My Family Travels...: Bohol, Philippines

Welcome! Mabuhay!

...travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. ~ St. Augustine

Traveling to places near and far is both exciting and enlightening. Travel may be close by, within a region, or globally. Visiting a bordering city or island in where you live could give you a fresh new perspective in life. Though, we don’t really need to go so far out to enjoy ourselves and find beauty, because it is all around us… if you open your eyes, stop and smell the roses... you will get that sense of freedom. However if you are a world traveler, it opens up for a much wider point of view. How I wish someday, I will get to do that. Visiting another country and seeing how other people live and discovering their culture provides us with new understanding that we are all different and unique in our own ways, though we are all human… living and breathing on the same amazing planet, Earth…

Enjoy, travel and live life to the fullest!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bohol, Philippines

Before heading to Camiguin, my family stopped by at Bohol. This was my second time here and first for Bill & Alayna. Few years back, we have considered moving here instead of Camiguin, but this place has gotten more popular and discovered that beach lots are skyrocketing. The island of Panglao especially has gotten the most attention. Gosh, several decades ago, my grandparents once lived in Panglao. They had to leave and moved to Camiguin Island, because there was nothing there, just a fishing village. Now, it is a tourist hot spot! If my lola and lolo were still alive today, they would be so amazed at what has become of the island that they left behind, so long ago…

@Bohol Tropics Resort in Tagbilaran, Bohol

having halo-halo at our room... super yummy!

gorgeous view from the balcony of our room

Bohol is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts. The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of limestone formation, is the most popular attraction. The island of Panglao, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is famous for its diving locations and routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts dot the southern beaches and cater to divers from around the world. The Philippine Tarsier, considered the second-smallest primate in the world, is indigenous to the island.

The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon is considered to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It is one of the best preserved Jesuit build churches in the region, although in the 19th century, the Augustinian Recollects added a modern facade and a number of stone buildings that now surround the church. The first Spanish missionaries or doctrineros in the region, Fr. Juan de Torres and Fr. Gabriel Sanchez, first settled in Baclayon in 1595.