nunuuu

This week, my friends and I flew to Bohol to unwind and let loose. Bohol is an island province south of Manila that's an hour and a half away via plane, and god, every peso for the airfare was so fucking worth it. It was my first time there, and I was just blown away by everything; the scenery kind of just literally takes your breath away, clichéd as that phrase might be may be. It reminds me of how beautiful the Philippines really is, and how lucky I am to live in a country where paradise is just a short plane ride away! (Boracay doesn't count, that's kind of like Manila aka party central only with a beach as a background. Bohol is the real thing.)

We stayed in Panglao, which is frequently listed as one of the top diving spots in the world, boasting of crystal clear waters, white sand, and rich marine biodiversity. And when I say rich, I mean rich: just dig a little bit into the sand and there are different types of shells, clams, starfishes, sea slugs, everything! And there are dolphins! One moment that made a huge impression on me was when we went diving. After about a mile from the shore, the sea floor suddenly dips 30-40 feet, then, a mirage: amazing sea corals and sponges, tropical fishes and creatures of all sizes and looks (some look downright extraterrestrial), all set against a background of clear blue, and really, the reef seemed like it went on and on and on. I felt nothing but awe, humbled by the vitality of life in the reef and the surreality of witnessing such beauty in profound silence.

I THINK I MIGHT TAKE UP DIVING SERIOUSLY, FOR REAL.

Anyway, the view that greeted us every day:

First, before heading to Panglao where we would stay, we toured the main island of Bohol. I'm telling you, hardcore bucolic beauty, seriously.

We had lunch on Loboc River, on one of the simplest and most rugged cruises I've ever been on. That's the awesome thing about it

Lunch is served

Of course, I had Coke! Coke anywhere, any time. On my plate, I have seaweed, kuchinta (a brown sort of steamed rice cake), squid, tuna belly, green mango, puso ng saging (banana blossom) and my favorite, palitaw (also a rice cake, but flat) with sugar! Can't get any more perfect than this!

Busay Falls. Tiny yet charming

We lucked on being able to watch a group of local kids singing Boholano songs, in native costumes to boot. I asked our tour guide if they weren't being exploited/over-worked, and he said that the kids only sing at certain times of the day and in conditions that were children-friendly. Also, they had compensation. So I guess, all is good. Their smiles were so genuine and warm it's hard to believe otherwise, anyway

After the cruise we went to a sanctuary for tarsiers, which are the world's second smallest primate. And man, they are tiny! They could cosily fit in the palm of my hand

Have a sleeping one

The whole troop

We also went to the famed and fabled Chocolate Hills, an unusual yet natural geological formation that's unique to Bohol. "They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name."

And there are hundreds of hills. Hundreds

Ice-cream and fooling around after a considerable hike

After that, we stayed in Panglao and the nearby islets. Nothing but fun under the sun! On our second day, we went out early to catch sight of some dolphins

YES, THIS IS A TESTAMENT TO MY LAME PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS! WE SAW QUITE A NUMBER OF THEM BUT I ONLY MANAGED TO TAKE A PICTURE OF A SINGLE DOLPHIN'S FIN, NOTHING MORE. LOL

(Yes it's that gray thing on the left.)

I FREAKING SWEAR THAT'S A DOLPHIN. TO THE LEFT. THAT'S THE FIN HAHAHA. (via sucky photography skills)

Before midday, we headed to a virgin sand bar

There were locals selling fresh uni. They cut it in half, place the oozing thing in your hand, add suka (vinegar), then you slurp it like crazy. I had about 8, seriously one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life! Also, for dirt-cheap. Uni costs a bomb in Japanese restaurants, and they're not even half as fresh as the ones we had in the sand bar. They were literally plucked from the sea floor just hours, possibly minutes, before they served it to us. I wanna have it again!

Yummy fresh uni with suka!!!!!!! The best

Requisite silliness

I swear, that sandbar was made solely of starfish. All you had to do was stick your hand in the sand for a second and you could grab five of them at a time

After the sandbar, we went snorkeling and diving. It was exhausting. The next two days, we just lazed around in front of our resort. Happiness!

The boys couldn't stop playing frisbee

It's the beach. Of course someone has to be buried!

A rather grotesque merman

Sisig, which everybody should have once in their lifetimes. Anthony Bourdain was absolutely tickled by this sizzling, pig-face dish. Yes, pig-face. Yes, extremely delicious.

Camaron rebosado, which I had three times on this trip. It's my favorite. It's similar to tempura, only, the way of cooking is adopted from the Chinese. Crispy, scrumptious, and heavenly!

Playing patintero during low-tide

I'd explain the mechanics of patintero, but it'd take too much time. But it's one of those Pinoy childhood games that are still a blast to play even as adults