New Years in Bohol

On the list of places to visit in the Philippines, Bohol has been on my list for awhile. On December 31, a trip to Bohol became a reality. Bohol is famous for it's Chocolate Hills - over 1000 hills in the countryside that look somewhat out of the world due to their conical shapes. Margie and I departed by ferry the morning of December 31. With it being peak Holiday Season, and with me not booking a ferry in advance, I was at first concerned that we would not be able to find a ticket. However Margie was right as she knew we would get one, and we surely did get on one of the first ferries out. After the two hour ferry ride we arrived in Bohol and upon arriving ran into a tour company which offered a tour for the next day. With the inconvenience of getting to the Chocolate Hills on our own and with it being a reasonable price, we went ahead and booked through them. We checked into the Bed and Breakfast, a small, ten room place on a dead end street in the City of Tagbilaran. Although Tagbilaran is a major drop off point for tourists, it is not a tourist destination. The city itself is by and large locals, the tourists seem to go to the neighboring island of Panglao 30 minutes away.

The first full day, New Year Day we did an express tour of the island including stops at the Chocolate Hills (ATV tour as well), Tarsier Habitat, Man-Made Forest, and Butterfly and Snake Exhibit. Our last stop was one of the oldest Catholic Churches in the Philippines, dating back to the 16th Century. We opted to end the afternoon early as all that was exhausting and with it being New Years, we hadn't any lunch because there are no restaurants open almost anywhere on New Years Day.

Broom Pose at Chocolate Hills

Chocolate Hills

Tarsier Monkey, they are shy


At the Tarsier Monkey Conservation


Day two was more restful, but we traveled to the neighboring island of Panglao, where the regionally famous Bohol Bee farm is located. The farm is known for the organic gardening and fresh ice cream which is sold regionally, especially in shopping malls. We ate lunch at the bee farm and continued onto a popular public beach down the road. Late in the afternoon we made the trek back to Tagbilaran by tricycle and ate that evening at Alberto's Pizza, a regional pizza chain.

View of the Ocean from Bohol Bee Farm

Bohol Bee Farm Restaurant

Bohol Bee Farm Gardens

Bohol is definitely a place you could go to several times and not see everything. The Loboc River Cruise and Bamboo Bridge are on my list to go to next time.





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