Scratching the Wanderlust Itch: Cebu-Bohol Trip [Part 2 of 2]

Bohol

Let's pick up from where we dropped off, shall we? 

After we had a well-rested evening at our budget hotel in Cebu, we went for a quick breakfast at its pantry. We then took a cab to Pier 1 where a Supercat fast ferry awaited to take us to Bohol. We ran out of ordinary tickets so our only choice was to take the business class tickets. And boy we were glad we did! The seats were comfortable and just so freakin' fabulous that it drowned my seasickness.

Two hours (more or less) later, we finally had some solid ground to step on. From the port, kuya Jeaus, our tour guide from Incon travels fetched us with this comfy looking Adventure, which then served as our de facto shuttle. Our first stop was the Sandugo or Blood Compact site. Kuya Jeaus explained that this wasn't the original blood compact site but this was were the statues were built for photographic purposes. A few quick shots and a couple more jump shots later, we were ready to hop on to our next destinations.

Being Kuya Jeaus' tourists proved to be a challenging task as he's not one of those boring tour guides. He requires us, not only to smile and pose, but to jump, scream and run as seen in the above's photo of us in Baclayon church. A word to the wise traveler, if you want to see the insides of this church, schedule your tour at around 1pm because they close during lunch hours. For the superstitious traveler, on the other hand, can you see Father Pio's image on our background?

Next stop was the Clarin Ancestral house. For someone who has a penchant for old things, this house is a wonderland -- from the old pieces of china, the old piano, their secret garden, to their very own replica of the Spolarium. For something that is so old, all I can say is that the family is doing a very good job in preserving their heirloom. We were so hungry by the time we got here, luckily, they have a restaurant at the basement of the house. We were served with chicken inasal, dinuguan and puto (their version is to die for!) and adobong baboy.

Energized by our simple but filling lunch, we hopped on to our succeeding destinations, pronto! We visited the butterfly sanctuary where the witty tour guides helped us maneuver around the place. On the way to the tarsier sanctuary, we took a ride through the man-made forest. Our tour guide jokingly said that this was were the movie Twilight was shot. And taking a quick look above us, what he was saying couldn't be far from reality. And it's a wonder that man created this forest.

Of course, one's visit to Bohol wouldn't be complete without seeing the tarsier sanctuary. After the short bonding with those tiny mammals, we decided to take a tour of the feet of those little chocolate hills by riding ATV's. The ride was rugged and bumpy and there was mud and splashes and I felt so bad-ass! Seeing them up close wasn't enough so we climbed the 200+ steps to the chocolate hills viewing spot. The sun was setting when we reached the top. And it was such a spectacular, cinematic view. 

We were on our way back when we passed by this. And I remember seeing this on Rated K's episode of unusual houses. Is it a ship that became a house? Or is it a house that was modeled on a ship? It turns out, it was the latter. The owner of this Shiphaus was a sailor, and I guess he just loved his profession so much that he took it home.

We were bone-tired when we got to Bee Farm, our accommodation for the night. But boy, we were energized as soon as we stepped inside it! It was a garden of sorts and the lobby has curtains and beads that concealed an indoor swimming pool. It's ambiance was hipster chic. We approached the counter to check-in to our room, the Squash, but we found out that we were upgraded to a larger room, the Eggplant. Can you guess the color of our room?

After a quick freshing up, we headed to the resort's restaurant. Everything was organic and yummy-looking! While reading the menu, my eyes grazed over this weird-sounding salad. Its ingredients were of known flowers -- marigold, bougainvillea, santan -- and I just knew that I had to order it! With happy tummies, we tucked into our beds with smiles on our faces.

When one wakes up to a view like that, how can one manage to get away from it? You can't believe how hard it was to part from this place. The breakfast we had was one of the most delicious meals that I have had. Top it with their famous malunggay ice cream. I know, it sounds gross but it's really very yummy, without an ounce of that bitter malunggay taste. This place is heaven, heaven, heaven!

After checking out of Bohol Bee Farm and vowing to return to that place again, we had the resort's service accompany us to the port. From Bohol port, we, again, rode a fast ferry to Cebu. And then from Cebu port, we took a cab to the airport.

Good bye Bohol. good bye Cebu, hello Manila, hello reality.

Next on the Wanderlust Itch to scratch: Caramoan

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