Bohol, Philippines

At first, I was thinking of writing facts that I learned from my trip to Bohol. But then at the last minute, I decided to write the way I usually do. I just want to enjoy the flow of my thoughts and share with you why I find this trip special.

It doesn't need a large group of people to make things fun. The word FUN itself is made up of only three letters. You just have to make the right combination. I took care of the initial planning and scouting for accommodations. Sassy took care of the final accommodations and our music. Ling took care of printing the itinerary days before the trip and thinking about our food. And we all went there as first-timers who just enjoyed chilling and making the most out of the trip. If I were to be letter "U", then Ling and Sassy would be my "F" and "N", respectively.






I enjoyed Bohol's simplicity. Seeing the famous Chocolate Hills while standing on top of another "chocolate hill" is equally amazing for me as the car ride to that area. Because there wasn't any traffic, the hour and a half spent in the car was purely for fresh air enjoyment. We pulled down our windows and just allowed the wind to travel with us.





We also learned a bit of history. We went to the blood compact site between Sikatuna and Legazpi. We walked through the halls of Baclayon Church, which was made out of corals and egg whites. This is considered the second oldest Church in the Philippines and could have been the first church if only the San Agustin Church in Intramuros did not overtake Baclayon's construction speed. The colorful reflections on the church floor struck us which were created by the sun's rays passing through the stained glass windows.






We slept early at night to wake up early in the morning. Our boat was ready at 6 am because we had to make sure the dolphins would still be visible. We did catch glimpses of the beautiful dolphins. The adult dolphins' grace and synchronized movement captivated us. The baby dolphins' sudden full body jumps were equally captivating as they were amusing.





After snorkeling and island hopping, we found an isolated place called Virgin Island. It had such a long sandbar and if only we weren't there at 1:30pm, we could have stayed for hours and hours just chilling in the middle of the sea.




I still have so many unwritten thoughts about Bohol but I choose to keep some of them to myself for now. Let me share with you this last photo though... It may look slightly familiar.

Whenever I feel like doing so, I spread my arms like the one below and just be for that moment. I enjoy doing this, not caring about what onlookers think.





This is my attempt to be one with nature. I open my arms as wide as I can and take everything in as I send all of me out to the sky. :)