flight. The agent kept offering Eco hotel or My Hotel.  The first google run didn’t yield good results, so I decided to go for First House Hotel. I’ve been hearing about that hotel way back when my mom was inquiring about a Thailand trip. I didn’t hear back from her on Monday, so I decided to do more follow up. We were able to confirm the arrangements by then. On Tuesday morning, I talked to her around 10:30 a.m., and she told me that we had to deposit the amount to their account by 12 noon, otherwise, we would forfeit our flight. It was a most annoying experience because of the incredibly short notice we were given. We had to scramble to the bank in order to pay the agent for the package. Luckily, we managed to complete it on time. My partner had to drive there later in the day to pick up the receipt, but without the documents. It turns out that we wouldn’t get the travel documents until the following day. I personally went there to pick up the documents. It included our tickets, hotel accommodations, airport transfers, and a free half day city tour for Friday. I thought it was a good deal considering the amount we were paying.

Day 1: We were early at NAIA 2. We were so early that the cab brought us to NAIA 1 terminal, when in fact it should have been NAIA 2. All PAL flights for domestic and international are at NAIA 2. We checked in around 4:00 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. flight and killed time at the lounge. They had some Internet connectivity and computers that can be accessed for free. I logged on, but made sure to log out before the ten minutes was up. By 7:00 p.m., we were boarding the plane. They served dinner first, but the smell of the fish made me nauseous. I managed to eat the fried rice and only portions of the fish. I totally helped myself to the Mango Mousse by Goldilocks. After dinner, I watched the inflight movie 17 again. I tried sleeping, but it wasn’t doing me much good. I was on the window seat, and the flight wasn’t too full. I was cuddled next to my pillow and blanket.

Day 2: We arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport around 12 a.m., which was 1 a.m. Manila time. Bangkok is one hour ahead of Manila. I loved their airport. It was big, it was ritzy, it fit right in with Changi and Lap Chek in terms of size AND class. I panicked a bit because I haven’t wholly confirmed if we needed visas. However, if we needed visas, the agent would have advised us since they would also earn money from facilitating that transaction. We saw a foreign exchange and proceeded to convert some of our money. They were taking pictures of us while they processed our documents upon entry to Thailand. Finally, we were able to go outside. A nice lady assisted me by pointing me to travel and tours section. I swiped a couple of maps that were on display for free. The guy manning the booth checked my papers and told me to go to Gate 6. When we got to Gate 6, someone was already waiting for us. We waited for a while, then he led us outside to our driver. The first thing I noticed was the parking lot in front of the airport. It was Huge and it is similar to the one that they have at LAX. We stepped into the van. The van was a right side drive, and we had it all to ourselves. One thing we noticed was that there were so many lights from the airport that was leading to the city. The streets were wide and well paved, similar to the ones in the US. We got to our hotel, which I figured was right in the middle of the city. It felt like Ermita in Manila with the narrow streets, but much cleaner.

We opened the aircon, and settled right in. We did set the alarm for a 715 wake up call, as we were to be picked up around 845 that morning. My partner and I took turns taking our bath, before heading for the breakfast buffet. There was a good selection of food. There was rice, potato balls, omelette, sunny side up eggs, french toast, salad, plain toast with spread, and then pre-prepared noodles.I made sure I ate a lot (salad, toast, noodles) because of the ensuing tour. Our tour guide was there later than 845, it seems that they got held up by the market outside our hotel. The good thing about waiting is that I was able to book a tour at the hotel lobby for a trip outside the city – Ayutthaya. The cost was 1500 baht per head. It is a World Heritage site for temples that was built around 1300.

There was another couple with us, a Singaporean couple. Our first stop was a temple in the middle of the city. The carvings  outside and inside the temple was gorgeous. I did manage to check virtualtourist before leading, and noted that we had to have pants in order to visit the temple. When we got there, we had to take off our shoes. We spent about 25 minutes in that area, then we were off to Chinatown.

