Philippines, where to go, what to see - No. 4 Scenic Bohol

• published: 10 Jun 2015
• views: 2

As a tourist in the Philippines there is so much to do and see. This video is the fourth in the series, "Philippines, where to go, what to see". This time we head to the island of Bohol. Using our holiday videos we show you some of the places to go and sites to see as alternatives to lazing on the beach, as well as telling you some of the history of the Philippines. Most of the large islands are reached by flying from Manila. Changing islands usually needs flying back to Manila and getting another plane to your island destination, which is a bit of a pain. However, there are a number of ferries operating from Cebu port to Tagbilaran, Bohol which is a more relaxed way to travel, is quicker and cheaper. We stayed at Veraneante Resort which is on Panglao Island. The islands of Tagbilaran and Panglao are connected by a road bridge. It should be noted that a number of islands in the Philippines do not have cash machines and businesses do not have the facility for payment by credit or debit card, they are cash only payments. We had pre-booked tours via the internet through the resort. The following day was the Bohol Countryside Tour package, a full day tour with car, driver and guide. We were collected from the resort and set off for the Chocolate Hills. On route we stopped briefly at a Man-made Forest between the villages of Bilar and Loboc. Tall mahogany trees shade both sides of the road for about 2 kilometres, devoid of sunlight a distinct drop in temperature will be noticed, even on the hottest day. We continue on to Bohol’s most famous tourist attraction The Chocolate Hills. There are legends foretold why the hills came into existence. These dome-shaped hills are estimated to be from 1,268 to about 1,776 individual mounds and are actually made of grass-covered limestone. The domes vary in sizes from 30 to 50 metres (98 to 164 ft.) high. During the dry season, the grass-covered hills dry up and turn chocolate brown which gives the hills their name, more difficult to associate the name with the hills in the wet season when the grass is green. The hills are not man made but a natural phenomenon; it is a surprise to us that the area is not included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Next on our itinerary was lunch aboard a floating restaurant on the Loboc River. A recent earthquake had taken out the usual route to the docking area for the floating restaurant which hadn’t been restored at the time of our visit. So the driver parked on the ‘wrong’ side of the river and we climbed up the steps to quite a high bridge in order to cross the river to the restaurant. We cruised up the river through banks of lush forest and palm trees to the Busay waterfall, all of 1 meter in height, while partaking of an ‘all you can eat’ buffet style lunch, entertained all the while by a quite passable singer/guitarist. After a journey of about 30 minutes we came to a raft like structure with an open sided building on it, this is just before the waterfall. Here we were entertained by locals and the Loboc Children’s Choir, with folk songs and dances. Off now to the nearby Bohol Tarsier Sanctuary. Tarsiers are one of the smallest primates in the world, an adult tarsier can easily fit in the palm of a man’s hand. A shy, nocturnal, insect eating animal with huge eyes they are often wrongly described as the world's smallest monkey, in fact they are more closely related to lemurs. Unable to rotate its eyes it has an owl like ability to rotate its head through 180 degrees to compensate. The species is believed to be about 45 million years old and now it is another endangered species. Our final destination today is the Blood Compact Shrine. This was a part of Philippine history where it is said the first treaty of friendship between the Spanish and Filipinos took place. A few drops of blood from the two leaders, Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and the chieftain of Bohol, Datu Sikatuna, were mixed into a beaker of wine and from which each party drank. The ceremony performed was then called "Sandugo" meaning "One Blood". We had planned to go dolphin watching the next day but the tour was not available at that time of year. Tags: YouTube Philippines, "Philippines, A Trip to Remember", Philippines a trip to remember, Bohol, Philippine Islands, Holidaying in the Philippines, Holiday, Philippines holiday, touring the Philippines, Philippines, Philippine tours, Chocolate Hills, Tarsier, Bohol Tarsier Sanctuary, Loboc River, Blood Compact Shrine, Tagbilaran, Panglao Island, Veraneante Resort, world’s smallest primate, ferries, Bohol Countryside Tour, Manmade Forest, floating restaurant, mahogany trees, Loboc Children’s Choir, Busay waterfall, Our website: http://www.vickian.com