Exploring Bohol

Every year, I make it a point to celebrate my birthday one way or another. I used to always host big birthday parties wherein I'd invite at least 100 of my friends. However, it was extremely stressful and expensive. Even on the day of my party, I'd still be too preoccupied making sure everything was going smoothly. For this year, I didn't want any hassle. I just really wanted to be away from the city. I've been to Bohol before with my family but I completely forgot how it looked like. I wanted to go again but this time, with my boyfriend, Toby. 

We stayed at Veraneante Resort in Panglao. It was just a couple of minutes away from the beach. All the rooms have its own private balcony. I really enjoyed our stay because the staff was really friend and they had the cutest pug that would just roam around. 

For our first day, we hit the beach. (Of course!) The nearest beach to us was called Alona Beach. It was like the Boracay of Bohol. They had resorts, bars and restaurants along the shore. My favorite thing about the place was that there were so many good seafood restaurants to choose from. I was craving for some buttered shrimp and crab!

The following day we rented a car to go around the other cities where you see the historical side of Bohol. Bohol's most famous tourist attraction is the Chocolate Hills. Sadly, the Locboc River Cruise was closed due to the recent flood. We were able to pass by and just take a picture. We also made friends with tarsiers and the largest python in the Philippines. 

On our 3rd day, we wanted to try something new. We rented a habal-habal which is like a hybrid of a motorcycle and a scooter. It's what most people in Bohol use as a their means of transportation. I made Toby drive because I was too chicken to even try. It was scary because we didn't have any helmets and the roads were rocky. It was quite the experience though! We toured ourselves to see the Hinagdanan Cave, Bohol Bee Farm, and Dumuluan Beach. There were barely any signs on the road. We just had a map. We got lost a couple of times but it was part of the adventure. 

For our last full day which was MY birthday, we did the Island Hopping Tour. I woke up feeling great because I was finally 22! (I've been waiting for years to be able to sing Taylor Swift's song 22) The tour normally starts at 5 am to go dolphin watching but we stayed up the night before celebrating my birthday. We went straight to Balicasag Island instead. The island isn't known for its beach but for diving. Here you can see a lot of turtles just casually swimming around you. I wasn't able to bring my underwater camera so I have no pictures to show you. I'm not into diving but I do like seeing animals. Then, we went to Bohol's sandbar called Virgin Island. I took so many photos that it deserves a separate post. (Stay tuned for that!) 

I think I should just celebrate my birthday on the beach every year! I had so much fun and it was definitely one of my best birthdays. How do you celebrate your special day? 

Veraneante Resort

Bohol Bee Farm

Tarsier

 Virgin Island

Locboc River

Hinagdanan Cave

Dumaluan Beach