China Town Temple with Golden Buddha

In Chinatown, we visited the temple of the Golden Buddha. The couple ahead of us knelt in front of him for a blessing. We followed suit. He tied a piece of string on my left string, did the same for my partner, and used a brush to sprinkle us with water. After that, it was off to Gems Gallery. We had our welcome drinks and a ten minute video. It turns out that Thailand is home to sapphires and rubies. I can ooh and aah at all the bling bling laid out before me. When we got out, I told our female guide that we wanted a tour of the Grand Palace for Sunday. I paid about 800 baht per head to tour the Grand Palace.

We asked the driver to drop us off to Platinum Mall. The said mall is a few blocks from our hotel, and my husband went to the 5th floor for the food plaza. They had Shrimp Pad Thai (yum) that I proceeded to order. I noticed that you’d have to swap your cash for coupons at the counter and you’d use the coupons to pay for the food. My partner ordered omelette, thai style. Lunch was about P100 baht. After lunch, we went down to check out the clothes. We were able to score wonderful deals for men’s polo shirts – it was 180 baht each. Their well made pants were going for 350 baht. We went to the other floors as my partner wanted to get a leather bag for a laptop. We went up and down the mall. At 3 p.m., we were exhausted, and we stopped by their famous “Starbucks”, Black Island Coffee. We both ordered Green Tea Latte, at about 65 baht each.

We then walked to Cyber World, their high end mall. It was a couple of blocks away, but I managed to be a good trooper. We went up and down their ritzy mall, looking for leather shoes. It’s a lot like Shangri-la. There was even a white orchestra performing at the lowest block.  I found a nice Thai restaurant, and proceeded to order papaya salad with crab. I ordered their black coffee, while my partner had a “liempo” style dinner with iced tea. He found their iced tea too sweet (kinda like a chrysenthanum taste), and wasn’t really happy with the food. Dinner amounted to P200 baht.After dinner, we went back to the hotel like good troopers. We stopped by the 7-11 across the street, and I bought 2 yogurts. One was fruity and one was strawberry, at 14 baht a pop. I loved the exchange rate.

Day 3: It was an early night because our pick up was at 630 a.m. the following morning. We were up by 5 a.m., breakfast buffet by 6 a.m. The guide was prompt enough and was there by 7 a.m. There were many foreigners on the ride to the main station. When we got there, they took us to a big bus, it looked like a double decker one that they have in India. It was a one hour ride to Ayutthaya. During the ride, the guide filled us with details that we needed to know. When you get to the venue, it’s pretty much fast walking and limited time on your own.

Ayutthaya

We first went to their huge temple with a Buddha made of gold, followed by the ruins of the old temple outside. It’s like semi-tomb raider. Lots of steps to climb with no railing. The bus then took us to another temple of the reclining buddha. I walked up the steps to follow my partner up one temple, but my lungs were really not meant for such exertion. I didn’t bother going around the compound and bought myself water. Our last stop was the Bangpa-In Palace. The place was really lovely. My partner didn’t pay for a golf cart, but man, the heat was oppressive, and I had no shades. It was 11 a.m., and we were still walking. Fortunately for us, a French couple offered us a ride in their golf cart so we could go around. The guy had a fantastic camera with this huge lens, and we wound up touring the lake view and the Chinese house in the middle of the compound. It was then off for the 1 p.m. river cruise. Fortunately, the cruise ship is air-conditioned. The second floor had a sumptuous thai buffet. I ate the curry, the shrimp, and their dessert that tastes like our sapin sapin. After eating, we went out to the deck to observe the scenery from the Chao Phraya river. We then went down the lower deck to catch some zz’s. There were tables and soft cushions there were we hastily reclined similar to what the other foreign nationals were doing.

When we got off the station, we requested the driver to drop us off at the MBK Center. It is similar to our Greenhills. We did score the laptop bag there. It is made of fine leather, and it turns out Thailand is known for its leather goods. We went to the department store, and were able to get a fine pair of leather shoes at discounted prices. All of the malls are going through an Amazing Thailand  sale, and we found the quality to match the prices at MBK Center. We did quite some shopping here. I was dismayed to discover that  a souvenir that I bought for 70 baht at Platinum is only 30 baht at MBK Center. I did score a great shawl for 150 baht. We went to the 5th floor for dinner, and did the rudimentary swapping of cash for coupons.  There was a wide selection of cuisine, but I was in Thailand to experience Thai food. I helped myself to Tom Yung soup. My partner got some duck. Ahhhh. I loved the explosion of sensation I experienced from the soup. For dessert, we indulged in the thai  version of crepe, with ice cream on top. Yummy.

