The bus trip to the famous Chocolate Hills

[liplip]

Third and last full day in Bohol! To see the Chocolate Hills is a frigging must!

When we first arrived, we intended to drive to Carmen so we can see the famous Chocolate Hills! But as always, our stomachs came first and it'll be too late to travel by the time we finished.

The town of Carmen was a whopping 59km from Tagbilaran and one hell of a long bus ride! We were thinking of riding a V-hire to get there but Rob and I went for the rural form of traveling, by bus. We were advised to leave early in the morning because the journey to and from the town will take half the day. From Carlos P Garcia Ave. (CPG), we hopped on a tricycle and directed the driver to go to the Dao Bus Terminal. When we got there, we asked someone for the bus to Carmen, and I bet you, they'll drag you to where it is!

The bus trip was excruciating! Aside from our seats not having a proper cushion, as the bus passed from one town to the next, it got more crowded! The bus was literally jam-packed halfway thru the ride! The only good part is that we were seating by the window and the view was, of course, spectacular. The countryside of Bohol was tremendously clean! I stopped enjoying the view though, after I fell asleep, woke up, and discovered we're barely there yet!

Rice Feilds
On the way to Carmen, we passed by some feilds and you can see the hills from afar.

But as we passed through the mountains and entered the valleys, we began to see the hills sprawled among the fields. My excitement started to build up again! It took a few more minutes before the bus driver told us we were there. We got off right in front of the Chocolate Hills Complex. To get to the top of the complex, you can either walk your way up to it or you can ride the habal-habal. We chose to ride the habal-habal, which costs us I think Php10/20 bucks per head.

Once again, my paranoia skyrocketed to a different level! The habal-habal is a motorcycle that most Boholanos use as a form of daily transportation. One habal-habal usually carries, say 2 persons... but hey, this is Bohol! It can carry 3-4 grown men! Rob is a fairly big guy, and for our habal-habal driver to balance the three of us, while speeding (put emphasis in this while reading) off the winding road, was nerve racking! If in the unlikely event that we fall over, we'll probably be acquainted to the gorge below!

Hundred Something Steps
To get to the top viewpoint, you have to climb more than a hundred steps!

When we got on the top, I felt a lot more secured and I could now breathe! I was literally squished in between two men during the ride; it was so difficult to breathe! At the middle of the parking lot, there would be a viewpoint that you can climb. The sight here is not that great since it is slightly blocked by the trees around the area. There is, however, an observation hill that you can climb. But this is not for the lazy or weak at heart since this will be a frigging 214 steps! It was fairly difficult to go up, but along the climb would be resting spots so worry not, workout-deprived friends!

On top of the observation hill, you will see the whole stretch of the Chocolate Hills. The view was breathtaking and it was just nice to sit there and savor Mother Nature's own.

We would have loved to stay longer but it started to drizzle so we decided to go back.

Chocolate Hills
Shaped like a woman's breast.

Our driver was offering a tour to the Manmade Forest, Hanging Bridge and then to the Tarsiers in Loboc for Php250 per head. That sounded a good deal, but I asked him how we would get there. Guess what his answer was!

Habal-Habal!

Hell no! Rob politely turned his offer down. We were not going to travel half across Tagbilaran by motorbike! We were 59 kms from Tagbilaran. The Tarsiers were in Loboc. Loboc was only about 24 kms from Tagbilaran! Do the math! I didn't find it safe nor did I like to be squished between Rob and the driver!

We just asked the driver to drop us off at the bus stop 'coz we didn't want to get caught in the rain at the base of the complex. We were hoping for a V-hire to pass by, but as our luck would have it, there wasn't any. We got on a bus back to Tagbilaran and ended up back from where we started.

Island City Mall! We were in the city by lunchtime. We swore the beach off for the day, so we decided to buy pasalubongs in the mall's grocery where it was cheaper. The mall doesn't compare to the ones in Manila. One thing that caught our eyes was the movie house. You can watch a movie half the price of the cost of a movie in Manila!

Anyhow, this was the last day we had in Bohol. We went around the city one more time and I was hoping we could eat at the Garden Cafe. A restaurant popular for the kind of employees they have. All of the restaurant’s personnel were blind. Barbecue, however, has a hypnotizing effect on us! By the time the sun sets, there would be some parking lots around the CPG Ave., which turns to Barbecue Joints. The food was great at a very inexpensive price! Eating chicken barbecue and puso (rice cooked in banana leaf) with your hands amidst the chaos of the evening is a must try!

Well, I guess this is it for the Bohol Chronicles. I have never enjoyed a vacation that much! From the cruise to the tarsiers, to the dolphins and the boat from hell... I fell in love with Bohol.

The best part of it all was that the man I love the most was beside me through the whole ride!
http://www.gotravelmart.net/

[smileyang]

chocolate hill must be very nice,I don't hear it before.it is very beautiful,I think,I will come to it with my parents.
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[ZXT]

Here I am at the top of the observation hill after taking the 214 steps and in the background are the Chocolate Hills...more than a hundred of them.



And this is me at Alona Beach in Panglao, Bohol. Night time is alive in Alona beach.

You can read more of my Bohol Trip here.

[simflier]

My Ancestors are from Bohol but I born in Mindanao specifically in Iligan City, Since birth I only visit Bohol twice that's why I am eager visit every vacation even if we lack of financial.
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[leeandee]

wow nice pic !

[ladydeluxehotel]

Yes, Bohol is such a nice place to visit here in the Philippines. And Famous Chocolate Hills is a must see tourist spot.

Anyway, those pictures were nice, aside from Chocolate Hills, there are also many places in Cebu and of course in the Philippines to travel.

[kirbie]

One of my dream also is to be in Chocolate Hills also. The famous Tarsier are also there Such a nice and wonderful creation of God.
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[janebobson]

Bohol is well known for it's very Own Chocolate hills, Tarsier and the big python snake that can be seen in the area. They are also abundant in brown rice which is a good source of livelihood. In order to get there, have some cebu pacific schedule that will also assist you in going there.