From island to island, the Philippines is revealed

A week passed by in the Philippines and we have already seen quite a few things. Third destination for the chickens and their friends, Bohol Island. Waking up shortly before dawn, an hour of taxi to cross Cebu Island from west to east and here is the discovery that our 8h ferry does not exist! In order to secure our seats on board, we arrived two hours early, what a good idea! We will eventually arrive by the noon ferry to Bohol on a rather short and smooth travel.

Visiting Bohol and its “top 5”

The trip to the Philippines has so many surprises, some excellent, others more mitigated. Bohol Island is in the first category. A little wonder with the observation of night fireflies in a boat. Successful activity for the ladies of the group who marvel at these thousands of fireflies in the trees lining the rivers under a breathtaking starry sky. For the boys who decide, driven by their good will, to opt for kayaking, it is otherwise. The kayak is actually led by a Filipino rower who drive our dear boys on the rivers in an hour top chrono. So no sport, very few fireflies, and a feeling of being a little robbed. At least our paddlers were super friendly, like most of Filipino actually.

Bohol is vast and one way to discover it is to ride scooters, our new passion. We visit a sanctuary of tarsiers, small adorable beast with oversized eyes. Pretty hard not to want to steal one! We continue our walk in the middle of the well-known Chocolate Hills that offer a panorama which worth of a Windows wallpaper. It is a flagship attraction of the island and dozens of Filipino tourists performed selfies with family, friends, or even alone. Our small group still manages to get away from the crowd and cool off at the waterfalls of Pangas. A delight for our backpackers in need of freshness.

In order to complete our fast, and successful passage on Bohol, we organize a small sea trip for our last day. The idea is also to join our next destination, the neighboring island of Siquijor, by killing two birds with one stone (it will not be so easy, we’ll be back right now…). And there friends, from morning to nigh it is a delight for the eyest! Dolphin watching, snorkeling in turquoise blue water revealing more beautiful corals than each other in Pamilacan, paradise beaches, and turtle watching in Balicassag. Everyone has fun and can play the star thanks to the many photo shoots of the locals on vacation.

A beautiful day at sea that ends with a memorable arrival on one of the beaches of Siquijor. We dock on the island in question, but exactly opposite to our intended destination, thirty kilometers from there exactly. A tough negotiation follows, led by Audrey who after four months in Asia has become quite talented in this area! Thanks to a memorable catch phrase “past is past, now, what do we do?” , we join our little haven of peace for the next five days by taxi. Funny joke discovering our driver from an age let say very (very) very advanced who did not see much to the road (by his own admission: “I am very old”). To add spice, it was the first time he drove his brand new car. Old enough, but not totalyy wide of the mark the grandpa! He still finds the opportunity to flirt with Jessica, on the verge of accepting his marriage proposal.

Siquijor the superb

As soon as we arrive, we find that Siquijor holds all of its promises as a paradise island. Magic blue sea, white sand beaches, breathtaking sunsets and seabed making you forget all the notion of time. Especially since the chickens are sleeping in luxury (it’s holidays or what!) By nesting in a quiet cottage with staff to care. The first day is dedicated to discovering the nearest paradise beach, Palinton Beach. Sunburns assured for our friends who put on their best winter skin. A successful day ends with a very popular karaoke, at our hotel, to discover the hidden talents of some of us (and other shortcomings…).

Our occupations remain the same, but the rhythm changes here. By scooter at day to discover this beautiful island, tricycle / tuk-tuk at night (the chickens and their acolytes are serious) to go to the restaurant. Siquijor is full of nice places offering dishes from all horizons! Grilled fish, roasted pig on a spit, curries, but also lasagna, pizza and burgers (it’s good to find things that are known too). Between meals, we pass time as we can. Waterfalls in the middle of the forest (although landscaped), fish pond for pedicure, race in the woods after a perverted Chinese tourist… We do not get bored! And when we’re fed up with the earth, put on our swimsuits and masks and enjoy the incredible seabed surrounding Siquijor. The chickens are getting wet and their friends too! With only our masks and snorkels, we discover corals of all colors, fish of all shapes and turtles, still the main tenants of the Philippine seabed. It is also an opportunity for the small group to go back to diving and go down a little deeper. We spend a day at sea with the Apo Diver team and we have fun!

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All good things have an end (except the saucisson, which has two – thank you Ben), and our friends must go back to Toulouse. Finally… they have to take a taxi, then a ferry, then a taxi, then a plane, then another plane, then a third plane, then take a pizza break in Rome, then take a fourth plane and finally arrive home (we may have forgotten a taxi or an airplane, do not blame us for it dear friends). Our holiday in the Philippines ends with images and adventures in our head. We loved this country especially for its landscapes and for the kindness and smiles of… Hey! Wait, it’s not over the Philippines! We still have two weeks here! Well, we will not lie to you, it has not been the excitement of activities. Siquijor liked us so much that we were offered ten more days here (well that is so complicated to move from here too…).

First activity on the program, moving to a less comfortable bungalow (goodbye to the holiday budget), but nevertheless in direct line of beach, under the palms, in a lovely family. The sunbeds of our home offering an incredible sunset every night, we are starting to get use to it. And then we discover the dozens of different bread rolls offered by local bakeries, perfect to accompany a fresh mango. Somhow a way to adopt a quiet “morning market” routine for Ben. Once properly installed, we can start discovering the few unexplored areas of the island. The marine reserve of Tulapos offers us a gigantic bench of barracudas (somewhat threatening) observable with our mask / snorkel combo. Some fearful black tip sharks also show the tips of their fins. While Audrey devotes herself to photography and painting, Ben gets his second level of diving with Apo Diver’s super cool club. He even becomes famous for his underwater dancer’s talents! Everyone is spoiled, we relax and we have fun.

In ten days here, we have our little habits, our good addresses (for food eh, we do not change a team that wins!). People recognize us and greet us heartily in the street. It’s nice and that’s what we missed a little after four months of travel.

Back to Bohol

The batteries recharged, the chickens decide to resume the rhythm backpack for three days before setting sail to their next destination. We return to Bohol to explore the east of the island, less touristy, at least for Westerners. Arrived in Anda, we discover a very authentic region, green and offering a coast dotted with small beaches of white sand (not easy life). After an exploration (scooter, it goes without saying) waterfalls and rice fields, we quickly understand that this is an open secret for Filipinos who come here in droves to celebrate birthdays and family celebrations. The chickens are happy to have chosen a hotel far from the main beach and the noisy festivities going on. We must still admit that the joy of living of this people is communicative and that it does a good job. Siquijor had put us back to a cruising level, Bohol adds a little more energy to the journey ahead.

We spent almost a month in the Philippines, the longest stay in a country since we left. The cultural attractions are a bit below what the previous countries have offered us, but the landscapes… Incredible panoramas, like in the middle of the rice paddies of Batad, and an endless wealth once under water. We therefore give the Philippines the score of 7/10 (0.5 removed for their passion for barbed wire) with our encouragement to resist the sirens of mass tourism, local or Western.

A van, then a tricycle, then a ferry (and a shouting with the harbor staff), then a taxi, then a plane, then a taxi (there we stayed for three hours at the hotel anyway), then a plane , then a last plane (we told you that we had to be ready for the trip) and here we are in Indonesia! But that’s for the next article of travelers chickens!

See you soon,

Audrey & Ben