It was almost 8 p.m. when were trying to leave the mall. The cabs were charging us outrageous prices. One was at 200 baht, another 150 baht. The guide advised us to only go with cabs that are metered, so the third one that we stuck with, we were billed 70 baht, which was reasonable.

Day 4: The following day was the best tour of the temples. Our guide was early, – he found us at the buffet area. He also told us to change to slacks. We were with a French family and some Malaysians. The Grand Palace had so many people, and there was so much gorgeous stuff to see we kept taking pictures. The French trio was missing for about 20 minutes. It turns out that they had to buy some stuff to cover their legs, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to go up the temple. First stop was Wat Phra Kaeo, then the Golden Palace. At Wat Phra Kaeo, there’s a replica of the temple at Angkor Wat!

Wat Phra Kaeo

At the Golden Palace, we bought Mango Juice to support the King’s project. We were thirsty, and my legs were tired from all the walking. After the Golden Palace, we drove out to take a barge to cross to Wat Arun, the temple of Dawn. We stayed and took pictures from outside. There was no way I was going to climb up that temple. I have had all the climbing I could do. We then took a barge back and we were off to Gems Gallery.

From Gems Gallery, the van dropped us off at Chatuchak market. Chatuchak is the largest open air shopping center in the world. There were plenty of furniture, beddings, and books, but I found that staying outdoors at 1 p.m. was just too hot. We walked to JJ Mall, and found a decent Thai restaurant. My partner had a duck meal, I had a pad thai. We proceeded to go around the different floors. Most of the items were cheap, but I’d rather do shopping at Platinum or MBK Center. I ate, again. There was this thai delicacy that looked like a tortilla with white filling and floss on top that sells for 10 baht. Not content with one, I had two.

I was munching my second one while my partner had his coffee. Since it was only 2 p.m., we decided to get dropped off at Platinum Mall. From there, we walked to Center World. We spent quite a lot of time at their bookstore. My partner even bought two hardbound books that easily amounted to 1500 baht. Around 4:30 pm, we walked back to Platinum Mall for dinner. At Platinum, I had Thai noodles, and fried clams.

The van picked us up at 7:45 for the ride back to Suvarnabhumi. I was thinking checking in was going to be a breeze, but longer queues awaited us. We started to fall in line around 830 p.m. to have our baggages checked. Turns out we had to check in our backpacks since one mini bag and 1 plastic bag counted as carry on luggage. It was 1 hour on the line just to have our passports stamped before we could get to the boarding areas. What I noticed was that there are so many different nationalities that visit Thailand. The family beside me were Finnish, while the family behind me was from New Zealand. The one ahead of me had Japanese passports. When we got inside, we were too busy checking out the stores and finding another eating spot.I just bought a snack since I wasn’t too hungry, while my partner had a sandwich. The place is very international in terms of cuisine and ambiance. After our last purchase, I converted my Thai baht to US dollars before heading to the boarding area.

The plane back was smaller than the one we rode a few days ago. I found the seats cramped, and we asked if we could move to the back. I was trying to catch up on sleep. Around midnight, the crew started serving dinner again. I couldn’t ingest the fish or the salad, and settled for the bread and the brownie. I promptly went back to try to get some sleep, although I found the turbulence disturbing. We finally arrived around 4 a.m., but the departure area was clogged with travelers arriving from San Francisco and Singapore. When we got out around 5 a.m., we hired an airport taxi (no regular taxis could service that area) for about P670 on the way home.

Day 1: This time, we went via Zest Air. We got to the old domestic airport around 8:00 a.m. That was where the Zest Air planes were located. We killed time and ate breakfast before our flight. We boarded the aircraft, and arrived at Bohol close to noon. Since we left late, we arrived late. I was expecting Dario’s Fil-Cab to take us from the airport to our hotel in Panglao. I got his name from the virtualtourist website. The agreed upon rate via text is P300. It turns out that it was a driver with a van – we had to pay P400 instead. I was a bit dismayed, but was determined to enjoy the ride from Tacloban to the well paved roads of Panglao. We arrived at Paragayo Resort and proceeded to determine the location of the beach. It turns out it is a five minute walk. The sand is more mocha than white, I must say. However, the texture is fine, and that makes up for the color.

We started walking to Alona Kew, and found a restaurant at the bottom of one resort. The strip of Alona Kew beach is reminiscent of Boracay – there are resorts and restaurants lining up the shoreline. The prices are also reminiscent of Boracay – definitely higher than what we got used to at Coron. That’s where we had our first lunch. Suffice to say that the cost of lunch was expensive – roughly P250 for both of us. The sweet and sour fish alone was at P100+. I think I got spoiled with Coron prices. The resorts and other restaurants were a few meters away from the water, and the waves were pounding furiously. I had no desire to get towed away by such strong current, so we decided to nap at the resort until later in the p.m. I sent a text to Mang Viao (0916-464–5214)to confirm the dolphin watching expedition for the following day. I had already sent him previous messages prior to leaving, this was simply to confirm the trip for the following day. He replied by saying that the boat man will pick us up at Paragayo resort around 5:30 a.m. the following day. I have not adjusted to normal sleeping patterns yet, and 5:30 a.m. is a challenge to see some dolphins.

Alona Kew Beach

By 3 p.m., we headed off to Alona beach. We went to the farthest portion with the widest area for swimming, in front of the more expensive resorts. The waves at Alona beach are strong. I kept getting pulled back by the current, so I was careful not to go too far out. We selected one of the seaside areas for grilled seafood for dinner. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep track of our food expenses, but the normal range for eating at Alona restaurants are at P250 for 2 heads. That is, if you select the simpler restaurants. After eating grilled seafood, we headed early to our resort. Time to sleep early for our early a.m. pick up the following day.

Day 2: The boat man was prompt. When we went out of the resort, he was right outside. It turns out he is Viao’s nephew. I also found it a good sign that Viao owns a number of boats, because it is most likely well-maintained. We were being charged P1,500 (including 1 set of snorkel gear), plus 100 for another set of snorkel gear. We left the dock around 6 a.m. when we saw the other boats heading out. We were far from the shore and right deep in the water. We were chasing a school of dolphins together with the other boats.

Dolphin Watching

After an hour or so (I wasn’t keeping track of the time), the boatmen took us to Balicasag island. We ordered fish to be made into sinigang, setting us back P400 for breakfast. After breakfast, we went to the beach to snorkel. The rental actually came with new snorkels and new flippers, but we decided to skip the flippers. There was an optional trip to the marine sanctuary for another P200 to snorkel and see a school of fish. We decided to skip that one, and just paddled around the edge of Balicasag. There were so many colorful fishies in that area! When my partner and I got tired of snorkeling after an hour, we were then off to Virgin Island.

When we arrived at Virgin Island, the banca ‘docked’ at a stretch of white sand that was leading to water. The sand was powdery white, and the waters were calm, blue green waters. The tide was slow, and I decided to swim around the area. My husband and I decided to cirlce the small island on foot.  When we reached a certain portion of the island, we decided to walk as far as we could since the water was very low – it wasn’t even hitting my knees. We met a fisherman who had a whole catch of sea urchins. When we asked him it was for, he said that it was a delicacy. Seriously! We didn’t realize how long we had stayed out. When arrived at the banca, the boatmen were sleeping and the sandy stretch of sand leading to the island was covered in water. When we got back to Alona beach, the sun was high on the horizon, and we proceeded to Paragayo resort for a much needed batch. I swear, one of the strangest things there was the water. The water from the shower was salty!

