Surviving the Roads. (The long way:Manila-Cebu-Bohol)

by Jec Chua

We have been planning this trip since February,and all of us are excited for this day. Finally the long wait is over and we got our dreams of being miles away from the stressful things at work and at home and enjoy 3 days and 2 nights hussle  free and pure fun.

Kat, Hans, Facebook buddy Wilson and I went to the airport together courtesy of Kat's dad (Thanks tito!)

Thanks to Cebu Pacific for the smooth ride going to Cebu.

We had games while we are on the flight, that despite being aggressive raising my hands just to win (I'm very competitive! haha) I failed to get that souvenir prize from Cebu Pacific, lol!

Kat and I sat together in the plane and we had a Cebuano seatmate that told us a lot of great things about Cebu that made us more excited on what to see once we got there. And also to note we have Kiko Pangilinan and Pinky Aquino on the same flight as we do. I think the husband of Pinky Aquino won a prize for the game on board that i mentioned, that after claiming it, he stood up raised his hands exhibiting the famous Cory sign LABAN. tsk tsk, political tactics!

me and Ruru, waiting for our Van at Mactan Airport

At the Airport

I noticed that being tourist at Cebu won't be a problem. You can go there with out having a clear plan on what to do or where should you go. Just outside the airport there are tons of tour guides waiting outside that could give you a nice tour around the city for a very reasonable price. Transportation also is not a problem for cars and vans for rent are everywhere. But of course, nothing beats having a concrete plan before going to a vacation to avoid rushing and hussles. So it's better to be prepared.

and off we go to the Cebu port.

the whole crew posing for Cebu

We didn't stay that long at Cebu. From the airport we immediately rush to the port to catch our SuperCat going to Bohol

Upon reaching the port, we waited for an hour for our ride. The place where we stayed have a lot of food stalls so if ever you feel like eating you could just stand up and suffer from the problem of what would you like to eat for there are a huge variety of food stalls on the area. And just to share a funny experience, we tried buying Siopao at the port area, however when Hans got one and ask for the sauce (it's the sauce that gives siopao that distinct taste right?) the vendor said "ito sir, catsup!" what???!!! Catsup for siopao. Yuck! So we did not bother to buy one anymore. hehe

There are also people offering massage while waiting, and I can see that the foreigners are really enjoying their stay at the port while being given a therapeutic massage for around a 100-150 Php, not bad.

I would just like to commend the port for having clean and very nice toilets. Hans and I were really amused on how clean it is,and  also to add it's modern toilet style makes us love to go there without having the fear of getting germs and do the things that we need to do there smoothly. haha

When the Ferry finally arrived, we all pulled our things up and we are ready to go. It's an hour and 45 minutes ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran, Bohol.

The Super Cat was amazing. All of us noticed it's wonderful interiors, it's even prettier that Cebu Pac's. The seats are very comfortable, the whole gang had fallen asleep while we are on the ride except for Ruru and me.

sleepy heads

We just took pictures of everyone the whole time. The movie being shown at the ferry is really boring! So we rather chat and take pictures than to watch it.

And finally, land. Welcome to Tagbilaran! Yahoo!

excited to go to Panglao, Island

Our contact tour master Mang Jun waited for us outside the port. We'll tell you about Mang Jun on our next post.

While on our way to Panglao, we already had a sneak preview on what to see on Bohol. The place is very Rural. Most of the houses are still Bahay Kubos' made out of nipa and wood. It is also noticeable that there are some huge houses around that we regard as "BAHAY ni MAYOR", by seeing that, we can really sense the huge gap between the poor and the rich specially on rural areas like Bohol.

Finally after long hours of traveling through land, air and water we arrived at Paragayo Resort, Pangalao, Island.

Feels like heaven.

group picture while checking out the beach

P.S.

While strolling at the beach, Hans saw this dog that resembles our lost dog Camille. My mom lost her a week before our trip. I miss Camille a lot.

a.ka. Camille