Browsing the blog archive for Destinations: Visayas (Central Philippines) | Ambot ah! Travel Blog
While enjoying my fascination for taking aerial photos, I spotted this interesting heart-shaped sea formation during my flight from Surigao City to Cebu. It looks like its submerged so it couldn’t have been a heart-shaped Island. It could most likely be a reef or just a patch of sand. Would’ve have been cool if it was an island :)
Tourists in Bohol typically have only two options when choosing where to spend the night. They can either sleep in one of the beach resorts in Panglao Island or rent a room in Tagbilaran City’s many hotels and pension houses. I decided to stay in Tagbilaran City since it’s cheaper and more convenient for my itinerary and just do a day tour of Panglao Island. It took a while to fish out tips online about public transportation in Bohol but I found out later on that exploring the island by commute is very doable. I recommend it to anyone who’s planning to go to Bohol and wants to save on travel costs.
Starfish sunbathing at the white sand coast of Dumaluan Beach in Panglao Island
Getting to Bohol was the preface to my 3-month adventure across the Philippines. I was definitely excited to put my weeks of itinerary planning to the test. Before the trip, I studied the tourist maps of Bohol and read rummaged blogs and online forums for budget travel tips in Bohol. I found out that the cheapest way to get to Bohol from Cebu is to take the ferries from Pier 1, Cebu City to Tubigon Port, Bohol. Tubigon is a town located at the eastern coast of Bohol Island. Not only did it cost less but, looking at the map, I thought it was a better entry point since some of Bohol’s major tourist attractions are just along the highway from Tubigon to Tagbilaran City.
Aerial View of Tagbilaran City and Panglao Island in Bohol
Seeing the cute furry tarsiers was my number one agenda when I was in Bohol. Where exactly does one go to experience a close encounter with these highly celebrated critters? Well, there’s a number of places scattered throughout Bohol but the best place would be the tarsier sanctuary in the town of Corella. It’s a bit out of the way from the main tourist trail of Bohol but it was worth the effort. Not only did I get the chance to get real close to a few tarsiers , I also had the satisfaction of supporting the protection of these highly endangered species.
Getting up close to “happy” tarsiers housed at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, Bohol.
What to do with a few days in Cebu? I had already seen a bit of Cebu City so I decided to take another popular tourist trail in the island – a heritage tour of Southern Cebu (particularly, its eastern coast). I took the bus to Boljoon, 2 hours south of the Cebu City, and then made my way back by hopping to each town/city along the way. A majority of Cebu’s towns and cities still have its old Spanish-colonial churches still intact. I was surprised to have discovered some of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines I’ve seen so far.
Seeing the famous tarsiers and chocolate hills of Bohol are definitely among the most popular items of most Filipinos’ travel wishlist, myself included (growing up with the mindset that it’s a requirement of Philippine Travel 101). Bohol is also famous for its many old Spanish-colonial Churches. I wanted to have a do-it-yourself tour of Bohol and Panglao Island. It took some effort and googling skills to fish out DIY commuting tips of Bohol but it’s definitely doable.
To kick off my wanderlust, I journeyed to a number of places in the central parts of the Philippines particularly in Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao. It’s the longest time I’ve traveled to bisaya speaking provinces and I was aiming to get the hang of this widely spoken Philippine dialect during my trip not only for convenience but also because I was hoping to get closer to my Cebuano roots. This trip was dominated by visits to some of the most popular and scenic old churches and heritage structures in the Philippines. I also went to a few island/beach destinations and city/urban sights.
As mentioned earlier, I’ve been AFK (away from keyboard) for a while now. It’s still a busy month of traveling for me. Since I started blogging, it has always been my goal to live the lifestyle of other travel bloggers. To be able to travel extensively and frequently for longer periods of time. If feel really lucky that I’m already starting to live that kind of life and thankful to everyone who continues to visit my blogs and leave comments, which fuels my passion to continue blogging. Here’s a quick rundown of places I’ve traveled to since my last post.
Taken at Kuala Lumpur International Airport just before the return flight from our Singapore – Malaysia trip at the end of September. It took multiple shots … but I still couldn’t keep my eyes open for the shot since I was already so tired.
Postings at Ambot-ah have been slooow, if not stagnant, for the past couple of weeks. I’ve been away from home since the second week of September doing a series of week long trips. Between doing the actual travel schedule of the day and planning for the next day’s itinerary plan, it has been a challenge to even just check for email and facebook updates. I’ve already posted some of my travel plans, but where have I exactly gone to so far?
While backpacking may be my traveling style of choice, I also get the urge to take a break once in a while so I can relax and clear my mind especially after a long backpacking trip. Despite the thousands of tourists flocking to Boracay every summer, there’s still a lot of space for relaxation. It’s only a matter of looking for the right spots.
Puka Beach, Boracay Island
In the Philippine Ilonggo dialect, ambot ah literally means "I don't know." After graduating in college, I decided to hold off pursuing my profession and embarked on a free spirited journey of adventure and self-discovery. My travels have led me to many places across the Philippine Islands and South East Asia. I don't know where this path will take me but I'm certain I'll get a lifetime of stories out of it.