Virgin Island Sandbar

After lunch, we decided to walk to the beach for a much needed lunch. We headed off the the beach and settled on an Italian restaurant for a late lunch. We went for pizza and pasta. After lunch, we went back to the hotel to doze off. It was later in the afternoon – around 4 p.m. that we went back to the beach. I was a sucker for crashing waves so I picked up where I left off yesterday and swam around Alona Beach. Actually, I was doing a lot of standing to prevent myself from getting towed by the big waves. My partner was at the water’s edge watching my antics. I stayed there until 5:30 p.m. We decided to have dinner on a nice, romantic setting to face the sunset. The sky was a swirling pink cotton candy of rays. We had a hearty dinner, and were off on our way back to sleep early.

Day 3: I had made arrangements prior to arrival for a car rental with driver that will serve as a tour guide with Mang Rod (0918-591-4969). I decided to go with him because he let me add 2 things to the itinerary – Hinagdanan Cave and Bohol Bee Farm – without charging me too much. He just asked for an additional P100 for the driver on top of the rates that he was charging. Saturday morning, our driver was at the resort as early as 7 a.m. to pick us up for a long day of Bohol tour ahead of us. Our first stop was Hinagdanan Cave. The cave was made of rock formations with a mini lake inside. We descended down via short steps, and we observed Spanish era cave drawings on the wall. One man guided us inside the slippery cave and took our pictures. When we got out, we were off to Bohol Bee Farm. I loved our trip here. We paid P80 for a guided tour that took about an hour. Our first stop was to see the spice garden where they cultivated many spices. They also had a greenhouse that they were building. We then went to see (and touch!) the cultured bees that were still stuck on honeycombs. The queen bee was there too. We also observed the compost area where worms would turn organic waste into fertilizer. The other stops were followed by trips to the weaving center were the produced lovely wall pieces made of natural fiber. We also got to see the organic restaurant, the cottages that were for rent, and we went down to the deck that faced the water. The waves were absolutely pounding on the wooden deck. When we finished the trip, we got to check out the produce/products being sold that was native to the farm. It is somewhat reminiscent of Sonya’s Garden, although better.

Our next stop after leaving Panglao island is the Blood Compact site. There was a nice bronze statue facing the water. We took pictures of the site, and then proceeded to sit beside the statue for a photographic stop. We then went to Clarin house. Clarin house is an old, Spanish-era house owned by one of the oldest and well-known families of Bohol.  We were let inside after paying the entrance fee. The house was not really that well preserved, there were walls that were gaping. I am judging this by Western standards. It was really interesting to see how people lived before.  After Clarin house, we dropped by Butterfly Garden. At Butterfly Garden, we got to see the different butterfly stages and touch live butterflies! I enjoyed this short trip inside the garden.

Chocolate Hills

We then proceeded to the Chocholate Hills. It was quite a trek up the steps to see the sight, but after Mt. Tapyas, it was a breeze. I liked the view from the top, and we took many pictures on our way down. From Chocolate Hills, we passed through the Man made forest, and we stopped for the customary pictures. Next stop after this was the Hanging Bridge. It was a bridge made of natural materials that was suspended over the water. We walked to the other side and got stuck there on the souvenir shops as the rain continued to pour. After the rain subsided, we went out promptly to hit our next stop.

We waited 30 minutes or more at the Loboc River Cruise terminal. We paid for the buffet lunch at P500 per plate, rather pricey. When we got to the bancas, we were treated to a buffet lunch and we can see the view around Loboc river. We would make ‘stops’ where there would be children/adults that are singing and dancing native songs in front of our boat. We also got to observe about 2 types of waterfalls. Unfortunately, halfway through the cruise, the rain started again, and the boat was open air on all sides. We managed to get quite a bit wet. After the cruise, we were taken to see the tarsier. These are cuddly little devils with eyes bugging out at you. We donated some money to feed the tarsier.

Tarsier

After taking pictures, we were off to Baclayon church. We paid the fees to tour the museum – let’s just say San Agustin’s collection is way more extensive. Baclayon church is the oldest church in Bohol. I liked the dark blue insides of the church; too bad our batteries ran out!

Our great driver took us to a souvenir shop a short drive away from the church. Ooh, I loved the place. There were so many Filipino delicacies! I stocked up on Peanut kisses! Our driver dropped us at our hotel at Tagbilaran City, Chriscent Ville Hotel. This was around 5 p.m. already. We paid P2000 (200 was tip for the driver) for the whole day tour. We were immensely satisfied with his service.

