JOURNEY of LIFE!: adventure

Author: Lotlot

•10:15 PM

I was supposed to go home (in Bohol) today because it's my niece's 5th birthday. I've also wanted to see my younger sister who got married last month; and, she's one-month pregnant now. (I'm very happy for her. ) However, my colleagues and I were called by the school for an important matter.

Instead of going home, I spent the whole day with my colleagues. We enjoyed a lot. We went for a karaoke, drink, food trip, bowling, etc. It was a terrific day for all of us. Before I went home, I dropped by at Watsons first to buy body lotion, body wash and shampoo. Unfortunately, I forgot to withdraw money before I entered Watsons...good thing I was able to bring my ATM card! I was saved..hehe..

Tomorrow, I'm going to play bowling with my brother and sister. So, I have to go to bed early. But then, my husband will call me back thirty minutes later...thus, I can't sleep...It's kinda boring to wait for the time, so I'm writing here.

Oh, I think I have to go...I still have to do farming. My farm is waiting for me..Good night, everyone!

adventure | comments (0)

a terrific Holy Week

Author: Lotlot

•4:16 PM

My husband went home to celebrate his birthday as well as to spend Holy Week with me. His birthday is on the 21st of April but we've agreed to go to my parent's house in Bohol to spend Holy Week there.

My husband hasn't toured around Bohol yet, so I decided to tour him around as a birthday present. Since my parents have a motorcycle, we toured around the island using it. We had a lot of fun. My husband is a very fast driver, so we've gone to many places for just a day.

First stop: Talibon, Bohol. We went there to visit my landlady. It's been four years since I last saw her. Lady Aida and I talked for 30 minutes before we went to the gasoline station for some gas. Then, we bought some bread and junkfoods in the town center. Unexpectedly, we came across my ex-boyfriend ( my first love. the person I mentioned in my blog - The Unforgettable.) as we went straight to Trinidad, Bohol. But we didn't have time to talk because he was talking to a friend. He was cycling at the time. On the other hand, we were also in a hurry.

Second stop: Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol. We have passed by Trinidad, San Miguel and two more towns before we arrived at the hills. Along our way, we saw a butterfly sanctuary, mini forests, ricefields, small landmarks, bridges etc. It was still very early ( I think it was around 7am that time) when we arrived at the Chocolate hills so we were excluded from paying the entrance fee. We took a lot of pictures there, we wandered around the hills and we enjoyed a lot. After thirty minutes, we decided to leave the hills.

Third stop: Tarsiers in Loboc, Bohol. On our way to Loboc, we have passed Bilar. Bilar's main road is kinda narrow but beautiful. We passed by a road which they call "tinae's manok". Tinae's manok means chicken's intestines. They call it tinae's manok because the road looks like it. Though it's kinda scary when you pass by it, you'll still enjoy because it is sorrounded with trees. It is very quiet and cool. You can feel and smell the fresh air and hear the birds' singing. Moreover, you can pass by an area where tarsiers are being preserved. The area is very nice. There are cottages and trees. So, you can't only see the tarsiers, you can also rest in the cottages.

We also passed by an area in Loboc for horsebackriding. There were many tourists who wanted to do horsebackriding. Since it was not our cup of tea, we didn't try it. Also, there was a hiking and biking area. We could rent a bike or go on foot to the mountains of Loboc. That area had cottages so we could stay there if we wished to. One more thing, we could rent a small boat if we wanted to sail on the river.

At 9am we arrived at Loboc. We went to Village Cruise and Restaurant to book a ticket for the floating restaurant. The floating restaurant was scheduled to sail at 11:30 am. So, we decided to see the tarsiers nearby.Luckily, the tarsiers were up at that time, thus we were able to take pictures with their eyes opened. Again, we had much fun there. The place was kinda crowded that time because there were many tourists, so we decided to leave the area.

Fourth stop: Loboc Museum and Church. We were amazed when we went inside the museum because we found out that the museum was already 400 years old. We didn't regret paying for an entrance fee because the museum was really wonderful. It was very very old. Its furniture, floor, wall, etc., were really old. We could see it. Then, we happened to get inside a room that was full of images, replicas and statues of saints as well as old clothes and costumes. The room was sacred. It was very solemn. Charlie ( my husband) and I felt it. I was scared looking at those big statues. They were taller than me. I felt like they were alive and they were staring at us ( weird feelings..hehehe). We didn't stay there for long because of the strange feelings that we felt. Then, we went to another room. We saw two people practicing for their lines on the following mass.

Afterward, we went to another room where we could hear clearly the priest doing a mass. That room was annexed to the church. According to the guide, we could see a stairway to the church when we opened one of the doors in the room. I did open it and I saw a stairway. Well, I didn't go to the church because I might disturb the mass. The tour guide brought as to a another room downstairs. That room was behind the altar of the church. We saw some old replicas there. After the mass, we went to the church passing a narrow way. We took pictures of the altar. Then, we went to another room. A room where we saw some old musical instruments, beautiful paintings, souveneirs, etc. We wanted to take more photos in there but the battery of the camera was depleted after I took one photo.

Fifth stop: Loboc River. Immediately we decided to leave the museum. We went to the waiting area for the river cruise to have the battery charged. While waiting for the departure of the boat, we watched a DVD about Loboc. We were amazed of the lots of things that the town could offer to the tourists and visitors.

After an hour, the time of the river cruise has come. We went to the boat immediately. We ate delicious foods that were served on the table. After a little while, the boat began to sail. We saw how beautiful the river is. Along the way we saw children swimming on the riverside, some beautiful views and tilapia preservation. The boat stopped by an area where a little show took place. We enjoyed watching them singing, dancing and playing the ukelele. A small boy caught my attention. He danced gracefully and he looked so naive. As the show continued, we took pictures of them.

