Photos et lettres des Philippines, de France et d'ailleurs

This year I had advanced the date of my second annual visit to the Philippines to welcome my visitors of August.
I waited for a first group of six people consisting of our longtime friends Susan and François, their daughter Sabrina and her boyfriend Jean-Baptiste all from Brittany, Susan's sister Bessie who lives in Manila and her brother Erick who works in New York.
Jean-Baptiste, shortly PhD in Ethology (study of animal behavior), and Sabrina, a student in animal biology were particularly interested in the island of Bohol to observe an endangered animal species, the tarsiers.
Arriving from Manila my friends had planned to spend three days visiting Bohol and then two days in my Negros house. Therefore to stay longer with them I decided to wait for them in Bohol and to join their tours.
So I arrived the day before at Tagbilaran, the capital, where I had reserved a room at the Chriscent ville hotel. It's a place I have known for many years and that offers good value for money but no more.

http://www.chriscentville.com/cville/tour.aspx

(Tagbilaran Plaza at dusk)

On August 5, at noon I transferred to Panglao Island about 30 minutes from the city and where Alona Beach is a Mecca for local tourism with its long white sand beach and from where all the Bohol tours start.

(Alona Beach in the morning with bad weather)

(Japanese tourists boarding by rough sea for'dolphins watching')

I had booked in the same place than my friends at Paragayo Resort, which has comfortable rooms at1200 and 1500 pesos (about 20 to 25 €), at five minutes' walk from the beach.

(Paragayo Resort, rooms at 1200  pesos)

http://www.paragayoresort-panglao.com/ppc/offer01-google-paragayo.php?gclid=CPz2xq_I4qMCFSE1gwoddg590w

In Chriscent ville hotel, the receptionist had given me a phone number to rent a van and after calling I chose it to fetch the group at the airport. Finally we hired it throughout our stay.
The friends arrived on time and around 5:30 pm we all were in Panglao Island to rest, walk and then to have dinner in an Aussie restaurant where the food was….Aussie.
The next day on August 6, after a hearty breakfast in a restaurant run by a Swiss, the van was waiting at 8 am for the traditional tourist circuit of the island.

(Breakfast at the Swiss restaurant)

We went first to Carmen to admire the famous Chocolate Hills, green during the rainy season and brown in dry season hence their name. The 1776 limestone hills covered with grass are spread over 50 square kilometers. In average their height are of 30 to 50 meters and they are supposed to be ancient coral formations before becoming cone-shaped with the combined action of rain and erosion.

(Carmen, Chocolate Hills)

The next step was a visit to a butterfly farm in Sagbayan that interested our young biologists.

(The butterfly farm and Jean-Baptiste)

After the butterflies, as it was lunch time, we embarked a boat to cruise the Loboc River while having a lunch buffet on board.

(Cruise and lunch on the Loboc river)

Once restored, it remained to do what our young people expected more, visit the Tarsiers.
The tarsier is a primate not higher than the hand which origins date back to 45 million years. It is an endangered species threatened by deforestation, illegal shipment of animals and wild and domestic cats. This gentle insectivore breeds one young only once a year. A few specimens can still be found in 4 countries, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
In Bohol during daytime it can be seen in 2 places, first along the Loboc River to the largest number of tourists but also at Corella in the research and reserve center of one hectare surrounded by a wire fence where the animals can be observed in their natural environment with far fewer selected visitors. It is there that we could meet these tarsiers.
With the help of a guide who knew where to find them, we had the chance to see and photograph these gentle animals in their trees, taking care not to startle them. It was truly unforgettable.

(Corella Center and Reserve, the tarsiers)

Nearby there is still a protected area of 150 hectares where tarsiers live in freedom but as it a nocturnal animal we must travel several kilometers in the forest at night in groups and guided to catch a glimpse of them while being careful to protect ourselves against mosquitoes. Not for me!
The next day my friends wanted to go to Danao, a hundred kilometers from Panglao for, among others, visiting some caves. During the trip I could well see that Bohol was really different from other islands with a lower population density and places completely deserted.
Once there, Bessie never asked my opinion to force enroll me in an activity consisting of lying down on a canvas attached to a cable, strapped and helmeted and then crossing a gorge on a distance that seemed very long at a height of 50-60 meters. Is it a coincidence that this is called Suislide (Suicide)? The feeling was intense, especially in reaching the other side when I felt like running into the cliff.

(I am flying)

I was happy to find solid ground again when I was told that I had to do the same thing the other way to go back and then the finish was even more impressive because I had to go through dozens of meters in a corridor of vegetation just wide enough for the passage of a body. Phew! It was completed and it was time to eat.

(Beautiful view from the cable)

After lunch Bessie had again conscripted me for a new adventure and this time I began to worry. According to the guide we had now to explore some caves where, after several hundred meters of a steep and slippery track, we had, once in the cave, to climb, pass through narrow passageways and sometimes to walk with waist-high water with only the miner's lamp on top of our helmet to see in the dark.

No way to take my camera gear too valuable to deal with the water from the cave and too big for entering into the waterproof bag of the guide.

(I am on the left and you can see on my face how puzzled I am)

In spite of my mood I left helmeted and headed the group, but after failing to fall down several times, I remembered just in due time that I had knees arthritis and tendonitis in the ankle therefore I deserted without scruple and went back to join François and Susan who had remained wisely in the restaurant. I had ample opportunity while turning back and climbing up the track to sweat my 2 beers absorbed during the meal.

Fortunately Bessie had offered me a T-shirt as a souvenir of the place so I could take a shower and get changed.
Two hours later I saw them returning soaked and exhausted and shortly after I watched the few pictures taken by the guide with Erick's camera, after that I still had even less regret for having turned my back.

(I just turned back from that, no regrets!)

The evening Erick asked us to dine in the luxury hotel, Alona Kew Resort, where we were the only guests. We should have been be wary because only the prices were high, they were out of stock of almost everything and the cooking was ordinary. Avoid it!

(The bad dinner of Alona Kew Resort)

On August 8, at 7 am, the van's driver so happy to have met our group was waiting to drive us to the Tagbilaran pier to take the boat bound for Dumaguete, where we arrived two hours later.
The driver of Thalatta Beach Resort, owned by Patrick a Breton like François, met us at the pier to take us home to deposit our luggage and then at Thalatta for lunch.
The food prepared by Daniel, the Swiss chef, was excellent as usual.

(The good lunch of Thalatta Beach Resort)

http://www.thalatta-beach.com/

For two days they stayed at home as my guests and Nora and Dodong, the couple in charge of the house, pampered them with crabs, fishes, prawns, chickens etc...

(The traditional group pictures at home)

On the 9th, we went shopping in Dumaguete while the young couple was diving at Thalatta and on August 10,  in the morning I sent them off at the Dumaguete airport  where they took the 9 am plane to Manila
I was alone again for a few days but with some occupation in prospect as my 4x4 Pajero was vibrating alarmingly.
Eventually I found myself without a vehicle from August 11 till August 16 but that's another story.