When we checked into our hotel, the room rate was at P850/night. It wasn’t bad at all. We had twin beds, and an air-conditioned room with cable TV. Paragayo was more expensive, and it didn’t have cable TV! We walked to the nearby mall to have dinner at the regular McDonald’s. We walked around the mall a bit to observed the wares before heading back to watch TV. Surprisingly, Tagbilaran is not very cosmopolitan. It was a Saturday afternoon, but the surrounding area was not bustling for a city. Even Pampanga is more developed – there were no malls.

Day 4: The following day, we went to a nearby Jollibee for breakfast. There was no ride for our 1130 a.m. flight out. There was no shuttle on Sundays. The other service that I was calling was charging P300 for a ride to the airport. Lucky for us, it turns out that if you take a trike, it costs P20 to get you to the airport. We took the trike and did an early check in. There were other passengers before us for a PAL flight, we couldn’t get inside the small departure area. We had to wait at a cafe outside where we read books to kill time. One hour before the flight, we decided to go into the departure area.

What I liked about the Zest Air flight going into and out of Bohol was the complimentary Zest-O, the nice Zest Air magazine, and the free newspaper (Manila Bulletin) that you can read on the flight. We got back by 1 p.m. on a Sunday, tired but energized from the trip.

We arrived in Coron town a little before 12 noon. We got dropped off right near the Seadive entrance path (Pal Express office was right beside it). It was a short walk to Seadive from there. Booking was made via phone two weeks before. I was only able to book two rooms (March 5 & 6 only). Rates were reasonable at P700 for a fan cooled room on the second floor. It had a queen bed, plus own toilet and bath. Soap and towels were provided. Since the room was facing the water, it was very cool with no need for air-conditioning. Outside the room is a deck facing the water.

Seadive has a restaurant on the first floor where breakfast meals starts at about P100. It has a bar on the building behind it, as well as diving gears for rent. There are carinderias outside of Seadive, notably Trining Bacsa’s. Rates for lunch go for about P50 in carinderias, and that’s a viand + rice.

I had already booked our tour for March 6 through Owen of DIY Coron. Outside of Seadive, there are several tour operator offices that offers tours to Coron and other islands. After going around and checking those out, we met with Eran, a well known tour guide and our contact in Coron to set up our meeting time for the following day.

We then decided to go up to Mt. Tapyas around 430 p.m. We walked all the way to the site coming from Seadive, and bought bottled water along the way. It was quite a climb for someone like me who is used to no physical activity. 700 steps was literally a stretch. I had to stop intermittently to take pictures, and to lie down at several points in the cemented slabs the closer we reached the top. The view from the top is most picturesque and worth it. We were able to capture many shots prior to the sun setting as well as the sunset while we were on our way down.

Mt. Tapyas

Dinner was at Kawayanan Grill. Nice restaurant. They had a bar as well. We had liempo and dilis which was about P100 per meal. Good value for money and it was near Seadive.

Day 2: Eran met us at Seadive around 830 a.m. We walked to the market where he picked up our lunch and took us to our banca. He was going to tour a group in Lusong that day, while our tour was Coron Day Loop 1. Our guide was Richard instead. There were 2 other boat men with him. For the itinerary of this tour, please check out diycoron.wordpress.com We spent about 3,500 for two persons (1600 for the tour and 150 for the snorkels per person).

I didn’t get to do much snorkeling at Siete Picados and CYC island because the waves were strong. I did some attempt at snorkeling at Kalachuchi but was rather careful because of the sea urchins that were in visible sight. We then went to Kayangan Lake where it’s another climb up a mountain. This time, it’s not cemented steps but rocks assembled as steps with wooden railings instead of steel. Again, carrying my water had spared me from dehydration during the ascent. I had to make small stops so I could get up. Our guide was with us while we stopped at an area in the peak where we took the scenic shot of Kayangan Lake that’s usually being used to market Coron. After that, we made our descent to the lake. It was “traffic” due to the number of tourists from the 7107 Cruise that was at the lake during that time. We waited for them to climb up before we descended, having the beautiful place all to ourselves. The water was much more calm so I could float and swim with my life vest. There is not much to see underwater. The serenity of the place is simply awesome. According to our guide, they filmed Dyesebel in Kayangan Lake. It was then time for lunch – we had prawns, grilled pork chop and fish cooked by the fishermen, together with cucumbers, tomatoes, mangoes and banana.

