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Published: July 23rd 2015
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The Philippines - Visayas (Bohol & Siquijor)
Bohol
We anticipated that catching a ferry from Cebu to Bohol would be a simple ordeal.. apparently not in typhoon season! Having waited a total of 12 hours at the port over two days we were finally boarding a ferry, along with other Filipinos, some of which had been stranded for three days. Due to the high demand we were only able to purchase tickets for open air, meaning we were sat at the back along with all the luggage.
As soon as we boarded the boat we were immediately hit by the stentch of petrol being blown into the air by the gusty wind. The choppy journey felt endless with numerous people vomitting into plastic bags and water gushing in over the sides but we eventually made it to Bohol safely.
Tired and ravenous we found a BBQ chicken restaurant near our hostel. We devoured a whole chicken and rice between us using our hands covered in plastic bags as the locals did.
As darkness fell the next day we arrived in Cortes on our rented moped, west Bohol, to go firefly
spotting. Having climbed into our canoe we paddled along the river in the pitch black as our guide told us about the wildlife of the mangrove - a unique mix of salt and fresh water means it can only support certain plants and animals. We stopped and looked up to see thousands of fireflies dancing in the trees like Christmas lights. It felt magical gazing up from the river with the backdrop of stars in the sky. We paddled underneath a once concrete bridge that had crumbled in half during the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2003. Now being reconstructed with steel, the remains still lay collapsed in the water.
The following morning we left for Carmen (Central Bohol) to see the Chocolate Hills. We climbed the stairs to the main viewpoint to see the spectacular views of the conical shaped hills stretching far into the distance. The 1268 almost identical hills were formed from ancient coral, eroded over time. Although now a vibrant green colour, in the dry season (December to May) the vegetation turns a chocolate chocolate colour, hence the name: Chocolate Hills. Unfortunately, parts of the signage and platform are still damaged, a harsh reminder
of the devastation left by the recent earthquake.
On our way back to Tagbilarian we visited the tarsier conservation sanctuary. The tarsiers are nocturnal so were peacefully sleeping in the trees as we watched. They are distinctive with their remarkably large eyes and rat-like tails.
Siquijor
The Philippines' main form of public transport in the cities is the jeepney, a converted WWII US millitary jeep. These quirkly trucks are often overloaded with passengers riding on top and recklessly hanging off the back. The exteriors have been spruced up with graffiti and religious quotations taken from the bible, given that the Philippines is the only country in Asia where Christianity is the majority religion.
Just outside Lazi, on the island's Southeast coast, is a balete tree estimated to be 400 years old and believed by some to be enchanted. There was limited information on the history of the tree but we took the opportunity to try out a natural fish spa situated at the foot of the tree. The fish varied in size and swarmed any foot that dared to touch the surface of the water!
Siquijor is
known for being home to numerous healers who practice black and white magic using natural methods to heal people. We took a trip into the mountains, stopped at a small shop to ask for directions and were eagerly taken to the local healer.
I awkwardly sat on a wooden chair with a blanket wrapped around me (like I was having a haircut). A pot of burning coal was then placed under the chair to give a mysterious rising smoke effect up through the blanket. This was to remove the spirits from the room. My eyes watered from the smoke as she chanted into the back of my head. This was followed by intense rubbing of my forehead using an ointment made from 200 herbs and then a very painful massage. Once finished she passed me a mug of boiled herbs which had quite a kick, I couldn't manage it all. During my healing treatment she told us there are 69 healers living on the island, the majority of which only practice white magic though she had heard of black magic happenings. There was an assortment of potions on display including love potions which are very popular in the Philippines
for attracting the opposite sex.
Basketball, left over from America's rule, is very popular in the Philippines. So we bought ourselves a basketball and took it down to the nearest court where we met some locals who invited us to a cock fight that afternoon in Siquijor town. Curious about their culture and what a typical Saturday afternoon consists of we decided to go and have a look. It was interesting to go with locals who were able to explain the betting process and the matching of chickens for compatabilty before the fight. The testosterone infused atmosphere was intense and after a couple of fights we decided to call it a day.
On the way back our bike cut out and we realised that we had run out of petrol. To make matters worse we had donated the last of our cash to the butterfly sanctary resulting in us having to roll the bike down to the nearest roadside shop and ask the lady to kindly lend us some petrol.
We couldn't leave without seeing Siquijor's biggest attraction, the Cambugahay falls. We arrived early, and were greeted by the idyllic turquoise lagoon glistening
in the morning sunlight. We took it in turns to swing off a vine into the water - with Will trying to perfect his backflip technique. The waterfall had three tiers with lagoons and numerous rockpools flowing into one another. We spent hours jumping into the waterfall and bathing on the rocks guided by a local boy called Alvin, who showed us to some hidden caves behind the waterfalls. Some local Siquijorians invited us to try some soup (with our hands) but after tasting the salty liquid, Will quickly informed me that the main ingrediant was actually cow intestines!
We were looking forward to our next stop... Apo Island, to swim with the sea turtles!
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