The second day of our Bohol experience, my office friend and I woke up very early in the morning and hired a habal-habal to take us to Alona Beach in Panglao where we were to meet up with a Chinese couple whom we met yesterday at the Loay River Cruise and who asked us to join them in their island hopping activities so that as a group, costs will be cheaper. To our great dismay though, the one with whom they transacted was not an honest man. He asked for P500 more on top of the P1500 per banca, lying to the Chinese couple that the banca will be bigger and therefore more stable in the sea. The Chinese couple agreed, not knowing that the bancas are of regular size and one can seat up to 10 people. At that time, I remembered what our parasailing guide in Boracay told me about how Boholanos are manlolokos and even reminded me to always be alert when in Bohol. Still, we were still lucky because all the habal-habal drivers we hired were all friendly... Or maybe it's because we initiate conversations and even joke with them.
We arrived in Alona Beach a little before 6AM then we departed for Balicasag Island. On the way, we were treated to a sight of playful dolphins in the seas. Unfortunately, non-locals are not allowed to jump out to play with the dolphins. Our guides suggested we go to Oslob in Cebu for the whaleshark interaction experience so I noted that down.
In Balicasag Island, we had fun snorkeling. My recent purchase then of an underwater Pentax camera came in use. Sad to say, I haven't fully explored how to use it so it was only in auto mode, and the waters were not as calm as in Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa so my priority was on making sure I didn't venture far out lest people suddenly find me gone. Still, the sight was very beautiful. Lots of clownfish! Hello, Nemo!
Before we left the island, we got into a dispute with our guides because apparently, the snorkeling gear was not included in the P2000 fee. The night before I was asking if that was already included in the tour and the reply was just an "ok". If I were scammed in other countries I could have been more forgiving, but to be lied to and fooled by a fellow Filipino just doesn't feel right. And I had to explain everything to the Chinese couple who obviously did not understand Tagalog. So I was like an interpreter then and it was a most stressful situation to be in. Our vacation was almost ruined thanks to manlolokos who prey on tourists. I hate the mentality here that foreigners are wealthy people. I hope that Bohol creates a tourism office to regulate all tourism activities, pretty much what they have in Sagada and Batanes. In Bohol, you are vulnerable to these kinds of scams. Snorkeling gear cost us an extra P150 per person. This and not to mention the P200 snorkeling fee at Balicasag Island, which was also not declared beforehand.
When we finally got to the second island, in Virgin Island, it was as if everything that happened was already a faint memory. The island has nothing special in it but the serenity of the place certainly calmed us down. Here in Virgin Island, we tasted different seafood offerings like sea cucumber, shells, sea urchins, and abalones. I love the shells most, they taste like shrimp but the texture is like that of squid.
It was already past noon when we got back to Alona Beach. We had our late lunch in one of the tent restaurants in the area. Two piece chicken barbecue, rice, and monggo cost me only P135. My friend ordered chicken intestines (isaw) and I had a taste. It was good.
We went back to our hotel in Tagbilaran to rest a little. Then at night, we attended the samba at Iglesia ni Cristo because my friend is of that faith. I just tagged along, curious as to how they worship.
Read about our Day 1 experience HERE.
Bohol Day 3
Bohol Day 4
We arrived in Alona Beach a little before 6AM then we departed for Balicasag Island. On the way, we were treated to a sight of playful dolphins in the seas. Unfortunately, non-locals are not allowed to jump out to play with the dolphins. Our guides suggested we go to Oslob in Cebu for the whaleshark interaction experience so I noted that down.
In Balicasag Island, we had fun snorkeling. My recent purchase then of an underwater Pentax camera came in use. Sad to say, I haven't fully explored how to use it so it was only in auto mode, and the waters were not as calm as in Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa so my priority was on making sure I didn't venture far out lest people suddenly find me gone. Still, the sight was very beautiful. Lots of clownfish! Hello, Nemo!
 |
| I didn't get to take a good shot of the orange clownfish I saw... |
When we finally got to the second island, in Virgin Island, it was as if everything that happened was already a faint memory. The island has nothing special in it but the serenity of the place certainly calmed us down. Here in Virgin Island, we tasted different seafood offerings like sea cucumber, shells, sea urchins, and abalones. I love the shells most, they taste like shrimp but the texture is like that of squid.
It was already past noon when we got back to Alona Beach. We had our late lunch in one of the tent restaurants in the area. Two piece chicken barbecue, rice, and monggo cost me only P135. My friend ordered chicken intestines (isaw) and I had a taste. It was good.
We went back to our hotel in Tagbilaran to rest a little. Then at night, we attended the samba at Iglesia ni Cristo because my friend is of that faith. I just tagged along, curious as to how they worship.
Read about our Day 1 experience HERE.
Bohol Day 3
Bohol Day 4
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