I always drop by Tagbilaran City in Bohol on my way to Siquijor when I'm taking the long trip via boat. But I would only have two hours and my destination would always be the same -- Buzz Cafe at Galeria Luisa to buy dinner and eat ice cream, and buy lipstick at Watsons in the same mall. I have only toured our neighbouring island twice, and every time felt like the island was not for me. But this year, 2017, I was able to visit Bohol twice, and here is my guide to a weekend in the island province.
Day 1
MORNING
Saturday is the most ideal day for me to go to Bohol. If you are like me who prefer not to start your Saturday early, you can take the 10:40 A.M. Oceanjet trip from Cebu to Tagbilaran, Bohol. You will arrive there at 12:40 P.M., just in time for lunch. Book a room at one of the many resorts in Panglao Island. I highly recommend South Palms Beach Resort for value for money, but you can also splurge in Amorita Resorts. Arrange for a port transfer to your resort, if not you can hire one of the many vans that will be greeting you at the Tagbilaran port to drive you to Panglao for P600 one way. On your way, you can have lunch at the Buzz Cafe of Bohol Bee Farm.
We, this time, took the 9AM Oceanjet trip from Cebu to Tagbilaran. Our trip was booked via a travel agency and they already bought the tickets for us. An agent was waiting at the port for us. We arrived in Tagbilaran at 11AM and another agent and a tour guide, Ms. Dolly, were waiting for us. We were given tarsier leis. Because we are time pressed, we hopped on the bus and off we went to our first destination.
Our first destination was at the Tarsier Sanctuary in the town of Corella, which was about 20-30 minutes ride from Tagbilaran. There is an entrance fee of Php60 that includes a 20-30 minute guided tour. The sanctuary tour guide said she spends time in the morning to look for tarsiers so that she can easily point them out to guests. The tarsiers get easily stressed, and they have a high suicide rate, which is why I think they should be left alone, like totally alone. I did not really enjoy this tour, especially because the tour guide was not very cheerful (probably hungry because it was lunch time already). There is another tarsier sanctuary on your way to the Loboc River from the chocolate hills. Entrance fee is P50 per adult. This was a busier tarsier sanctuary but Ms. Dolly said this sanctuary is not affiliated with the DENR, and I take her word for it. Unfortunately, just like the sanctuary in Corella, which is affiliated with the DENR, the sanctuary near Loboc has unsmiling tour guides and staff. Maybe we humans should not mingle with tarsiers because it makes humans grumpy. We should leave the tarsiers alone.
LUNCH
A typical countryside tour would stop for lunch at the Loboc River. We arrived almost 1PM already and there was waiting time because, despite it being a Monday, there were still several tourists at the river. I could no longer recognize the Loboc I saw because it has improved a lot (and, I’m glad in a good way). There was a proper waiting area, and clean toilets, and covered walkways to the boats. The river cruise + lunch buffet is Php450 per person. The tour runs for about an hour. I loved that the boats were not crowded and the food was plenty. I also loved that the river was not crowded with boats. I found the lunch buffet delicious — not very special in taste but just right. I also loved that the people we were with in the boat were not rowdy. We all just enjoyed the scenery and waved to people in other boats. What I didn’t like was the presentation of the town’s people in one of the kiosks in the river bank. The town’s people were no longer smiling (maybe they were tired).
You can join the dancers and musicians. After doing the Loboc River cruise twice, and dancing the tinikling, I think it is already cliche, I don’t to do it again for the next decade. But the Loboc river, it is always beautiful all the time. I hope they don’t cut down the trees and clear the lands to make way for concrete riverside resorts. I hope they continue to let locals wash their clothes, and let children swim naked in the riverbanks.
AFTERNOON
Our next stop was the Chocolate Hills in Carmen. We passed by the manmade forest in Bilar for about 10 minutes just to have a picture taken. I also was unable to recognize the chocolate hill at Carmen. It seemed bald. I took the time to climb the 200+ steps because I know the view would not be the same as the last time I was here, which was 13 years ago. And, I was not wrong. Because at the time we visited last month, it was foggy and the fog added drama to the small mountains. Entrance fee at the Carmen chocolate hills observatory is P50 for adults and P15 for children (as of July 2017).
