We had food delivered to our room at 5am so we would have some baon going to dolphin watching and Balicasag. We don't want to go hungry. By 5:30 our boatman arrived. We walked from our hotel to the beach where our boat was waiting. It was a beautiful day.
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It took us almost an hour to spot these gentle giants of the sea. It was almost stressful for our boatman because we've been going back and forth several times and not a dolphin in sight. Then when we were about to quit, there they were - dolphins! Then another. Then another. It was amazing that we can actually follow their trail, in their natural habitat, until they're near our boat. When we had enough, we proceeded to Balicasag Island.
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When our boat docked in the shores of Balicasag Island, we just knew that we would be snorkelling. Little did we know that it would be our best snorkeling experience to date.
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It was a white sand bar in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't a snorkeling site but more like a stopover area. The water wasn't as clear as that of Balicasag but there were real, live starfishes. Wala na kaming lakas lumakad dahil talagang tirik na tirik ang araw.
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As if we hadn't have enough. When our boat docked on the shores of Alona Beach, we still played on the sand and dipped our sunburned bodies on the water. And when we arrived in Alona Swiss the kids still bargained to swim on the pool one last time. Parang wala ng bukas.
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After their swim at the pool, everyone slept. Since they were dead tired, we decided not to wake them up anymore. Ramir and I just bought dinner for the kids and Yayay. We were planning to have our dinner at Cafe Lawis via a habal-habal ride. The ride was exhilarating. Fresh air. Dark highways dotted by lamp posts. And a motorcycle ride. When we arrived it was closed. And why not? It's November 1. Well, we just settled for a lechon manok and a fearless joyride back to Alona Swiss.
Tip: Don't rent a habal-habal near Alona Beach. When we asked around, they were charging us P500 for a two way ride. When we asked near our resort, around 7 minutes walk from Alona, they agreed for P250.
Sagbayan enroute to Cebu
We decided not to go to Carmen to see the Chocolate Hills. Instead we proceeded to Sagbayan where there are hills with the sea as their backdrop. It was almost a two hour ride. But we decided to give it a go because it was through Sagbayan that we planned to exit Bohol and enter Cebu. This route has the shortest travel time by sea and the cheapest fare, at least based on my research. Since Ramir and I had seen the Chocolate Hills in Carmen circa 2003, taking this route would be new to us. The good thing about this, we learned, was that there are hills along the road. You may say we had a hill to ourselves, upclose and personal.
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Sagbayan peak is a park with a viewing deck. The climb is not as steep as the ones in Carmen. And there were other attractions other than the hills. You can walk around while the kids keep themselves busy.
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| Sagbayan Peak grounds |
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| The play area |
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| Touring and trying things out |
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| The viewing deck |
There's a playground for kids that looks like a mini-community. Imagine you go to a place where everything is small. Like Gulliver to Lilliput. At least for me, it felt that way. Probably my kids felt like they were brought to a dwarf's kingdom where a castle can be climbed with very little effort or they can run and move around in their own little playworld, with an emphasis on "little".
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Sagbayan Peak also has its own butterfly garden where we had a very close encounter with our winged friends.
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Outside the park is a tarsier sanctuary where you get to see the world's smallest primate. They were so cute, fluffy and fragile. Flashes not allowed. Being nocturnal beings, sudden bursts of light aren't their best friend.
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You can buy tickets of MV Starcraft near the port's gate. It was a mini stall that's easy to miss. It would be better to ask around before entering the gate of Tubigon Port. We're very fortunate with our driver because he helped us with all the directions.
The waiting area wasn't big and it wasn't pretty. The place was a little dark. The seats wasn't enough for all the passengers but they offer mono block chairs. It wasn't airconditioned and there was just one small TV for entertainment. But I'm not complaining. I was just expecting something different. After about 15 minutes, we were called for boarding. It was like riding a bus only on water. The boat seats three per row. After 45 minutes, we were in Cebu.
Related posts:
Bohol Day 1 - http://www.superwomom.net/2013/02/going-back-to-bohol-day-1.html
Bohol Day 2 - http://www.superwomom.net/2013/02/going-back-to-bohol-day-2.html
Bohol/Cebu Day 4 and 5 - http://www.superwomom.net/2013/02/going-back-to-bohol-day-4-and-5-side.html
Bohol and Cebu Itinerary and Basic Expenses - http://www.superwomom.net/2013/02/bohol-and-cebu-itinerary-and-basic.html
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