Trip to Bohol

Up early in the morning to catch the fast ferry to Bohol.  It was about a 1 1/2 hour trip, and we landed in Tagbilaran.  

The Island of Bohol is oval-shaped and surrounded by 73 smaller islands. The main island has a gently rolling terrain. Bohol's mountainous interior is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna; at certain points, hills drop steeply to the coast from a maximum elevation of 870 meters above sea level. The interior uplands are fit for agro-forestry and high value agricultural production, while the central and northern lowlands also have fertile grounds and an abundant water supply. Over a hundred caves have been identified, the biggest of which is found in the eastern part of the island.[23]

The 2013 Bohol earthquake occurred on October 15, 2013, at 8:12 a.m. (PST) in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines.^[6] The magnitude of the earthquake at the epicenter was recorded at M_w 7.2, located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) SW of Sagbayan town, at a depth of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi).^[1][7] It affected the whole Central Visayas region, particularly Bohol and Cebu. The quake was felt in the whole Visayas area and as far as Masbate island in the north and Cotabato provinces in southern Mindanao.

According to official reports by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(NDRRMC), 222 were reported dead, 8 were missing, and 976 people were injured. In all, more than 73,000 structures were damaged, of which more than 14,500 were totally destroyed.^[4]

It was the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in 23 years. The energy released by the quake was equivalent to 32 Hiroshima bombs.^[8] Previously, Bohol was also hit by an earthquake on February 8, 1990 that damaged several buildings and caused a tsunami.^[9][10]

On November 7, just 3 weeks after the quake, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck the region. Although the storm's eye missed the area affected by the earthquake, it sent some 40,000 Boholanos still living in temporary shelters back to evacuation centers and disrupted relief efforts in the province.^[11]

Reconstruction efforts at the dock

Blood compact (Spanish: Pacto de sangre) was an ancient ritual in the Philippines intended to seal a friendship or treaty, or to validate an agreement. The contracting parties would cut their wrists and pour their blood into a cup filled with liquid, such as wine, and drink the mixture.^[1]

A famous example of the blood compact was the 1565 Sandugo between Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain ofBohol. Another blood compact was contracted between Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and Rajah Humabon of Cebu.^[2]

Edward with the sword
stuck in his head.  Ouch!

One of the old churches damaged in the quake

The above pictures are of turkeys/baby turkeys which were in an animal sanctuary.  Oh how I miss Sanpete turkey!!!!!!

Next stop:  The Loboc River

Loboc River is one of top destinations in the island province of Bohol, aside from the Chocolate Hills and its Tarsiers.  This river runs inland through the town of Loboc and other towns on Bohol island and opens to the sea at the southern part of the island.

We took the "lunch cruise," where we ate then putted up the river while two young men played guitars and sang songs.  Of course they were ones we knew and when they belted out: "Country roads, take me home..." I finished with Manti, Utah (instead of West Virginia) and it was a hit. 

We stopped at a tribal village:

"Brave" Elder England petting the iguana

Even crazier Sister England holding the
iguana.  Guess my years of having lizards
and whatnots around the house with the
boys made it easier to do!

E/S Dial with the fire-breather

Sister Dial - Notice the tip box.  As soon

as a picture was taken, the boy on the

left would say, "Tip ma'am, Tip."

 Sister England and Sister Kresge with two of 

the cutest passengers.

 Sister England "jammin'" to "Hey, Jude"!

 It was on this cruise we suspect 7 of the 12 of us got food poisoning!  It was awful to say the least.

Next stop:  The Zipline

Zipline Adventure
Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park (LEAP)
Loboc, Bohol Philippines
Zipline Adventure
> The Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park (LEAP) is now the longest zip line ( 520 meters in length .32 miles or  568 yds)) and a cable car traversing a distance of 420 meters and 120 meters and (.07 miles or 131 yds ) high at highest point.

 Yep! It's us!!!!

 Safe ride back

Crazy, but what a rush!  It only took 45 seconds and I kept

telling myself, "Breathe, breathe, breathe!"

Next Stop:

The Philippine tarsier measures only about 85 to 160 millimetres (3.35 to 6.30 in) in height, making it one of the smallest primates. The small size makes it difficult to spot. The mass for males is between 80–160 g (2.8–5.6 oz), usually lighter for females, somewhat heavier than other tarsiers such as the pygmy tarsier.^[8] The average adult is about the size of a human fist.

 I love this sign:  "Outsiders are not allowed to standby here!"

