TBK Travels to the Philippines- part eight- The Tarsiers of Bohol

The Tarsier in Bohol

After Boracay and Cebu it was a real joy to stay in Bohol back in 2011. Bohol was then fast becoming one of the Philippines most popular islands. Sadly with that it joined President Duterte's lists of places facing Environmental disaster and needing to clean up their act or face closure. If you have been reading all my blogs about the Philippines you will see the clear link between uncontrolled Mass Tourism and Environmental pollution. Boracay, El Nido and Bohol.

So why did I enjoy Bohol so much? Well it is small, it was sunny, and there were lovely beaches and plenty to see inside the Island. We did a tour that took in the Tarsier Foundation, the Chocolate Hills, the Rope bridge, the Man made Forest  and lunch on a floating restaurant.

Here we were serenaded as we ate and floated down the river pushed by the little boat behind

 I was too scared to go over the rope bridge but Jeff told me he grew up crossing bridges like this on his walk to and from school.

One of the big differences between the Philippines and Bahrain is that the Pinoy kids walk kilometers to school in their flip flops ( or slippers / Tsinellas as they call them ) . In Bahrain the kids get collected by bus , or in big families have their own driver. Hardly surprising the Pinoy kids are thin and resilient, while their Bahraini counterparts are obese. 

Sadly the Chocolate Hills were not made of chocolate but they are a fabulous sight and  we were lucky to see them before they were damaged by an earthquake.

The famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol

It was a long walk to the viewing point

The other great thing about Bohol was our hotel, it was built around a pool and you could eat in the restaurant or at the table outside the room. The waiter was very friendly, He stood behind me while I was on Facebook and then added me and sent me a message asking to meet me on the beach!. The food was also great.

 

Jeff outside our hotel in Bohol

I also celebrated my 51st birthday there and we walked across the road to a luxury 5 star resort and had a long lunch , with my favourite Pinoy dessert, overlooking the beach.

My 51st Birthday celebration lunch in Bohol

 

Cheers!

Our tour ended at a museum and by some statues overlooking the bay telling of Bohol's rich history and the Pinoy Heroes of the past.

The weather was stunning and we spent a lot of time on the beach sunning ourselves, taking photos and swimming. 

I nearly broke the branch and then fell off backwards onto the sand!

One often assumes that because I lived in the Middle East I had a permanent tan, but the problem is  that it as so hot in Bahrain in the Summer ( 50 degrees) that people do not go outside. Bohol was beautiful and just 30 degrees.

My abiding memory of the vacation was the floating restaurant and at the mid point of the journey we were serenaded by local singers and guitarists with traditional songs from the area.

Sadly all good things come to an end and we had to pack and get back on our plane to  our next destination.

This time we flew on a big plane to Manila , and umbrellas were provided for the Pinoys to keep the sun off . Then they could look Sosyal and Maarte like they live in Manila ( white skin) and not black like they are from the provinces like Corleeen.

Until the next trip this is The British Kabayan, signing out from Bohol. 

Ingat

Kita Kits xx