Busy in Bohol
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My
summer getaway started a bit earlier.
Last
week, my friend Louie Guarin was here for the first time. As a travel and tourism writer for the past 17
years for Manila Bulletin, Louie had
seen and covered most of the places and festivals in the country, not only as
journalist but as festival juror. For many years, however, his travel to Bohol
hadn't materialized due to some unavoidable circumstances.
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Bohol
is bursting with adventurous activities
and stunning natural sites, with
Panglao
Island as travelers’ favorite for its miles
of powder sand beaches. Leo Udtohan
|
Louie,
who is now with Vanity Magazine,
arrived on Monday morning. He stayed at the Dumaluan Beach Resort 2 (For
inquiries and reservations at Dumaluan Beach Resort 2, call [+6338] 502 9092)
in Panglao where he was enjoying authentic hospitality from the owners (Dr.
Doloreich Dumaluan and his wife, Malou, and daughter, Reichyl) and staff.
Panglao
is still the traveler’s favorite spot. Here, you'll find miles of white sand
and pristine waters — hence it’s called the jewel of Bohol.
“With
summer just around the corner, travel buffs need look no further than the gem
that is Dumaluan Beach Resort,” said Roldan Cuevas, operation manager of
Dumaluan Beach Resort 2.
“We
have the finest white-sandy beach! Parents can enjoy a "time-out"
together while the kids play, too,” said
Anthony Ceniza, the resort’s supervisor who was Cebu’s choreographer extraordinaire
who fell in love with Panglao.
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| Louie Guarin is enjoying his Bohol trip. Leo Udtohan |
With
romantic beaches like Dumaluan Beach Resort, this is a destination where you
can swim and sunbathe year-round. Its list of activities range from swimming to
jetski, parasailing and sailing on glass-bottom boats.
Roldan
said they are preparing for the influx of international travelers this
summer.
“We
are training our staff to help them understand more about the culture of
different travelers,” he said “That is to develop cultural sensitivity and meet
traveler’s expectations like foods and other comforts of home.”
On
Tuesday, Louie had visited the “must see” destinations in Bohol. So much to
see, so many places to visit in Bohol. How can you do that in 24 hours? Well,
it was arranged by Wow Bohol Travel and Tours (+6338 510-6177; Email:
wowboholtravelandtours@gmail.com; 639954533402/+639081724641/+639287582804).
Even
though I’d accompanied Louie in his countryside, I’d love visiting the countryside
even if I am doing it for the nth time.
He
visited Sandugo Blood Compact monument in Bool district, one of the promoted
historic spots in the island. A few
minutes from Bool, he visited the Baclayon town where the Immaculate Conception
Parish Church. Built in 1595, the
Baclayon Church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Unfortunately the church is one of the
historical monuments that was badly damaged by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in
2013.
 |
Travel
and tourism is one of the country’s
largest industries. In Panglao,
the Dumaluan
Beach Resort 2 (l-r) Anthony Ceniza,
Malou Dumaluan, Reichyl Dumaluan-Vallente
and Roldan Cuevas) delivers an authentic
hospitality experience to their
guests. Leo Udtohan
|
He
also visited the Bohol Wildlife Park where he saw some rescued wildlife, including
pythons, monkeys and tropical birds. Marimar also showed her sterling
performance.
In
Loboc town, he enjoyed the buffet lunch at the Loboc floating restaurants for
P450. While eating Filipino foods, the hour-long ride takes you along the wooded
river, past a small waterfall, and to a station where folk singers regaled the visitors with native songs and a
Tinikling Dance. Anybody was welcome to dance. The tour ended watching the
picturesque Busay falls.
After
Loboc, he felt the cool temperature at the man-made forest. The two-kilometer
man-made forest is between the towns of Loboc and Bilar is an amazing sight
that offers tranquility.
He
also defied gravity at the Sipatan Twin Hanging Bridge, most spectacular
footbridge in Sevilla town. The bridge
which is about 40 meters long hangs 25 meters (82 feet) above the river made of
woven bamboo slats and steel. When you
step onto the bridge, you will experience some side to side sway and up and
down bounce. Entrance fee is P20.
He
had a close encounter with tarsier, the smallest primate in the world. At the
Tarsier Conservation Area in Bilar, a P60 (regular) and P50 (senior citizen and
student) fees, visitors could get you a quick view of the tarsier.
For
the nth time, I looked at it eyeball-to-eyeball and that’s how I noticed lonely
its eyes were, so huge that, for a while, I felt that those eyes would kill me
with gentleness.
The
tarsier (Carlito syrichta), locally known as “mawmag,” has all the basic
qualities of cute: enormous eyes which can turn 360 degrees set in a tiny body
no bigger than a human fist and tiny knobbly paws with which it grasps onto
tree branches.
However,
there are some rules when meeting them. Don’t touch them, don’t be noisy, and
don’t use flash when taking photos.
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| Good life, good food and good company. |
Louie
was breathless when he saw the postcard-famous Chocolate Hills. The hills
are alive with the whatever sound you can imagine, all those 1,268 mounds
(count ‘em!). In summer, when the grasses with which they are covered in
turn into a brown color, they look like mounds of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses,
hence the name "Chocolate Hills."
48
hours in Bohol is too short. I told Louie that Bohol has list of unexpected
places that we never knew we wanted to visit–but now can't wait to explore.
“Definitely,
I will come back,” Louie said.
“I love Bohol, I love the Boholanos,” he
added.
Speaking
of summer, the favorite place is Bohol. Here at VRS, we'd like to celebrate by making a list of your favorite
things about Bohol.
Tell
us your favorite thing about Bohol. Is it a beautiful province? The best
beaches? The highest waterfalls? A particularly delectable dish? A relatively
unknown custom? Tell us what it is and why it's
important
to you.
We
love to travel. Do you have best tips
and tricks to smoother, smarter, stress-free journeys? How do you find
affordable airfare and hotel rooms? What’s your secret to avoiding flight
delays, navigating a crowded airport? How about a tip for getting better
service at a hotel or resort?
Submit
your best advice -- the more specific, the better -- along with a photo of you
on vacation. E-mail to leoudtohan@yahoo.com. Then stay tuned to see if your top
tip makes the cut on VRS.
***
Thanks for your
letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow
leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.
