Hello Hiveians!
With a lot of things going on, I decided to go back to my travel blog. I missed my Kim's Quest series so I thought maybe I could add a new entry. This new entry is an old travel and the major part of our Bohol escapade, but I haven't shared it yet so here we are. Philippine Islands #2 and #4 are actually part of this escapade and we just explored the southeastern part of Bohol. If you haven't checked them out yet, you can find them here:
Although the tourism industry has been established in the south and west part of Bohol, with Panglao Island, Tagbilaran City, and Carmen as the top destinations, recent trends were focused on the north and eastern part of the island. With the white sand beaches of Anda and the caves and rice terraces of Candijay, no wonder Bohol is always part of the trending places to visit. This will be part of my list of places to visit when all of this is over.
In the mean time, let me share my experience when we visit the island of Bohol. We stayed in Tagbilaran City through the accommodation of our friend and we rented a PUV for a whole day tour going to Carmen where the famous Chocolate Hills is located. The set up enabled us to visit a lot of places along the way. The first stop is Sandugo or Blood Compact Shrine.
Blood Compact Shrine
Let's have some piece of history. Sandugo Shrine or the monument of a blood compact is located in Tagbilaran City. It is said that on March 16, 1565, a blood compact happened as sign of friendship between Datu Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. This is considered as the first treaty of friendship between the Spaniards and the locals.
The shrine was constructed by the Philippine Historical Committee and the National Historical Institute to honor that part of Philippine history. A blood compact is a local tradition during that time that is performed as a way to preserve the friendship between two tribes. A blood compact is done by creating an incision in the arm and pouring a few drops of blood into cup with wine and the mixture is divided equally between parties. Both parties would then drink the mixture of blood and wine and should not leave until the cup is drained.
Since the shrine is just along the highway, you can just have a stopover and have a few photos and then continue with the journey.
My rating: 8/10
Bilar Man-Made Forest
If the destination is the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, you will surely pass by a man-made forest. Bilar Man-made forest is a two-kilometer stretch of highway in between the municipalities of Loboc and Bilar that is blanketed by a canopy of mahogany trees on both sides. The pillars of mahogany trees and its branches block the sun and creates a cool micro-climate within the forest.
The lush trees along the road curved its branches overhead creating an illusion of a tunnel or a dome which is very imposing. It's so easy to be in awe and be hypnotized by the scene, but it's still a highway so one should always be cautious. There's no designated parking area within the man-made forest so you can just pull over the side of the road anywhere within the forest. As this part is so instagrammable, expect that there will be a lot of other tourists who would like to have some photos.
As I have said, since the forest is still part of a highway, you need to be cautious in taking photos as speedy cars pass by. It's easy to get so focused with taking photos or get lost in your reality because the place has its hypnotic and enchanting appeal. Always be careful.
My rating: 8/10
Chocolate Hills
The destination: that postcard pretty mounds of Chocolate Hills. The conical karst hills occupy an area of about 50 square kilometers in the central part of Bohol. Those 1,776 hills are concentrated in the towns of Carmen, Sagbayan, and Batuan, while some are sparsely located in the towns of Bilar, Valencia, and Sierra Bullones.
The rolling terrain is characterized by a conical limestone formations that are almost symmetrical in shape. Because it's a karst geological formation, caves and springs are abundant in the area. At the foot of the hills are either flat grasslands or rice fields. There must be an interesting science behind the formation, but I'll just leave them to your own research. The geological formation is covered by green grass that turns brown during summer and turns back to green during rainy season. The brown mounds looked liked Hershey's chocolate, hence the name.
When I was young, I only see them in books and pamphlets and I wondered what makes them special. When we were there, I think it was just justified. They're really magnificent! The Chocolate Hills is part of the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations. It can also be seen in the Philippine bank notes.
My rating: 9/10
Sipatan Twin Hanging Bridge
After Chocolate Hills, we took a detour to the municipality of Sevilla to experience the feeling of the sway of their famous bamboo bridge. Also called as Sipatan Twin Hanging Bridge, the two bamboo bridges span across Sipatan River or upper Loboc River.
It was originally made just of bamboo and rope, but the rope was replaced with steel cables for safety and stability. The bridge serves a way for locals to access the main road, but became famous to tourists. The deck of the bridge is made only of woven bamboo slats, which makes crossing the bridge appear nerve-wracking at first, but it's actually sturdy except for the swaying.
The twin bridges spans 40 meters and a great way to view the emerald, slow moving Sipatan River below. While my friends were afraid and hesitated to cross the bridge, I had a fun time especially when I just go with the swaying. It was a fun experience. As more tourists cross the bridge, swaying the swaying became stronger, but I didn't feel that the bridge would collapse. It just proves how sturdy the bamboos are. Of course, we didn't miss to have our photos taken.
My rating: 8/10
Loboc River
After experiencing the swaying bamboo bridge, we head back to Tagbilaran City, but made a stop over at Loboc proper. It was already afternoon which made Loboc River more appealing.
The source of the river is located in Carmen, at the center of Bohol. Because rainfall is almost constant at the interior of the island, the river has a steady and high volume flow. This makes the river ideal for river cruising and other activities and made Loboc River as one of the top tourist destinations of Bohol.
As the river passes through the town center of Loboc, riverside view of the Loboc Church is just along the highway. There are a lot of activities in the area, but we chose to have a lazy afternoon. Activities like paddle boarding, river cruise, buffets, cultural presentations, bird watching, and firefly watching.
My rating: 9/10
I guess that's all for this post! In the next one, maybe I'll share what we did during the Loay River Cruise. Stay tuned, folks!
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Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.
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