Bohol find: dolphins and local ice cream

We left Cebu at midnight, arrived in Tubigon, Bohol, at dawn and drove to Panglao (a good 2- to 3-hour drive with absolutely no traffic).

We reached the island of Panglao at around 6 a.m. and went to South Palms Resort Panglao to leave our bags. Check-in time wasn’t till 2 p.m., so we decided to island hopping for the meantime.

We had planned to go to Alona Beach to contract a bangka, but the receptionist said they could get us one right there on Dumaluan Beach. Our first option meant we would have to take South Palm’s very long entrance path on foot and hire a tricycle to take us to Alona Beach at around Php60 per person or a pakyaw rate of Php300. It was quite a distance. South Palms’ contact was Php500 higher, but it meant less hassle.

As always in situations like this, we paid the premium for the convenience, especially since we had two toddlers and a senior citizen with us.

We rested on the beach while waiting for our bangka. A few minutes later, a hotel staff called us saying it had arrived. The boatman wasn’t allowed on the resort shores (which was good), so we had to walk some distance to the southernmost tip of the property.

We left the island and the boatman took us first to see dolphins. By then it was past 7 a.m. and I didn’t really expect to see the friendly animals. Usually, you should start out for a dolphin cruise at around 6 a.m.

What do you know, we actually saw lots and lots of them. Manong boatman tried to catch up with the pod (what you call a group of dolphins) and we sailed alongside them for a good few minutes.

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The dolphin chase got the kids – and me – very excited. Some of them even put on a show for us! Like, they would “stand” and “dance” like those tricks they do at waterparks. It was such a treat! Unfortunately, we weren’t fast enough to capture those rare moments. Aargh.

After our dolphin-watching activity, we headed to Balicasag, a small island about two hours away from Panglao. The island has very white sand – some parts rocky, some parts fine – and has a very nice reef surrounding it.

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You could actually go snorkeling right there. You could also take a snorkeling tour at Php250 per person and rent snorkeling gear at another Php250 per person.

Well, we had not eaten since our dinner in Cebu the previous night, and it was almost noon so food was kind of what we had in mind. The food was a bit pricey for locals. The islanders said they had to ship everything from the mainland, so prices were understandably more expensive.

We had a large grilled fish and it was just so damn good. I forgot everything else. We also had chicken, I think, and some soup.

No pictures because we were that famished.

After Balicasag, we had lunch on Virgin Island, which was actually just a sand bar. I liked our Virgin Island experience, but you have to expect the prices are also aimed at foreign tourists.

We asked to be dropped off on Alona Beach, to which the boatman obliged. The beach really was nice. Unfortunately, the shoreline had become too narrow, especially in front of Alona Kew. SMH.

We walked the stretch of white sand, stopping to buy ice cream from The Buzz by Bohol Bee Farm. They were really good, especially on a hot day. There was a bridal photo shoot in front of Hennan and we tiptoed around, trying not to get in the way of the bride’s perfect memories.

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Finally, we found good a spot to rest in front of Alona Tropical Beach Resort, which had been my first choice before seeing South Palms. I couldn’t see the rooms, but it seemed like I would have liked staying here. I sure like the looks of the native open-air restaurant they have. Another time, maybe.