 Like all tarsiers, the Philippine tarsier's eyes are fixed in its skull; they cannot turn in their sockets. Instead, a special adaptation in the neck allows its round head to be rotated 180 degrees. The eyes are disproportionately large, having the largest eye-to-body size ratio of all mammals. These huge eyes provide this nocturnal animal with excellent night vision.^[10] In bright light the tarsier's eyes can constrict until the pupil appears to be only a thin line. In darkness the pupil can dilate and fill up almost the entire eye.^[11] The large membranous ears are mobile,^[12] appearing to be almost constantly moving, allowing the tarsier to hear any movement.

The Philippine tarsier has thin, rough fur which is colored gray to dark brown. The narrow tail, usually used for balance, is bald except for a tuft of hair at the end, and is about twice the body length. Its elongated "tarsus," or ankle bone, which gives the tarsier its name, allows it to jump at least three meters from tree to tree.^[10] Its long digits are tipped with rounded pads that allow C. syrichtato cling easily to trees and to grip almost any surface. The thumb is not truly opposable, but the first toe is. All of the digits have flattened nails, except for the second and third toes, which have sharp claws specialized for grooming.^[13]

Next Stop:  The Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are considered one of Philippine's natural wonders and Bohol is often referred to as the Jewel of the Philippines. They are hills made of limestone leftover from coral reefs during the Ice age when the island was submerged. They turn brown during the summer, hence their name.

 214 Steps to the top - Edward counted them!

 This part was damaged in the quake.

 Marker, also damaged in the quake.

 Going down....

 This mountain was different from all the

rest.  It was more "gumdrop" shaped.

Last stop of the day:  The Lost Horizon Resort

 Our room

 Patio where we ate

 Island Hopping boats

Elder England's idea of being on the beach.  He 

took this through the door of our room while 

sitting in the air conditioning!  This is while I

spent the worst day of the trip in bed with food 

poisoning!  I didn't even get to put my feet in the water.

Back on the ferry again, heading to Cebu:

 This cute boy kept flirting with Sister England

Back in Cebu - Beverly Hills & Taoist Temple:

Beverly Hills Lahug
Approximately six km from the city centre in Lahug district lies Beverly Hills, the millionaire quarter of Cebu-City. From Cebu-City you can get fairly close to the temple by an Lahug jeepney.

Atop Beverly Hills is the highly photogenic Taoist Temple of Cebu which was built in the second half of the last century.

There is also a beautiful view of the city from this lovely place.

Built in 1972, the Cebu Taoist Temple is located in Beverly Hills Subdivision in Cebu City, Philippines. The temple was built by Cebu's substantial Chinese community.[1] With an elevation of 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level, the temple is a towering, multi-tiered, multi-hued attraction accessible by three separate winding routes.

Unlike the neighboring Phu Sian Temple,[2] the Taoist temple is open to the worshipers and non-worshipers alike. A ritual among devotees is where one prays to the gods to grant one's wish. The ritual includes washing of hands, going inside the chapel barefoot and dropping two blocks of wood. If the blocks of wood are both face up then one could make a wish. If not then it is not yet the time for one's wish to be granted and one has to come to the temple some other time.

The temple is the center of worship for Taoism, the religion which follows the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Zi. Another ritual among Taoist devotees, which is done during Wednesdays and Sundays,[3] is the climbing of its 81 steps (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures) to light joss sticks and have their fortune read by the monks.

Some guide books and travel agencies offer trips to the temple or as a side-trip in a tour around Cebu City. But it is more popular with grade school students. No student who grew up in Cebu City or the neighboring Mandaue City has not gone to the temple in any one of their field trips.

The entrance to the temple is a replica of the Great Wall of China. The temple includes a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing well. The spacious balconies offer a scenic view of the downtown Cebu.

 Beverly Hills, Cebu City

 Hmm...don't know what a coaster is...

Angel Moroni on top of the Cebu Temple

 Cebu from the top

Our drivers

Lemon, lime & bubbles ?!?

 There wasn't one for the men...oops!

 This is a vulcanizing (tire recap) shop with

the living quarters right behind it. 

No customers are at the emission testing place!

 School kids in their uniforms.

Hello airport, goodbye Cebu!

Interesting parting note about the Cebu Temple:

 

Angel Moroni faces East

After the earthquake and typhoon - he faces South

Temple Engineers climb up 140 ft of steel scaffolds to inspect Angel Moroni statue. The statue moved  twice in different orientation when the  October Earthquake and the November Supertyphoon Yolanda struck last year. During the inspection, the statue was carefully turned to faced East.

Today, they have replaced the Angel Moroni with a 

shorter, smaller one which will withstand strong winds.

This completes our lengthy, but fun-packed tour.  We hope you have enjoyed it.  We are off to Baguio on Monday so see y'all back here after that.

"The special spirits who have been reserved to live in this time of challenges and who overcome will one day be praised for their stamina by those who pulled handcarts." - Neal A. Maxwell