Kayangan Lake

After lunch, we headed to Barracuda Lake. It was climbing these really jagged rocks. I stopped midway. I could see the water from the high point. But to really get to the lake, you’d have to dive underwater. You can just see the top portion of the lake. So by the time I wanted to go down again, we were already on the way out. Good thing I was wearing shoes made of rubber or I may have slipped on those sharp rocks. We were then off to the Twin Lagoon. I couldn’t really dive underneath (you’d have to dive sans life vest to cross over the other lagoon as the water was as high as the rock opening since it was around 1 p.m.) I just swam (warm blue green waters, relatively no current and bright fishes around) before we went off to Skeleton Wreck. I snorkeled there, but really didn’t see much although there’s supposed to be a boat wreck underneath. Water was colder and current was fairly strong. Next stop was 91 Beach. There were fewer people and boats here than Banol. The sand was white and powdery, but not warm despite the time of day. It’s very similar to Boracay. I had a merry time swimming on this beach. Current wasn’t that strong although it’s stronger Station 1, it’s nowhere near a Diniwid Beach type of current.

91 Beach

Last stop before town was CYC island. We didn’t stop on the island, and when I snorkeled, there was not much to see snorkeling underneath but white sand. I was more than too happy to leave given the way the current was going and I was getting mouthfuls of salty water. Once we got back we slept early due to exhaustion.

Day 3: This was a lazy day really. We spent the morning looking for another accommodation by going online. I only booked Seadive two weeks before and Seadive’s fan room for our third day was already booked, which was why we got into that predicament. I tried calling Coron Village Lodge. It was fully booked. We called Princess of Coron, but there was no answer. We decided to take a tricycle at P8 per head to check it out. It had a pool but no water, and a garden. Reminds me of places in Tagaytay with the tall trees. We were taken to a new building where they had one more room available. It had a queen bed, was airconditioned, and the facility was new so we told Mark that we were going to take the room.

After reading at the hammock on the Seadive 2nd floor deck, we then checked out of Seadive and into Princess of Coron. We took a trike to town to get a massage. My limbs felt it had gone through torture. It felt like I got “bugbog “from all the walking/climbing/swimming/snorkeling that I put it through. The massage at P250 was a treat. I couldn’t really walk straight at this point so this was a day of rest and dinner at Sirenetta.

We see the said restaurant every night from the Seadive deck. It’s a floating restaurant at the water, only one story high. When we got there, it had a romantic ambiance to it. The sun was about to set, there was a French couple behind us, and a bar in front of our table. It’s a cozy place with less thatn 15 tables. There’s a pool table to the right side of the bar. We ordered pasta and pizza, and the rates were at P200+ each. Given that most of the eating places in Coron has a price range of P50-150, this was not one of your usual restaurant. The food is made to suit the European palate but we were happy with our Lemon Shrimp Pasta and Anchovy Margarita Pizza (hope I got the names right).

Day 4: It’s our last day. We woke up early to take the tricycle to Maquinit Hot Springs. We arrived at Maquinit a little past 8 a.m. on a Sunday, and we had the place to ourselves! Entrance fee was P100 per head. We promptly settled on taking dips on the spring by positioning ourselves near the shaded area of the “pool”. We spent an hour basking in the warm water. We went back to Coron to buy souvenirs, then off to Princess of Coron to check out. We waited at the Pal Express for our van ride back to the airport.

Maquinit Hot Springs

We were advised the day before that our flight slated for 3 p.m. was delayed again. We were to leave around 4 p.m.We got to Manila around 4:30 p.m. since the plane actually left at 3:30 p.m. All in all it was quite a trip.

Please note Coron town does not have a beach. It is not like Boracay or Galera where you go out and walk a few steps, then you are on the beach. You would have to take the boat tour to Coron Island (where you’d have to pay boat rental fees) in order to enjoy the beach.