If y’all remember Irish from my Manila post, good for you – because this sweet character from my book blog is coming back in this chapter post.
Can I just pause for a second to complain about the airline that flew me from El Nido to Bohol?
Fuck you, Cebu Pacific. Seriously.
You know why? Oh, you do NOT want to know why?
Hang on tight, because I am telling you anyway.
I booked the tickets directly through their website – expensive tickets, by the way. I watched the price hijack as I changed the amount of checked baggage from 0 to 1.
I got a flight ticket, which stated “1 checked baggage” for each flight (I had 2, with one layover).
And despite all this, I was so tired at the time of my check in, that when the flight attendant claimed her system shows checked baggage purchased for only one of the two flights, I agreed to pay an insane baggage fee without too much arguing. The lady did file a dispute under my account – but even if the airline returns me the money, it would be in a form of credit in my account. And I am not planning to fly Ceby Scamic any time soon again.
Such a scam… I paid twice for their mistake, and wont even get my money back. Now, as I am receiving flight reminders out of the Philippines, they keep mentioning I need to purchase the baggage for the flight (which I already have done of course). Seems like the whole ordeal is going to repeat itself and I am kinda freaking out. I need an airline version of the Luigi Mangione.
Nevertheless, I got to Mad Monkey Panglao (Bohol). Bohol is the main island, but Panglao has the airport and most of the hostels and touristy spots. Of course, every transportation adventure comes with lots of bargaining, and I watched the drivers sneak as I told them I know local prices and am not embarking on a 15 minute ride for 400 pesos. Sometimes bargaining is fun, but recently it has felt more and more annoying, like can you please stop disrespecting me and treating me like a stupid naïve girl? Save some time and nerves for both of us.
I thought I would just chill in Bohol for a day. Visit Irish, enjoy the sea and sunshine, set out to Siargao next. Little did I know, haha.
First, me and Irish explored Alona. Well, I explored under her guidance. Alona town is a main hotspot, with bars, karaoke, live music hubs overlooking the pier and the ocean. Unfortunately Irish had a shift at Mad Monkey 10 pm to 6 am, so we did not see each other much after, although that evening was very sweet.
Secondly, I had an amazing foam party at the bar pool (I posted a reel about it on IG). Not too many people, but I always find the fun ones, and we almost had the whole pool to ourselves (and all the foam, lmao).
Thirdly, I met a fellow Canadian from Calgary, with whom we explored Bohol on the scooters. Specifically, three top destinations: the Tarsier Sanctuary, Chocolate Hills, and The Ingkumhan Falls.
For those who don’t know – tarsiers are really small nocturnal primates. So small they could fit in my palm, with huge, terrified eyes. They cannot move their eyeballs, so in order to see something on their side, they have to move their whole head in a very smooth, directed motion – such that they start resembling small robots with cameras for eyes. We all laughed at the tin-foiled hats and their robotic pigeon spies conspiracy theories, but here we go… How the turntables, huh!
Tarsiers also do not live in captivity, that’s why the Sanctuary is a wildlife forest, with only a tiny part of it separated for visitors. Because they sleep during the day and get active during night, most of them could be found under huge leaves, grabbing the branches with very long, “sticky” fingers.
The road to the sanctuary was also a very scenic one – with mountain turns, overlooking the rivers and valleys, I felt like was doing a lite version of the Ha Giang loop. Ahhhh, good old times in Vietnam, I miss ‘em!
If you ever go to Bohol – do not go to the popular Chocolate Hills Lookout Point that shows up first in Google Maps. Google “chocolate hills free viewpoint” and go there – its free, with no to maybe 2-3 other people, and has a stunning view (according to Zach – even better one) than at the official paid station. Chocolate hills used to be the coral hills back in the day when Philippines were part of the sea bottom, and you could find lots of solidified rocks which used to be corals and seashells. Also, this time of year they resembled matcha hills more than chocolate hills; still the view was definitely worth it.
Sweaty as if we walked all this distance on foot, we headed to the Ingkumhan Falls – advertised as one of the best Falls in Bohol. The local had to show us the way, as Google Maps lost its credibility bringing us to the dead end. The guy mentioned the falls are not great now as its dry season and the water current is not as strong – which could potentially explain the clayish look of the basin. If the river was full, it would probably wash out the clay, but when we came, it was muddy white. Some local kids jumped of the cliff and swing on the rope. I did a small symbolic dive to baptize myself in “the best Falls in Bohol”, and we headed back.
Amazing day. Amazing.
I should mention I loved it so much I did extend my stay in Bohol for one more day; after realizing the trip to Siargao is longer than expected, I also booked a night in Cebu, before heading to Siargao. Looks like I have a thing for islands that start with “bo”: Boracay, Bohol. Should try Bora-Bora or Borneo to test this theory.
Lauren, a friend I met briefly in Boracay airport, and whom I recognized as one of the visitors at the Mad Monkey, joined me on my trip in Cebu.
I cant say I loved the city… Very noise and polluted, plus the people were not that nice. Very arrogant, trying to cut the lines, and refusing to move 5 cm to the left so you can have a seat in a jeepnie. Apparently I could also do swimming with whale sharks there, which would have rescued the party, but I found out about this during my last hours in Cebu. Soooo, as much as I did not like Cebu, probably I will see the whale sharks next year!
About the party rescuers… I booked a free walking tour, which is entirely free indeed – the local guide is just tipped in the end – and I cannot express how GOOD it was. Better than the paid tours I did in other places. I guess to do this for a small pay you really need the passion for talking to people and knowing your place and your culture – which really showed.
Chris, salamat so much! He took us to the National Museum of the Philippines, we saw the old fort, got a history lesson on F. Magellan ordeal in the Philippines, saw the Cross, and tasted the sticky rice, mangoes, lochon, and seaweed that pops in your mouth, at the local market. I wish I could tip Chris more – but I only got 1-hundred-peso bill, and other ones were all 1000-peso bills, which was too much for a traveller on a budget, arguing over a couple of dollars with the taxis.
As with all the good things, the tour finished too fast and I had to catch a jeepnie back to my hotel to be on time for my ferry to Siargao.
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