TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

the shores and heads to the northeastern part of the mainland of Bohol and we pass by the Chocolate Hills, wrapped in green because summer hasn’ t quite arrived yet, it is a pretty sight. Like dumplings or a ripple within the island. Surrounding Bohol are tiny islets with stretches of white-sand swirling in the blues( which we will save for next time). So I don’ t mind that the plane is still waiting for its turn to land, I’ m already enjoying my bird’ s eye view of the Visayan Islands.

There are some things first-time guests should be aware of in Bohol. Transportation is quite scarce. Searching the Internet, it may seem easy to take a bus or a taxi to get anywhere but in truth it isn’ t as common as most of us are used to. For a short stay in Bohol it is best to hire a van or rent a car to save time and perhaps money in the long run. One can try packaged tours but in this case we opted to hire a car because we wanted to have the freedom to choose where to go and have

Manila

some margin of flexibility; and seasoned drivers make a great tour guide.

We’ re booked in Peacock Garden Hotel & Spa in Baclayon, which is at most a 30-minute ride from the airport. The hotel had us picked up as part of their services. Peacock Garden is a huge compound on a hilltop overlooking the sea and the quaint town of Baclayon. It’ s a place for a luxurious retreat and within its walls is a disco & game room, a pub & resto, and an infinity pool.

Another thing about Bohol is that the nightlife is all the way at Alona beach in Panglao, which is another 30-minute drive with no taxi or tricycle plying the route( aka rent a car again). So staying in Peacock Garden saves you that hassle if you want to do your own thing like enjoy the sunset or try the spa – vacationing at its finest.

Cruisin’ the River of Loboc

Our rented car is already waiting for us at the hotel, and after the lovely welcome the staff of Peacock Garden provided us – some cool wet towel and ice tea – we unpack quickly and hop on to begin the tour. Nong Efrem, our driver, suggests the Loboc River Cruise as our first destination because it’ s almost lunchtime and the lunch cruise will be beginning shortly. He explains that the LGU

CABILAO IS.

More hills

Less hills

MAP ILLUSTRATION BY PAOLO A. YABAO

Panglao

PANGANAN IS.

Loon

Tagbilaran

Maribojoc

Dauis

Calape

San Isidro Antequera

Cortez

PANGLAO IS.

Baclayon

Clarin Tubigon

Sagbayan

Corella

Loay

Catigbian

Balilihan Sevilla

Sikatuna

Loboc

Carmen

Lila

Bilar

Danao

Batuan

Dimiao

Dagohoy

Sierra Bullones

Valencia

Pilar

Alburquerque

Garcia- Hernandez

San Miguel

Guindulman

Jagna

Candijay

Duero

Alicia

Mabini

Major Roads Minor Roads

Anda

7107 ISLAND TRAVEL 59