Bohol

Bohol Island is home to the smallest primates on the planet: Tarsiers. They are cute little nocturnal fur balls (I find it best to ignore their long hairless rat-like tails) that you can see at a zoo/preserve. Beyond the tarsiers Bohol had a lot that we loved. We took the tourist train…well, van…to the tourist river cruise which was GREAT. Big buffet of delicious filipino food and a glide down a picturesque river all while being serenaded by live singing and guitar mostly in the American love song vein.

Bohol, like some of the other smaller Islands, felt like taking a deep breath. So lush and green and possibly just less populated. Bohol has a large amount of farming, mainly rice and corn and our driver bragged that it usually provides all it’s own rice, including when the country has had rice shortages in the past.

Bohol is also home to the Chocolate Hills, a natural geological phenomenon that created over a thousand of these conical hills in this region. Don’t mind the ominous gray clouds filling the frame, the rain storm was warm enough.

Last stop: Oldest coral stone church…in the region. You use what you have I suppose. Very impressive. I was intrigued by the oversized choir hymnal made from cow skin and bound with leather (I get that’s what cow skin is but they appeared to be two different things and so must be processed differently?) and the girls liked the different stoles and the ornate Santo Nino (Saint baby, i.e. Jesus that is done up like a pontif/cardinal with bright robes, gold embroidery and usually an elaborate crown. with a tiny baby head (usually, sometimes it just looks like a small adult head) perched on the top of the triangular robes.

After our big day, including more walking and scoping out the town a little relaxing was in order. And a hammock on our own balcony! sweet!

Our day out on the water started very early so we could catch the dolphin pods on their morning frolics. And frolic they did. It was enough to be out on the water in the near dawn, blue for days, in the sea, in the sky. Of course blue doesn’t capture the pinks and purples, greys and pearls on clouds and white caps and aqua beneath the surface and navies in the distance. Too bad I’m not a painter, but I am an appreciator of art and beauty. And beauty it was. Then to see these gorgeous sleek, strong, playful animals jumping and sailing, popping up here and then there with their crews. It was fantastic! Though the noise pollution from our boats..eek!

Our second stop was an island for snorkeling. And snorkel we did! Tons of gorgeous fish and coral that was pretty nice. We could have stayed for an age but you’re only allowed 30 minutes. Sigh. It feels real awkward for us the way the snorkeling is set up in that 1. you have to go out in a little mini canoe that some locals take you out in and you feel like you’re some royalty being waited on (in a semi-patronizing way) to a reef that is definitely a swimmable distance 2. often people feed the fish and there seems to be no frowning or ruling on this nor are there many guidelines for people on how to stay off coral etc 3. you are limited in where and for how long you can snorkel (again, I appreciate this to some extent due to the problematic aspects, but it just feels a bit of a bummer to not be able to explore as we wish. But understandable).

The last island we went to seemed to just be a sand bar with a few carts selling grilled corn or urchins or oyster and coconut juice. And a few stands of mangroves coming out of the water. I guess that’s how you get over 7,000 Islands? But the girls had a fabulous time playing and in the rising tide and running and splashing in the soft sand.

The weather was cloudy off and on for much of our stay, but we were able to make the most of our last morning down at the beach. The kids met a couple new friends who helped them scoop a sand pool and who were happy participants in a sand fight! There wasn’t a huge amount to see for the snorkeling endeavors, just a few of the usual chocolate chip seastars and some urchins, but we don’t put our noses up at a dip in the water under a blue and sunny sky.