Read part 3 here.

Day 3. 13 February 2016 (Saturday)

The island hopping tour was arranged by the resort we stayed at. We met with Mang Carlos, our bangkero, at around six in the morning. While waiting for the boat to be ready, we had the chance to take photos around the beach.

I'm a huge fan of silhouettes

We first sailed around the sea to "watch" the dolphins. There were lots of dolphins, but we weren't able to see them up close.

Mang Carlos and his daughter

(c) Christian Cantos

After almost an hour (or so) of cruisin' the sea, we finally reached Balicasag Island. We really enjoyed watching the clear waters of the island. The beautiful rainforests of the sea and its tiny inhabitants welcomed us as we got off the boat.

The entrance fee costs Php 250 (if I remember it correctly) exclusive of the snorkeling paraphernalia. If you wish to rent the snorkeling gears available, additional fees of Php 150 for the snorkel (mask) and Php 150 for the aqua shoes apply.

(c) Christian Cantos

I had to say that I consider snorkeling as the highlight of Day 3. Even if I don't know how to swim, I was able to enjoy the view under water with the help of my company. To be honest, I was really worried at first because I didn't have the confidence to do it. But then, you'll never know unless you try. And definitely, no regrets. Zipline nga kaya ko, eto pa kaya?

While we were snorkeling, another issue came up: the problem with our planned Siquijor side-trip. We weren't able to book our reservation with the pension house we're planning to stay at since the schedule of the boats are unclear. According to what the people we've asked said, the schedule of the boat from Siquijor to Tagbilaran is waaaaaay beyond our schedule and we would definitely miss our flight back to Manila.

Fate must be on our side since Kuya MJ, our snorkeling guide, is from Siquijor. He assured us that there are ferries/boats that will take us back from Siquijor to Tagbilaran on Sunday night.

After more than an hour of staying at Balicasag Island, we set sail again towards the Virgin Island. We had to switch boats and Mang Carlos entrusted us to his fellow bangkero. Much to our dismay, the boat that took us to Virgin Island kept on having motor issues which stopped the boat from time to time. The weather didn't look good as rainclouds were continuously forming ahead of us. I really thought we're going to be stranded in the middle of the sea and all I could do was keep my faith that everything's going to be alright and God wouldn't let anything bad happen to us. It wasn't a smooth sailing experience at all.



Anyway, all of the feelings of anxiety and dismay were completely wiped out as soon as I saw the island. The number of tourists was overwhelming as always, but I chose to focus more on the clear waters and powdery sandbar of the island.











After a while of strolling the island, it's time to go back to Alona.

The end of our island hopping adventure

We got back at the resort at around one or two in the afternoon. We took a quick bath, freshen up, and watched a volleyball match (for my friends) before checking out. It's about time for our Siquijor operation.

We had a hard time taking a transportation from Panglao to Tagbilaran Port, as we found all offers overcharged. Finally, since we're already running out of time, energy, and patience, we decided to ride the van that cost us Php 100/pax.

Read part 5 here.

We had our lunch at the Loboc River Cruise Floating Restaurant. Mang Kulas arranged our reservation beforehand so we didn't had any trouble with the line. The buffet/river cruise costs Php 480.

According to Mang Kulas, Loboc River is considered to be the cleanest river in the Philippines. We saw lots of children taking a plunge into the river. In this generation of tablets, PCs, and xbox, it is an extremely rare sight for me. While watching, I felt their genuine happiness that doesn't rely on modern technology.








After an hour-long voyage, we went to see another famous tourist attraction in Bohol: the Tarsier Sanctuary. Our expectations were high. So high that we found our experience somehow disappointing. I'm not sure if our timing was wrong or if it's due to the fact that the tarsiers are endangered. Sigh.

Eto na lang ang kinunan ko. Hehe.

(c) Christian Cantos

After our short rendezvous with the tarsiers, we headed for another extreme adventure at the Loboc Eco Adventure Park. We were all determined to try their 520 meter-long zipline (120m high) overlooking the Loboc river. The two-way trip costs Php 350.

For the less adventurous, there are also cable cars available at Php 250/pax.

(c) Christian Cantos

(c) Christian Cantos

After our buwis-buhay experience, we went to the Sta. Monica Church (to thank God we survived the zipline, char. Hihi~). This church, located in Alberquerque, is one of the remaining churches that stood against the earthquake that destroyed some of the province's historical structures.

I truly appreciate my phone camera's panorama setting. Putol lang yung head room. Haha, Sareeh~

We went to the Python Sanctuary afterwards to visit our slytherin' friends. We spent most of our time calming ourselves down to have enough guts to hold the huge snakes. The superstar of the place, Prony, is unfortunately sleeping after being fed a number of chickens. (Note: photos (from my friend) to follow~)

Our next destination was the Blood Compact Monument. This landmark stands as a memorial of one of the country's most significant historical events: the sandugo between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna. This is considered to be the first treaty of friendship between the Spaniards and Filipinos. (Note: photos (from my friend) to follow~)

Our final stop before heading to Panglao is the Pasalubong Center. For those of you who don't know, it is customary for Filipinos to bring home pasalubong whenever they come from a trip. It is usually a souvenir or a food (delicacy) from the place that the person came from.

We wanted to try going to Panglao by ourselves for a more exciting trip. However, due to exhaustion, we decided to ask Mang Kulas to take us there instead. We arrived at Alona Beach at around 7 PM. We were overwhelmed by the huge number of foreign tourists, and it appeared like we were the foreigners in our own country.

We had our dinner by the seashore. As expected, the waiting time for the food is quite long due to the number of customers. After eating, we took a short walk outside the beach area to buy food for the following day. While walking, we had to stop by the KMart to catch a glimpse of the Pangako Sa'yo Finale. Haha.

We headed back to the Playa Blanca de Asteria Heritage House to end our second day.

Read part 4 here.