Travel Date: July 7-8, 2012
And I am back to Cebu for the nth time. :-) This time it was to accompany some friends who dragged me to be their tour guide to Cebu and Bohol, which I obliged.
We took the earliest Cebu Pacific flight at 4 in the morning, that would mean waking up at 2am :-( The plan was to head straight to the Pier to catch a ferry to Tagbilaran. Flight was on schedule. We were out of Cebu airport a quarter before 6. We reached the ferry at exactly 6am. Bad news, the ferry was already full. Ocean Jet ferries has the earliest trip to Tagbilaran at 6am with the next at 8am. Super Cat's first trip is at 8am.
Rather than sitting in the terminal for the next two hours, I dragged my troop to start exploring downtown Cebu. This being their first trip to the Queen City of the South, a visit to Magellan's cross and the Sto. Nino Church is a must. These attractions are just 10 minutes walk from Terminal 1. I was somewhat happy that we missed the ferry since we managed to cover a handful of attractions in our itinerary. After a hearty breakfast at Jollibee, we headed back to catch our 8am ferry to Tagbilaran.
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| Magellan's Cross |
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| Sto. Nino Church |
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| The altar of the Sto. Nino Cathedral |
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| Viva Sto. Nino |
The tour will cover all the major countryside attractions in Bohol. Our first stop was at the Tarsier Conservation Center. I was told by our driver cum tour guide that there are now only two places where the tarsiers are kept for viewing - and in both cases, in their natural habitat. An improvement from way back in 2009 where these gentle creatures were captured and put into cages for display. Entrance to the Center is 50 pesos, the ticket comes as a postcard - another innovation of the Tourism Center in Bohol. Just hope they have one for the Chocolate Hills :-)
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| The gentle tarsiers of Bohol |
It was nearing noon and our tummies were rumbling so instead of going straight to see the Chocolate Hills, we change route to the Floating Restaurants in Loboc. 350 buffet lunch in a floating restaurant that cruises along the Loboc river, complete with entertainment - singers in the restaurant, and folk dancers (kids and old folks) along the river.
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| A hefty serving of seafood |
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| Each raft cum floating restaurant will make a stop in one of the tree performance raft along the river |
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| The Loboc River, since it's the monsoon season expect the river to be brown in color |
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| En Route to Chocolate Hills, the Man-Made forest that stretches over a kilometer |
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| Chocolate Hills, the main attraction of Bohol |
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| Baclayon Church, established in 1518 |
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| Sandugo (Blood Compact), located along the hi-way near the Baclayon Church, is a reminder of the friendship between the Spaniards and the natives when the former arrived in the early 15th century By 6pm we were on our way back to Cebu to catch our 8pm flight. In Cebu, a brief stop over at the Islands Souvenirs Pasalubong Center just across the Magellan's Shrine. |
TIPS for this ITINERARY:
1/ take the earliest flight out of Manila - Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Zest Air, and AirPhil Express offers flights as early as 3am.
2/ but if you intend to visit Cebu and Bohol, either take a Manila - Tagbilaran flight, ferry to Cebu, then Cebu - Manila flight (vice versa)
3/ Ocean Jet Ferries offers the earliest crossing from Cebu to Tagbilaran at 6am, Super Cat's earliest departure is at 8am. Crossing the Bohol Strait will take +/- 2 hours.
4/ do not worry if you did not book a country side tour beforehand. there are a lot of providers when you reach either Tagbilaran airport or the jetty. Standard rate is 2500 for 3 people or less. haggling is allowed and encouraged :-)
5/ take the Tarsier Center then the Loboc river cruise so that you don't go hungry for the rest of the tour.
6/ buy Pasalubong along the way, prices vary by 5 pesos depending on which attraction you get them.
7/ if you have more time in Bohol visit and stay a night or two in Panglao, see previous posting for suggested itinerary.
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