Bohol: Panglao Tour

October 18, 2013


It was lunch time when we reached the resort. We just came from island hopping and I was hungry. I guess swimming and snorkeling had taken so much energy out of me so I needed so much food to eat :)

After having a good lunch, we went out for a tour. It was supposed to be a country tour which includes visit to Blood Compact, Chocolate Hills, Man-made forest, Loboc River, and other destinations. The earthquake, which damaged major bridges and highways, had caused the cancellation of those trips. The resort offered Panglao tour in replacement. I was not sure at first if there would have been beautiful things to see aside from beaches in Panglao. Well, we better go and look around.

It was around 2PM when we left the resort. We were guided by the resort staff and we used the same van that picked us up at the port. It was a huge Toyota and from its features and seats, I would say it's a brand new van.



The Bee Farm


Our first stop was Panglao's Bee Farm. It isn't just an ordinary farm but looks like a resort too. There are rooms available for tourists to stay and a restaurant by the beach, just like in Dumaluan.

What makes the place different from the other resorts could be the bee farm itself.

Another thing that differentiates is a souvenir shop that sells bags, mats and other products that were produced out of weaving. I got to see how they do the weaving, and it is pretty much tedious but fun too.

Bayoyoy


Next stop was tarsier conservatory but before we went there, we dropped by a place where the so-called smallest guy lives. I thought the tour guide was referring to a person with dwarfism like the waiter in the resort but I was wrong. I met Bayoyoy and I was a bit shocked when I saw him. I didn't expect him to be that small. His sister who's taking care of him and who has a normal body built, says he is 66 years old and that he couldn't talk and see but could hear. I felt sad about his condition until I noticed the plate on his stroller that says "Donation". Oh boy, is he being used for business or something? That didn't sound right to me.

Tarsiers Conservatory


Tarsiers. They are called primates but I'd like to call them little monkeys because they almost look similar to monkeys. It's just that, they are very tiny, like a handful.

The tour guide 

The Shell Collection

From Tabilaran, we went back to Panglao and stopped by a center or museum that displays various kinds of shells. Here are some photos to share:

Earthquake's Impact


As we traveled all through out Panglao and in some places in Tagbilaran, we'd seen old churches that crumbled and other structures that were ruined by the earthquake.

It was a long day for us. We woke up early in the morning to catch the dolphins and went straight to island hopping and then the Panglao tour. It was all fun except the visit we made to Bayoyoy.

Travelling is one of the things that I dreamed to do since my college, and I didn't get the perfect opportunity until 6 years ago when I felt completely capable of doing it, money-wise. In all those travels, I met different people, experience new things, conquered some fears and learned things about life. And you know what? There is one thing I realized that was so new to me when I met Gord, and that is the fact that travelling is much more fun when you do it with someone so special in your heart. Everything just seems so perfect, even when there is a typhoon or earthquake that comes along. We may have been to worst places in the universe but the fact that we are together and we hold each other hands so tight and we are both not willing to let go of each other, that's the kind of travelling I have ever wanted - A life together with him through ups and downs, a life that no matter how difficult it can be, he's not gonna let go of me until the end. That kind of life is the journey I want to take, that's the kind of life I have been dreaming to get.




Ma Cristina "Clue" Fajardo
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila