Bohol Escapade: Part 2

Sunday, December 14, 2014 Unknown 2 Comments Category : adventure , Baclayon Church , Bohol , Galleria Luisa , Loboc Eco Adventure Park , Monument of the Blood Compact , wanderlust , Zoocolate Thrills

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine it's lethal."

And here is the second part of our Bohol Escapade. (Check out Bohol Escapade: Part 1 HERE.)

5. LOBOC ECO ADVENTURE PARK

After that hearty lunch and relaxing river cruise, it's time for another adventure. Loboc Eco Adventure Park is about a 5-minute ride from the river. It's time to see the Loboc River from an aerial view.

The Combo Ride priced @ PHP 350.00/pax is inclusive of One-way Zipline (Superman style) and One-way Cable Car. They also offer the Cable Ride (Cable Car back and forth) priced @ PHP 250.00/pax

Maybe I'm just a girl on a mission, but I'm ready to fly!

This was one of our troubles. My friend failed to reach for the rope so instead of going to the end, she ended up going back to the middle. Well, it's good to witness their rescue operation. They quickly responded and got my friend. That's the real Superman! Safety: Check!

After the Zipline is the Cable Car Ride. You have to wait for the cable car, traveling back and forth. It's quite slow so you have to wait in line. The waiting time depends on the number of people waiting but it is all worth it. I have never seen so much green until this! That's a wow!

Below us is one of the rafts of the Loboc River Cruise.

Compared to The Rush, I like this better. I really felt like flying. The green world from an aerial view is super duper fantastic. I would never hesitate to try this again.

6. ZOOCOLATE THRILLS

We then went to another destination to see the longest snake and the first tigers in Bohol. It's about a 3-minute ride from the Eco Adventure Park.

These tigers are so big! If only they didn't know how to bite, I would have hug them so tight! Waaahh. I'll just settle for stuffed tigers.

Meet Tiggy! He is a 5-year old tiger.

Meet Maja! She is an 11-month old tiger.

RAWR!

A 10-year old snake. This was my first close encounter with a snake, not to mention the touch. OMG! I did a lot of thrilling activities but this one was the only activity which made my heart skip a beat. I could feel his body shiver and I could hear him hiss. Scary! I wonder how I was able to touch him. Duh.

Little white pony.

Other animals that can be found in their mini-zoo. My favorite is the Siamese cat. See those blue eyes? So fierce.

It was just a short tour around the area. It was more or less twenty minutes. However, it was still memorable for me because of the tigers and the snake. The snake, I repeat. I fear them more than heights but still I was able to touch it and I just conquered one of my fears.

7. BACLAYON CHURCH

The Baclayon Church was built in 1727. It's the oldest coral stone church in the region. It's one of the oldest in Asia and foremost among the best-preserved Jesuit-built churches in the Philippines. Unfortunately, the big earthquake also brought damages to the church. It's still under reconstruction at the moment. The church and the museum were closed when we went there so we haven't got the chance to see what's inside.

One of the walls shows an image of Padre Pio. He has become popular for bearing the stigmata for most of his life. Stigmata refers to the body marks, sores or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. All wounds have appeared on his body. Baclayon has become popular for being the chosen town to which Padre Pio's face appeared after his death.

The bell tower which is still under reconstruction.

That wall, just above the door, also shows an image of the Virgin Mary bearing a child in her arms.

Being religious is one of the traits of Filipinos. When traveling around the Philippines, churches are also common destinations and each of them shares a good story, just like the images found on the walls of Baclayon church. Be it true or just a mere product of imagination, it's always the faith that creates miracles.

8. MONUMENT OF THE BLOOD COMPACT
The Monument of the Blood Compact is located in Tagbilaran City. This monument is to commemorate the Sandugo (which means 'one blood' in English) / Blood Compact that happened between the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the chieftain of Bohol Datu Sikatuna on March 16, 1565 to seal their friendship as part of the peace process.

9. GALLERIA LUISA
Since we only agreed to have a day trip with our driver, he just dropped us in Tagbilaran City at around 6:00 P.M. It was interesting to explore their small city without a guide. We just walked around and passed along different alleys and still found ourselves in the middle of the city. Their shopping malls are just close to each other but Galleria Luisa's illumination caught my eye.

It's very chic, right? It looks big on the outside but it's just a small shopping mall. I wasn't able to take a picture inside but what's good here is their food court which overlooks the sea.

After walking around the city, we got tired and while waiting for our ship schedule, we just stayed in their plaza. Life in Bohol is very different from the city I have grown up. It's slow but it's peaceful. It's small and it seems like the people just know each other. I really got that laid-back feeling even in the middle of the city. It was a very nice feeling but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. At around 9:00 P.M. we went to the port which is a more or less 10-minute tricycle ride from the city. What's even funnier and sadder at the same time about this trip is that we got stranded at the port. We were supposed to have the 10:00 P.M ship but it got broken. We had to wait for the 12:00 A.M. ship outside the terminal, in the cold thin air for the reason that we hadn't have tickets yet. Phew. At first, it was frustrating but I got to see the stars and shooting stars. It's been a long time that I haven't seen shooting stars and I was simply amazed. As what Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Only in the darkness can you see the stars." Despite the mishaps, it was a great day to remember. :)

Check out Bohol Escapade: Part 1 HERE.

Summary of Expenses (in PHP):
PER PAX: