Bohol and Cebu City with Papa Bair
So the journey begins...
I was absolutely ecstatic as I stepped out of my home into the bitter cold and climbed into the passenger seat of my mom's Subaru with visions of tropical beaches and cool, lush mountain tops. I had been dreaming about this moment since I arrived home (broke and filthy) from my travels through South and Central America in August of 2013. During our drive to the Harvard Metra station I was reminded of a similar car ride, almost four years earlier, when my mom drove me up to General Mitchell Intl Airport in Milwaukee to begin my Peace Corps service in Ecuador. The two rides were nothing alike. What I remember from the hour long ride in 2011 was mostly fear, anxiety, and stress. (Don't worry, one flight later I met my fellow volunteers and life got WAY BETTER. Shout out to Omnibus 106!! Love you guys.) I have learned so much about traveling solo, being thrifty, staying safe, gaining confidence, and making friends in the last four years that I can honestly say I was nothing but stoked to set off once more.
Goodbye Wisco
Oh, the last seat availabe is business class? Not a problem. I'll have a mimosa please. :D
Yes, of course I miss my mom! Did you really have to ask?
Many hugs, a train, two planes and a taxi later (29 hours) I arrived at a bed on a tropical island. :)
As thrilled as I was to pack up and travel solo again, it was really nice to have someone to meet at my destination on Day 1- and even better that it was my dad! He and his lovely girlfriend, Joy, took holiday at the same time to visit her hometown near Dipolog (in the southern region of the Philippines) before they hit some beaches. From what Dad described, I would have LOVED to visit her rural family home complete with rice paddies in the backyard, bucket showers, and the brightest green foliage you can imagine. But alas, as schedules go, I settled for meeting up with them in Cebu City.
We spent two days exploring the second largest city of the Philippines, mostly by foot, and dining with some of Joy's family also in the area.
Museum Sugbo
Shoe repairman... those hands. (Photo by Dad)
A couple days later Dad, Joy, Marilyn (Joy's sister-in-law), and I took a ferry to the island of Bohol, located just east of Cebu.
2 hour ferry ride
Chocolate hills
Our little place near Alona Beach (loft, kitchenette, living area, fresh coconuts)
Furniture made of tires
Typical transportation- a moto with a sidecar situation
Local kids joined the foreigners playing volleyball on the beach
Zipline over Loboc River!
Tarsier- world's smallest primate
We also visited the Tarsier Conservation Area which I DO NOT recommend. We were able to see some of the adorable tiny primates as well as carry around fun umbrellas, but I learned later that this place, between Loboc and the Chocolate Hills, takes the Tarsiers out of their natural environment and contains them in a space where tourists will always be able to take pictures of them, which stresses them to the point of suicide. The tarsier is already endangered, therefore I encourage visitors to see the little cuties at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary, located on the road between Loboc and Tagbilaran where they can be found in the wild (more easily with a guide). Find out more here.
Delicious seafood dinner at the Bee Farm on Panglao Island
Clown fish and Dad breathing under water!
After four funfilled days in Bohol, we headed back to Cebu City for two more days. In my honest opinion, Cebu is a big, dusty, ugly city under construction everywhere and it was a relief to get out. So after hugging dad and promising to take lots of pics, he headed home and I headed up to Malapascua Island...