After 20 minutes, the boat left the area. We went straight to the place where we saw waterfalls. It was very beautiful. We could feel and see how wonderful the nature is. The boat stayed there for five minutes before it went back to the river port. I took pictures to the two bridges above the river upon going to the river port. One of the bridges is for the people who want to go to the river cruise booth on foot on the other hand, the other one is for the people who go there by car, motorcycles, etc.

Sixth stop: Tagbilaran City. We passed by the Baclayon Church, Tagbilaran Phyton, floating restaurants in Baclayon, fishing boats' port, beautiful beaches and bridges, etc. However, we didn't stop by there because it was drizzling. My husband didn't stop driving/riding on the motorcycle because we didn't get wet. We were wearing a very comfortable sweater from Dad Mamoru and Mom Kumiko and we were wearing sunglasses, jeans & hats. We enjoyed traveling with the rain instead.

When we arrived at the city, we went to BIT International College ( formerly Bohol Institute of Technology)- the school where I graduated my degree. Then, we stopped by at Bohol Wisdom School. Then, we drove to our final destination - Sagbayan Peak.

Seventh/Final Stop: Sagbayan Peak in Sagbayan, Bohol. The rain has continued as we were on our way to Sagbayan Peak. It rained hard, so we stopped by in some kiosks from time to time. We've met some people. We've talked to them. We've found out that one of them was also touring around Bohol through a mountain bike ( Great, isn't it?). We passed by Cortes, Maribojoc, Loon, Calape, Tubigon and Clarin before we arrived at Sagbayan Peak. The sun started to go down. It was already 4pm.

Sagbayan Peak is lot better and more beautiful than Chocolate Hills. It is extremely terrific. Sagbayan Peak is very wide. It is like Paradise. There is a butterfly sanctuary, Kidstown, water park, flower garden, tarsier sanctuary, restaurant, Disney Characters, etc. Moreover, there is a place where you can see the entire view or scenery. The hills ( like those of chocolate hills in Carmen) are very near. You can see them clearly. The flowers of different colors and the pine trees make the place a paradise.

On the other hand, the Disney Characters and the kidstown are superb. It was like I was in Disneyland. And their food is so delicious. We stayed there for two hours but we were not contented. Two hours wasn't enough to wander around that wonderful place. Before we went home, we've agreed to go back there next year.

Sagbayan Peak is really really beautiful!

Anyways, we drove back home. At around 7:30, we arrived home. My mother was worried because it was Holy Thursday when we toured around Bohol. Roman Catholics believe that it isn't good to wander or drive on Holy Thurday and Friday because we might get into an accident.

Fortunately, we arrived home safely. We were full but we ate again. My brother-in-law brought shells and crabs from Mahanay Island. Then, we watched TV for three hours before we went to sleep.

What a terrific Holy Week!

adventure, bohol island | comments (0)

Friendsys

Author: Lotlot

•4:41 PM

Friendsys is our first and only niece. Her nickname is Ren-ren. She's the daughter of our older sister- Christie. She's 4 years old. She lives in my parents' house in Bohol. She's a pre-school pupil.

Her name 'Friendsys' was taken from the words FRIEND and SISTER. It was my younger sister, Mae, who invented the name. I and my siblings treat her not only as a niece but as a sister and a friend as well.

At times, our youngest sibling 'Glomera' feels jealous because our parents give more attention to Ren-ren than her. She will shout or pinch Ren-ren whenever she feels jealous. So, we remind her every now and then that there's no need for her to get jealous. Ren-ren is still small so it's natural that she'll get most of the attention from our parents and even from us (her aunts/ uncles).

As a pupil, Friendsys goes to school from Mondays to Fridays. She's doing great at school. So, we are very happy. We keep on encouraging and inspiring her to do great at school. And, we help in developing her talents. Her teacher says that she's one of the smartest pupils in school so we're very proud of her.

Nonetheless, my parents get mad at her sometimes because she'll go home when she's bored inside the classroom. Well, her school is a throw stone away from our house, thus she can go home easily. It only takes 5-10 seconds for her to reach home.

Anyways, the pictures below were taken in Sagbayan Peak. Sagbayan peak is one of the best scenery in Bohol, Philippines.

my niece - Friendsys

Mama Gloria and niece Friendsys

Mama and Ren-ren @ Sagbayan Peak

adventure, niece | comments (0)

Isla Mahanay

Author: Lotlot

•6:58 PM

Isla is a Cebuano or a Tagalog word for island. Mahanay island belongs to the town of Jetafe and the town of Talibon in Bohol. The island is divided into three parts. One of it belongs to Jetafe ( my hometown) and the rest belong to Talibon.

Anyway, last Christmas I went home and spent Christmas with my family. Although two of my sibling didn't go home, we had much fun. We had a party during Christmas Eve. Then, we went to Mahanay island on the following day - Christmas Day.

[ the lady in stripes is my sister, Mae; the girl wearing a sweater is my sister, Glomera; the woman next to the boy is my mother, Gloria; and, the boy & the other woman are my brother-in-law's neighbors.]

My brother-in-law lives in that island, so we got a chance to tour around his place, stay in his triangle-shaped nipa hut, eat fresh squids, prawns, crabs, octupos, fish, etc., and swim in their sandy boat harbor.

That time, the sun was shining. It was very hut but we enjoyed swimming, as well as eating banana, ube and other root crops, paired with grilled fish, ginamos and crabs.

Before we went home, the mother of my brother-in-law prepared seafood for us. We were really very thankful to my brother-in-law and his family for treating us well and for giving us a warm welcome.

I am planning to go back in Mahanay Island as soon as I have time. I really like the place. It's so peaceful and wonderful.