On to the Tarsier Sanctuary. Well, there are 2 of them – the 1 they maintain especially for the numerous tours. The small guys are kept in a kind of a huge cage so that the innocent tourists are guaranteed to see them. The other sanctuary is just a protected place where you go with a guy to find them somewhere on a tree. Well, we opted for the latter to see these guys with eyes bigger than their brain – no joke.
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Visayas Second Part - Bohol, Siquijor, and Negros
Our journey continues to Bohol and Siquijor to finally reach Dumaguete on Negros Island during the end-of-year festivities, when every Filipino has to see their family. A mix of crowded tourist hotspots and nearly deserted places.
Panglao 2 Dumaguete
Panglao, 21th December
Yeah, we’re at Alona Beach in Panglao. Bohol’s place to be, the ultimate hotspot to see tourists – and to be seen by other tourists. After a Filipino Thai Curry yesterday evening, this morning we have to see the reality of this wonderful place. True, it looks a bit strange with the whole beach more or less eroded and the eateries and sleeperies getting protected by concrete walls.
Whatever, we’ve got a car to discover the island. Well, don’t believe that in Bohol you just go on the internet and after a few clicks you pick up your Lamborghini. No, here you make a request, eventually get an answer, make an upfront payment on a rarely functioning website, hope the money arrives, get the confirmation and then another website they call a contract. Then a few steps more (forgot them), and finally a guy arrives right at your sleepery, handing you over a Toyota Vios – our Lamborghini for the next 2 days. Well, we call the ugly, small guy Ghini – that’s easier than Lamborghini.
So, we’re on our way to discover the island. To start with, 1 of the famous Spanish churches: the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary Parish Church in Baclayon. What a name. The inside is not easy to visit, either closed or occupied by a marriage.
Just a few km further is the village of Loboc. The ultimate stop for all the tours to have lunch on one of these floating boats cruising on the eponymous river.
For us more of the opportunity to have a look at another Spanish church and to explore a bit the village and the Jeepney stop.
A few km further, there’s 1 of the last bamboo bridges in the region in the village of Sevilla. Of course, we have to see it. And to learn, that it has to be renewed every 6 months.
Then our brave Ghini brings us alredy to Bohol’s most famous sight: the Chocolate Hills. The place every visitor to the Philippines has to see.
Arriving there, we quickly discover 1 of these hills with some buildings and a lot of people on the top.
Looks like that’s where we have to go to. It’s true, the whole day we’ve rarely seen any visitors. And now, we quickly learn the reason for that: all tourists on Alona Beach seem to gather here. Whatever, we pay a small entrance fee, a bus drives us to the top, and we’re in the middle of hundreds of selfie-afficionados taking the pic of their life.
After this highlight of tourism in Bohol, we have to reach our sleepery in the tiny village of Anda. Checking Google, we’re quite astonished to learn that we’ll need more than two hours to reach our sleepery. Meaning that we definitely have to drive part of this trip in the dark. Probably not a real pleasure here with all the unlit vehicles, goats, chickens, and whatever you can imagine on the road. Time for Ghini to prove its qualities.
We definitely arrive in the dark. And the Philippies prove permanently that driving with the lights on is an issue for these strange foreigners, but not for the locals.
Whatever, our sleepery is quite posh and quiet – yeah, looks like you get definitely more for your Pesos outside the Panglao tourist hotspot.
The next morning we’re on our way back to Panglao. Now driving Bohol’s panorama road crossing a small mountain range. Nice landscape.
Then again to the Chocolate Hills. There we find a small side road going to a hill you can climb easily. It looks like it’s too much effort for most other tourists, we’re alone.
Late afternoon we’re back at Panglao’s Alona Beach. Looks like there’s even more people than before.
Siquijor, 24th December
We’re on our way to the next island: Siquijor. Surely less crowded than Bohol – let’s be optimistic.
A speedboat brings us in 2h to the island, then a tuktuk to our sleepery – …
… the 1 with the nicest sunset in Siquijor and a house reef just in front of it.
The next morning, the sky looks cloudy, sometimes it even rains.
Only in the afternoon it clears up a bit. Time to explore the reef. Yeah, they have beautiful blue and red sea stars, a few corals fighting to survive, and astonishingly next to no fish.
Well, maybe we expected too much of Siquijor’s underwater world accessible by innocent snorkelers.
Another day – better weather. We organise our Siqui tuktuk driver for a tour around the island.
1st stop the Balete Fish Spa – a basin where you put your feet in the water and some fish try to munch on them. Maybe more of an attraction for Asian tourists than for us. Who knows, so far these fish spas we’ve only seen in Asian countries.
To the church in the village of Lazi. It’s pretty evident x-mas is not far away any more. The guys are seriously preparing for it.
Then a short drive to the must-have-been-spot in Siquijor: the Cambugahay Falls. A place you definitely won’t feel alone.
Still, pretty nice to visit, you just have to take pics from the right angle.
On to the probably nicest beach in Siquijor, Salagdoong.
Finally, we’re heading to the island’s highest mountain: Mt. Bandilaan (557m). Quite a long way on a winding road. Quite some work for the poor tuktuk.
On the way some nice viewpoints.
Then the drive comes to an end. A tree blocks the road. So, time for a nice walk until we reach the lookout tower on the mountain’s highest point.
Then we’re already back to our sleepery. Just in time to admire the island’s x-mas sunset.
Dumaguete, 26th December
After all these islands, these beaches, and these numerous tourists, we need a change. 1 of the Philippines’ beautiful cities, some mountains – simply something else.
So, we’re heading to Dumaguete on Negros Island. Again a speedboat, which now rather reminds us of an old-fashioned submarine. Whatever, after 1 hour we arrive on Negros Island.
Dumaguete – not exactly 1 of the greatest urban centers of the world. It’s rather a small, typical Filipino town with a nice, lively waterfront and an amazing number of decent restaurants.
Well, only later we observe how many elderly Westerners sneak around with their much younger Filipina lover girl. And they all want to eat somewhere.
Time for a beer in 1 of these old-guy-young-girl eateries.
The next morning, we have to search for quite a while to get a a ride to the famous Twin Lakes in the Balinsasayao Natural Park. As they are at an elevation of more than 800m, the tricycles circulating in town are just too weak, or too old for that. For a car, they quote exorbitant amounts for this 40km roundtrip and our efforts to get a rental car were a complete failure. Finally, we find 1 of the rare tuktuks – a Bajaj with a slightly stronger engine – and off we go.
It’s definitely true, the road is steep, bumpy, and often overgrown. But passes thru beautiful landscape with jungle, some plantations, and sometimes we’re even in the clouds.
Arriving at the lake, there are rowing boats to cross it and to sneak to the 2nd lake. Of course, someone is rowing you – so you have time to take selfies.
Arriving on the other side, there’s a slippery path leading uphill to admire the other lake.
In the afternoon, we’re back to Dumaguete. Just in time to munch on something in 1 of the old-guy-young-girl eateries. Then we finally explore the town.
We start at the main square where visible many people are still busy with x-mas in front of the church.
On thru the slightly chaotic CBD and to the waterfront.
Finally,we head to the waterfront’s food stalls – a foodie’s paradise.
Dear readers, we know you could read much more. Still, we appreciate your understanding of our capacity limitations. Please take note, that poetry and lies demand a lot of of energy to make them believable.
In this sense, we wish you endless jealousy until you receive our next post.
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin