Explore Bohol

Think you’ve seen enough of Bohol beyond Panglao and the Chocolate Hills?

November 17, 2011, 9:31am

Panglao Nature Park

MANILA, Philippines — Beyond the Chocolate Hills and the beaches in Panglao, is there actually more to Bohol than what ends up in travel brochures and high school textbooks?

 Rep. Arthur Yap (3rd District, Bohol) answers a resounding yes—animatedly talking of a yet-to-be-explored side of Bohol that awaits the eager, adventurous tourist.

“Bohol is to Chocolate Hills as Chocolate Hills is to Bohol—and Panglao’s pristine beaches are a microcosm of the beauty that is our province,” he said. “But after you’ve seen these tourist favorites, the challenge is—what other adventures are just waiting to be seen, heard and felt by the many daring travelers that flock to our province?”

Yap excitingly notes that everyone will be surprised at the multitude of experiences available.

 “Bohol is a teeming hub of never-before-seen experiences—whether you’re a history geek, a culture vulture, or a nature buff, you definitely won’t leave the province without something to brag to your family and friends.”

 Himself having taken a journey through Bohol’s towns, dirt roads and clear waters, Yap recounts how he himself fell in love with the majestic views and interesting history associated with each destination. “Take for example, the man-made forest that connects Loboc and Bilar—who would suspect that this thicket of mahogany trees is the result of the hard work of hundreds of laborers who reforested the area, after it has been cleared and converted to farmlands during the war?”

He vividly describes the solemn, captivating sight of the lush greens with the sun languidly streaming through the haze. “People who pass through this road surely can’t help but be smitten by the otherworldly atmosphere,” he says.

 The Blood Compact site in Tagbilaran, where chieftain Datu Sikatuna and the Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi sealed the two countries’ friendship during a momentous event on March 16, 1565, is a venue Yap believes will enchant locals and foreigners interested in the Philippines’ colonial past.

“Apart from this spot which marks how the country opened up to the outside world, Bohol’s many colonial architectural wonders, like the Baclayon church and the incomplete church in Dimiao dubbed the Ermita Ruins, as well as Lamanoc Island’s petroglyphs in Anda, are echoes from the past which prove how Bohol figures in the rich and multifaceted history of the Philippines.”

 Yap hopes that, like him, many more tourists will discover the hidden side of Bohol, firsthand. “With Explore Bohol, District 3’s very own tourism program, we are giving travelers wishing to go beyond the popular tourist spots the chance to create their own adventures,” he said.

(Photos from: www.bohol-philippines.com;www.bohol.ph; www. wikipedia.com;www.theboholstandard.com; Chocolate-Hills by Jeroen Hellingman )

Memories of summer

How E.A.T. Danao ate me alive

By ROWENA BAUTISTA-ALCARAZ

August 7, 2010, 10:13am

Out in the wild. A basic jungle task consists of creating a hut, making fire, and cooking an egg in a coconut husk.

Now that the rains have come and there aren’t too many outdoor activities to indulge in, we can only look back at the memories of the previous summer when the sun was hot and adventures were aplenty.

For four years now, members of the media gather every summer for an adventure of a lifetime. This year, the destination of choice was the beautiful island of Bohol.

As the 10th largest island in the country, Bohol is nestled securely in the heart of the Visayas - southeast of Cebu and southwest of Leyte. Today, the province is not only known for its famous Chocolate Hills, Loboc River, century-old churches, and the iconic tarsier, but also home to E.A.T. Danao, an ecotourism project conceptualized by its local government unit and has been frequented by local and foreign thrill-seekers – and this time, by brave print and broadcast journalists.

And so, with Acer Group Philippines, a multi-brand organization that targets different customer needs in the global PC market as our host, the trip to Bohol begins, and not without trepidation and excitement.

Destination: Adventure

Weeks before the actual challenge, invitations that read “Survival of the Explorers” with the seemingly cautionary inscription that said “This time we mean real EXTREME” and “Will you survive?” were sent out. The venue was not indicated, only the instruction that all participants should be at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at exactly 1 p.m.

In the previous Acer Media Challenges, participants had a taste of military life at Camp Capinpin, explored Cagayan de Oro’s city and countryside ala amazing race style, and flew high via ultra-light in Pampanga.

The destination was only made known to us at the airport prior to departure. Upon reaching Bohol, we were billeted at the Peacock Garden in Laya, Baclayon, which is about 30 minutes away from the Tagbilaran airport.

Peacock Garden is a luxury East meets West resort and spa and is hailed as one of Bohol’s crown jewels. Luxuriating in the spa’s serene and relaxing atmosphere, everybody momentarily forgot about the next day’s challenge. Well, almost.

Game face on!

All five teams with nine pre-selected members were gathered at 5:30 in the morning. Though it was very early and everybody felt sleepy, no one dared show it. 

The race kicked-off with a five-minute visual challenge. After which, each team was provided with transport service that would take them to Danao Adventure Park, a two-hour drive from the resort.

My group, the Blue Team, was the first to arrive and had chosen Route C. Each team followed different challenge sequences as revealed by the local guide which the team members themselves had selected. 

The challenge had six control points or stations with different kinds of challenges following different point systems. Our first challenge was Jungle Basic where we had to build a hut, make a fire, and cook eggs in a coconut husk. Luckily, nobody was able to make a fire, ergo, not a single egg was cooked.

Next was the Plunge, a canyon swing adventure attraction mounted over a 200-meter high and 300-meter wide gorge. Each participant had to do a 45-meter free fall before being launched on a pendulum swing measuring to a hundred meters in diameter. 

This particular challenge was sort of anti-climactic for our team since the following challenges were no longer as fearsome.

Nevertheless, it was a ‘wicked’ experience, as how most people who have tried it described it. And I must say, after jumping off a helicopter, this was the next scariest thing I’ve ever done with head first dangling from a platform. 

As the operators let me loose on a 70-meter rope after their signature “Bombs Away” signal, I felt my heart skip numberless beats. It was as if my spirit was yanked off my fragile body. 

There was total silence. All I could hear was the wind rushing through my ears and the warmth of the morning sun touching my face. It was surreal!

Moving on, we tried Danao’s other exhilarating activities such as: Suislide, a local version of zip-line; Rock Rapelling down a six-meter drop; Sky Ride which was more like a cable ride with a gorgeous view of the Wahig river and the gorge; and Root Climbing a Balete tree. It was almost mid-afternoon when we finished all the challenges and headed back to the hotel.

Despite our aching muscles and limbs, the exchange of stories and easy banter after our adventure more than helped ease the pain of testing our endurance to the max. Our group finished second and we returned to Manila with a new sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship.

Published in Manila Bulletin August 7, 2010