the trip to the bukid of Bohol

A view from the top of the bukid of barangay Banlasan, Trinidad, Bohol

The house, where we stayed for two days and two nights, is on a hill facing this view. It’s really cool, like everytime we had nothing to do (which was practically all the time) we either chased the animals (goats, chickens, cats or each other) or mag-muni-muni. A good part of this area I'm viewing is owned by the family of one of the three people I was with in that three-day trip to this side of the country.

Tambay sa lantay

One of the exciting things to do both on daytime and nighttime is lying in the lantay while listening to the music or lulling to sleep. Although it’s hot here during the daytime, the fresh air helps a lot in making you feel so comfortable under the sun. But we also had a mango tree to cover us from the direct heat of the sun, so falling asleep easily was guaranteed.

During the night, this is also the best place for stargazing. I did just that while listening to my music on our last night here. And it was so relaxing.

One of the picturesque beauties of Banlasan (us excluded)

This was taken on our way to the Batungay Cave. One of the most exhausting treks we had. We just walked our way there thinking that it was just a “walking distance” from our base. Walking distance, my ass, it was like walking in flip flops from Colon to Basak, Cebu City! And it was not an ordinary walk because there are steep roads along the way.

At the Batungay Cave entrance (Trinidad, Bohol) with Elm and Carlo

Inside the Cave

This more than compensates for our bone-tired bodies. The tour inside this cave is no longer spooky though, as there are already lights in most of the entire place. And the kids, there are everywhere, sometimes irritating. But they served as our tour guides too. The map said there is a treasure digging somewhere in the middle, but we weren’t able to see that part because you have to pass through a very narrow route plus knee-deep water to reach it. With only some pieces of old cooking tools, I don’t think it’s worth it. But maybe next time, when we are dressed to crawl and prepared to ward off the bats and the snakes. Hmmm...

Their own version of Badian, Cebu's Kawasan Falls, and the Ang Tatlong Itlog!

The bukid, where this spot is, is actually across from our base, quite far but reachable. A 20-minute habal-habal ride will get you there. Habal-habal ride in this town, by the way, is quite expensive. The trip to and from the Kawasan Falls cost each of us P80, makapurdoy uy!

The water from the falls is murky, as you can see it. Owing most probably to the dry season. There was rain the night before we came here, but it was not enough to replace the old water that has been there since only God knows when. But it was still a welcome treat after all the exhaustion from the habal-habal ride and the heat. And this is a far cry from our first day in the bukid, during which we bathed at a well of muddy water. That part of Bohol is near-drought, most of the rice farms are actually dying, and the water is scarce. So we had to make do of what was in front of us. I swear, all four of us did not want to bathe using that kind of water, of which source is inhabited by frogs and snails (I kid you not!). But only at first, because the very very long trek to and from the river, which has also gone almost dry, had already tired us and left us no more option but to bathe in that muddy water. So simple a life they have there, and we were sharing it. Our own version of penitensya.



See the falls? And me?

Yikes!

After the fun, nanglabada.

Back to Cebu

We were supposed to go to Panglao. We even took the more than two-hour v-hire ride from Tubigon (an hour habal-habal ride from Trinidad, where we came from), and paid P120 each (mahal kayo sa?), to get to Tagbilaran for us to see this famous beach. But because the journey was endless and we got to Island City Mall at noontime and our trip back to Cebu was at 5PM, we had to cancel the Panglao trip--our very last stop supposedly before we had to go home. It was kinda sad, but I'd rather be home before nighttime than see that place, which, by the way, takes more than an hour to reach (plus the trip back), and miss the boat. That'd have been lovely! I love adventure but I was already too exhausted to try some more of it. And I was almost broke already.

So last night, after thousands of habal-habal rides I got home safely after that full 3-day trip to Bohol, boat rides included. And I'm now very tanned. Hahaha!

Happy Easter, everyone!