The Chocolate Hills

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We finally got to have a day touring around the chocolate hills with some independance - in a jeep driven by local character Ismael - the jeep was needed to get us around the dirt track and by-roads interlacing the rice paddies and the psychadelic landscape. Ismael entertained us with local stories - how the hills are actually the tears of a heart broken giant who fell in love with a local girl but when he snatched her from ther village she died in the palm of his hand - there is a row of 14 hills in a perfectly straight line that showed the path the giant took, spilling his tears along the way before lying down to die and becoming the nearby mountain.

Between stopping for pictures, walks around rice paddies, watching the water buffalos being used to prepare for planting, he told us about Philippine car-horn etiquette.
One short beep for "hello", two for "look out" but no long beeps which are considererd rude. He was happy to demonstrate as we flew past bicycles, old ladies, children, dogs and other vehicles beeping all the way.

After the center of Bohol we headed back to Panglo island to try our luck with the wheather and perhaps looking to taking an Open Water diving course.
Unfortunately the seas were too rough but the strong breeze and sunshing made great sunbathing wheather. After one night in a noisy flea pit where kittens mysteriously managed to cry from just behind the walls then under the bed, then on the roof, all night long, we decided to splurge on accommodation and cut back on activities and travel - a week lounging on the beach, snorkelling and swimming in the pool. Not much happened but blissful relaxation and planning our trip to Borneo.

LEAVING CEBU

Dodging the Traffic - buses, tricyles, and cars doing their wacky races routine, one jeepney driver bearing down on us mere pedestrians for trying to use the zebra crossing when the green light came on .... wrong move obviously, we got to spend our final day in the Philippines waiting for our flight in Cebu.

The tricycles with biblical messages stenciled on the back, "god is love", "forgive them father", "have mercy on us sinners",tried to overtake, nudge and ram their way into pole position around the town center, made us take refuge in the packed shopping centers. A strange moment came when everyone suddenly stopped moving and stood frozen around the mall. We were glancing around trying to work out what was the cause when we realised the jingles, advertisements and pop of the PA was now being replaced by "hail Mary full of grace ..." We all waited until the end with the articial church bells chiming then Bang, hussle bustle and back to bargain hunting. On our way out to the airport we were sad to leave the Philippines but glad to be geting out of Cebu ... (again)

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