I’m back! And as promised, eto na ang kuwento ko. I have decided to skip the Finding Neverland part of this entry as I have already forgotten some scenes of the movie. It has been exactly one week since I came back here in Manila. As I have said my Cebu-Bohol adventure was totally unplanned. We were supposed to go to Cebu last April 8 to visit my Lola, titos, titas and cousins (on my mother’s side) and probably go to Bohol with them. I was really looking forward to that trip, especially visiting Bohol. Who wouldn’t be excited seeing the Chocolate Hills, touching the tarsier and cruising the famed Loboc River? Bohol seemed to be the “it” province this summer, as I know at least 4 people who visited the province last April and several others who are planning to go to the province. Unfortunately, one of my titas needed to undergo an operation a week before that and naturally, our trip was cancelled. I already accepted my fate and thought that we could probably visit the place next summer. Kaya inaabangan ko na lang ang mga planong lakad ng ibat-ibang grupo ng mga kaibigan ko- ang outing namin ng aking former officemates sa OAVS, ang pagpunta daw kina Chari kasama nga mga kaibigan ko nung college, ang pagbisita kina Aness o Ian ng mga kaibigan ko sa AS101 at marami pang iba (na wala pang natutuloy!). Kaya nagulat na lang ako nung umuwi ako sa bahay matapos manood ng Finding Neverland kasama sina Arland at JP nang sabihin sa akin ng nanay ko na matutuloy daw kami sa Cebu at Bohol. Dalawa lang kami ng nanay ko na umuwi ng Cebu. Hindi puwede ang tatay ko at ang mga kapatid ko. Nagsa-summer kasi ang isa kong utol habang ang isa ay adik na adik sa liga ng basketball dito sa amin. Dahil hindi kami nakaabot sa promo ng Cebu Pacific, napilitan kami magbarko. Umalis kami dito ng Huwebes at nakarating doon ng Biyernes. We just slept in my grandparents’ house and sailed to Bohol the following morning with my mom, her three sisters and their families and my lola. Unfortunately, my other uncles and my other cousins who were my age could not come. It only took us 45 minutes to 1 hour to go to Tubigon, Bohol aboard the Ocean Jet fast craft. A rented van was already waiting for us when we arrived. We first went to Sagbayan Peak in Sagbayan, Bohol and then to Carmen Chocolate Hills Park (okay, I invented the name of the park because I already forgot it) in Carmen to get a glimpse of the Chocolate Hills. In my opinion, the latter offered a better view of the 1000 hills than the former. Apparently, some of the towns in Bohol have developed their own nature parks where tourists can view the hills. My uncles and I thought that it would be much better if cable cars were installed in the parks so that visitors could go from one park to another, and getting a clearer and nearer view of the Chocolate Hills. We then visited the
tarsier sanctuary in Loboc town, just beside the Loboc River. After having loads of pictures with the tarsier and after having told off not to hold the animal and not to make much noise ( by the caretaker and by self-righteous foreigner-tourists) we cruised the beautiful Loboc River, where Cesar Montano’s movie “Panaghoy sa Suba” was shot. We had an early lunch (at about 11 am) in a waiting shed near Bohol’s semi- man-made forest. We had lunch the cowboy way- using Tupperware covers and oils instead of plates. After lunch , we proceeded to the site where Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Raha Sikatuna ( or was it Humabon?) made their historic blood compact. After that, we went to see the Baclayon Church, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. I would have loved to see the Baclayon Museum where they kept interesting old artifacts but unfortunately, it would mean that we still had to wait for another 30 minutes (the museum opened at 1:30 p.m. and the person-in-charge was out of sight). Since my younger cousins were really excited to go to the beach, I decided not to wait to see the museum anymore. We only visited one more place – the Hinagdanan Cave in Panglao Island and then proceeded straight to the beach, also in the island. The beach was really nice, with its white sand and clear blue waters (although Boracay is still the best for me). What I liked about the beach though, is that it is still not as commercialized as Boracay. Yes, there are resorts all over the place but there are still no establishments such as bars and restos in the area. And since I’m sort of sick of urban Manila, it was great welcome for me. We spent the night in the beach and went back to Cebu the next day (in the afternoon). I would have to say that my stint in Bohol is on my Top 3 Most Beautiful Vacations ever. Our remaining five days in Cebu were spent by visiting some more relatives, going to the cemetery, attending the graduation party of my cousin (on my father’s side this time) who just graduated from medicine (puro kami kain!), and really trying hard to play the piano. You see, my maternal grandmother and her brothers are really very musically-gifted. My Lola could make music using bottles, she can identified the notes of a song by just listening to it, she can play a variety of musical instruments and what have you. Upon her retirement, she bought each of here children’s families an electric organ so that her grandchildren could learn how to play the instrument. Every summer, she would send us musical pieces, expecting that we would master them and play them for her on our next visit. Unfortunately, it seems that I did not get the talent, maybe because I was already in high school when she bought us the electric organ (or maybe because I don’t have long fingers). The only song that I could play was Diana Ross’ “When You Tell Me That You Love Me”, which I personally requested her to give me the notes. I was lucky that I still knew how to play the song (without the left finger) and that she still enjoyed hearing me play (hehehe). My lola seemed not to surrender in teaching me to play the electric organ as she still gave me several music pieces to master.
She was also delighted that I still knew the 10-stanza declamation piece "The Children's Hour” by Henry Longfellow that she taught me and my second brother when we were still small. Apparently she also taught my younger cousins the said piece, and upon her special request, I recited the piece and “competed” with my younger cousins (hehehe). My cousins could not believe that their 23-year old kuya could still recite the poem (hehehe).
Our vacation seemed “bitin” as we were about to leave for Manila. But I guess, there would always be a next time.