Our last stop was the Butterfly Sanctuary in between Chocolate Hills and Loboc River. We paid an additional P50 per person as entrance fee because it was not included in the tour. Our nephew enjoyed the mutated butterflies and I highly recommend their guide because he was very lively despite it almost closing time. The guide’s name is Delfin. The sanctuary had a resort-vibe and I loved it especially their huge outdoor swings. My brother-in-law also bought ice cream and it was delicious, more delicious than Buzz Cafe’s ice cream. Although I would still choose Buzz Cafe’s malunggay ice cream. I forgot to take note of the entrance fee at the Butterfly Sanctuary but I would say it was worth it just for the tour guide.
We came full circle in Tagbilaran at around 7PM, stopping for a brief moment to admire the sunset nature treated us that day. Over all, it was an enjoyable trip, although I found the route of the tour guide dizzying as we passed the same roads twice and I think we wasted time there. The next time I visited Bohol, we rented a van with a driver and I just instructed the driver to take the most convenient route that will not pass the same way.
Day 2
MORNING
Tamper was something I learned through my Instagram feed. I am an Instagram addict and would search for new places to go by using the hashtag #whenin I especially love it when locals frequent the place. I loved the place and would surely come back. I was envious of the other table’s fluffy pancake tower. I just didn’t like the coffee I ordered, so I should come back and order another one.
One place I always visit every time I am in Bohol is the Carlos P. Garcia Museum. More than a decade ago, the house was closed and my curiosity was never satisfied. Carlos P. Garcia was the eighth president of the Republic of the Philippines and I’m always curious how leaders live their lives, what their houses look like. I was not surprised to learn that the Garcias’ Tagbilaran home is simple, especially because of his Filipino First Policy. But I was surprised to see how opulent the wardrobe of the Mrs. Garcia and their only daughter were. I couldn’t resist, I asked permission to touch the clothes still hanging in their cabinets. I learned from the museum administrator that Mrs. Garcia, Leonila de la Serna Dimataga, was a pharmacist by profession and a native of Cebu.
The former president, according to the museum administrator, was an avid chess player and a gardener. He spent most of the year in Manila and the Tagbilaran house was a vacation house. There was not much to see in the house but the museum administrator shared a lot of facts about the former president. It was obvious from the museum administrator’s house how beloved the former president was in his home province. I wanted to stay longer and ask more questions but time was against us, so I cut the tour short and excused ourselves. We wanted to still visit the provincial museum but, maybe next time.
LUNCH
There are many places to have lunch in Tagbilaran. But my top place to go would be Bohol Bee Farm. Going to the original Bee Farm in Panglao is not difficult, you may just have to pre-arrange a transportation. I love dining with the view of the ocean. My favorite Bee Farm lunch would be their roasted chicken and their fresh salad with mango vinaigrette. Afterwards, you can have a scoop or more of their coconut-based ice cream. My favorite would be the malunggay.
AFTERNOON
If you still feeling touristy, you can visit the Hinagdanan Cave in Panglao Island, although if you are claustrophobic, maybe might as well spend the right of your afternoon lounging in the water. Panglao has pristine waters and I hope it stays the same despite the increasing number of tourists each year. If you would rather spend your afternoon in the city, my cousins and I enjoyed The Library Cafe, beside Panda Suites. We spent a good three hours there, eating snacks and enjoying a game of scrabble. I also love Estrella's Bakery, across the St. Joseph Cathedral in Tagbilaran for their inexpensive breads and coffee.
Where to Stay in Tagbilaran
Belian Hotel. This is a small hotel with small rooms. The hotel though is walking distance from the pier. They also serve a rather sumptuous breakfast buffet.
717 Cesars Place. The hotel room is huge. Like huge. We booked a family room the size was time 2 bigger than our apartment in Cebu City. There is a free breakfast but it's not buffet and the serving size may not satisfy a hungry bear. The food in their restaurant is good though. This hotel is just quite far from the pier, but they have a shuttle.
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