Bohol… what a wonderful island. With each visit, I get to know the Philippines better and better. It’s interesting that I’ve never managed to leave Luzon (the island where Manila is). So this trip allowed me to visit my first Philippine island (2nd out of 7641).
Bohol is famous for its fabulous Chocolate Hills. I didn’t expect that there were so many of them.
One simply cannot resist peeping in.
As you have already guessed, the Chocolate Hills have nothing to do with chocolate. They just look like chocolate truffles.
Every Filipino knows this landmark because it’s printed on the 200 pesos bill. What’s shown on the bill is just a small fraction of what you can see from the observation deck.
It was really silly of me not renting a scooter on my first day here. It turned out to be a cheap and easy way to navigate around the island. Using public transportation is not a viable option. It is more costly and time-consuming in the end. You also have to haggle your way. Fixed price for scooter rent solves all of those headaches and provides flexibility for traveling anywhere and stopping whenever.
That said, maybe it was a smart move. You see, the word on the street is that you might get into a gun accident if you park where you shouldn’t.
This vending machine sells water. I was rather surprised to see something like this here. In Kharkiv, we have the same machines all over the city. They are a bit more advanced, but the idea is still the same.
Tagbilaran, the capital of the island, offers trikes as public transport. The fare is fixed but can get higher if you travel farther. The signature frame is what makes it different from other trikes across the Philippines.
Alona beach is an ultra-touristy beach on Panglao Island (not too far from Tagbilaran). This was the first time I saw and touched clean white sand. I’m yet to see blue crystal water, though. The water there was just clean enough.
Forgive me my savagery, but I found it really strange to see people sitting at tables just 1 meter from the sea. Wouldn’t it be better to have a picnic on the sand instead?
Water in some other areas can actually be really murky. Not sure if this is because of pollution or natural reasons.
In regular countries, litter is recycled. In Bohol, they make lanterns out of it. I should’ve asked for a blueprint because my room is too dark anyway.
Tarsiers live here. I won’t bore you with standard information about them, but do visit them in case they’re gone from our planet (the species is endangered).
I’m actually more of a bug and worm guy. Who doesn’t want to start their morning with a good cup of fresh Filipino coffee and a pinch of healthy chichaworms?
This island is the place with the most kind people, who apologise for being close. Where else would you find such gentlemen?
But sometimes, when you’re close, you don’t need an apology.
The island is bursting with nature. No matter where you go, it’s beautiful.
I wish I could be one of these little goats eating green grass, so I could unite with nature.
But I’m only a human, and the only thing that Mother Nature offers me is a stalk of unripe bananas.
Every dog knows that there are no sidewalks in the country, so you have to walk by the side of the road.
One distinct feature of Bohol is that almost all of the vehicles on the island have broken speedometers. Including this bus.
I’ve never seen an open-space cyber cafe, but it’s a thing here. Just inside a mall, why not.
However, malls are not the reason why people go here. Diving, swimming, and enjoying sunsets are just a few of them.
Although, please, never forget that life doesn’t end here.
