Lakad Pilipinas

Much has been written about the destruction that the magnitude 7.2 earthquake has done to Bohol last 2013. It laid waste to numerous Spanish-era churches in the region, but there are a few that were able to withstood the 34-second shaking, and one of this is Alburquerque’s Sta. Monica Church.

Standing proud on a low knoll with its singular belfry, the Sta. Monica Church was built in 1842 and is considered as one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines. From frail materials, the church structure has since been replaced by coral stones and through the years parts have been added with concrete.

The trail was muddy and slippery. It rained the previous night and walking through the leafy trail, looking for the elusive tarsiers, proved more challenging than was expected. Various unidentifiable bugs buzz by, a proof of how pristine the environment was. We plodded on. Finally, our guide stopped, silently pointed to a branch of the tree and camera shutters click-clacked. We found a tarsier.

Founded in the mid-nineties, the Philippine Tarsier & Wildlife Sanctuary was our second stop on Philtoa’s What’s Up Bohol tour. From Astoria Bohol, our massive bus navigated the narrow roads of the island en route to Corella; a small town southwest of the Bohol mainland. A quick walk later and we were at the receiving hall of the sanctuary.

Miniature globs of red longanisas welcomed our party in Astoria. I recall tasting a similar one farther south in Ozamis City. But I wasn’t really in Mindanao. It was the first day of What’s Up Bohol, a trip organized by the Philippine Tour Operators Association; the goal, to re-evaluate the damage and assess the current state of tourism in the province, months after the massive earthquake that shook it.

Bohol was the farthest thing from my mind 48 hours before the trip. I was tinkering with my blog, my head spinning with HTML codes and what-nots, when I got a call. Are you free tomorrow? Let’s go to Bohol. I was speechless for a few seconds before I was able to blurt out a hurried Yes!

24 hours later and I’m aboard an AirAsia Zest plane, flying down south of the Philippines.

The day started gloomy, a thin blanket of clouds covering the sun. From the Tagbilaran Airport, we were fetched by a bus that would be our home for the next three days. After a few minutes of driving, we were walking down a gravel path to Astoria Bohol’s beach front resort.

Opened two years ago at the town of Baclayon, Astoria Bohol looked as luxurious as its name suggest. The resort has a branch in Station I Boracay that I always hear about from my more loaded friends. I also heard that they’re opening another branch soon in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Fine white sand carpets the beach area of Astoria Bohol. While it’s not as powdery as those found in the resorts along Panglao Island, it’s not bad in itself.

As we head to the parasols and curving lounge chairs that line the shore, the sun started to peek through the clouds. The day is proceeding nicely after all.

Before sitting down for breakfast, we checked one of the eight rooms being offered by Astoria. Yup, you read that right; they only have eight rooms for the whole resort. Talk about exclusivity eh?

And from that you can probably imagine their room rates.

The room is done in modern style with accents of traditional Filipino architecture. The four-poster king-sized bed dominates the center of the room with two wooden chairs, reminiscent of your grandma’s rocking chair, facing the floor to ceiling window that looks to the beach.

It has the usual air-conditioning, flat-panel cable television, DVD player, refrigerator, in-room safe, telephone, kitchenette with coffee and tea service but most importantly, it has free Wi-Fi access.

Astoria’s toilet and bath is spacious and very modern. It has two washbasins (no need to wait for your partner to finish brushing her teeth) and a nice bathtub.

The rooms at the second floor open to an airy veranda that looks out to the Sea of Mindanao. It looked comfy with its patio chairs and table; I just wish that the roof overhang is extended longer for better sun cover during the afternoons and rain protection for dreary weather.

The ground floor rooms, while having less privacy, open directly to the infinity pool. Not a bad deal considering how nice Astoria’s pool is. The 24-meter long pool is made from black slate that absorbs heat, making the water constantly warm. At night, fiber optics lights it up, making it glow like the galaxy above.

And finally, it was time for breakfast.

We headed to Astoria’s open-aired dining pavilion and were promptly served with a buffet of traditional Filipino dishes. Amongst the fried bangus, tocino and eggs, the local boholano longanisa stood out and is the clear winner for me.

It was as good a welcome as any. Let’s get it on Bohol!

Astoria Bohol Resort
Address: Brgy. Taguihon, Baclayon, Bohol
Contact Number: (38) 540-9880 | (02) 335-1111
Email: rsvn@astoriabohol.com
Room Rates: Click Here

GPS Coordinate Map: 9°37'29.1"N 123°53'39.6"E

Like grave raiders on a Steven Spielberg movie, we silently moved through the dilapidated halls of the Manila Metropolitan Theater; our steps creepily echoing through its deserted corridors, our flashlights criss-crossing through dark cobwebbed corners.

The MET, as it is usually referred to, has not always been this way.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater used to be revered as the Grand Old Dame of Manila Theater. This Art Deco gem was once the center of cultural expression in the country before the Cultural Center of the Philippines was built.

It was twelve noon and it was a scorcher of a day. People with cameras swinging about their necks were milling about in front of the Manila Post Office, chatting and hanging around the shades provided by the huge trees that dot the park in Lawton’s Liwasang Bonifacio.

Everyone present was here for one thing only, the free Royal Postal Heritage Guided Tour spearheaded by the Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club and Apo Philatelic Club.

The tour, which comprises of a walk through the halls of the graceful Manila Post Office, the now derelict Metropolitan Theater and the lush Arroceros Forest Park is being held every third Sunday of the month. I’ve heard about this curious walk from a fellow blogger who previously attended it and I was immediately intrigued.

There is no fee in joining, so I wasted no time in signing up. The rendezvous was in front of the Manila Postal Office.

The sky looked heavy, the clouds about to burst. I was walking briskly along the sidewalks of Congressional Avenue, my mouth already watering. I was looking forward to a brimming plate of Tuguegarao’s Pancit Batil Patong but got something else entirely. The Pancit Batil Patong place in Muñoz was closed at the moment.

Down-spirited, I hurried back and crossed the street to the main avenue when my eye caught something, I looked again, unable to believe it; a small hole in the wall right across the highway is selling one of Puerto Princesa’s most popular noodle soup, Chao Long.

It was a typical, stifling Manila evening. The plan was to sit down and have a few bottles of Red Horse at the usual hang out, one of our buddy’s going off to China. But things went a little differently this time, lechon was coming up on our Facebook chatter every other minute and before long, it was decided that we should have forkfuls of this Cebuano delicacy first before we clink and drink to China.

The chosen lechon spot was Cebu’s Original Lechon Belly; our friend was feeling quite generous, having just resigned from work. He told us about how Cebuanos queue for minutes on end just to have a porkful of this lechon.

But we didn’t have to queue, he told us. And we didn’t have to fly all the way to Cebu either.

Coron, one of the most sought after destination in the Philippines. And you can easily understand why. It has pristine white sand beaches, unbelievably turquoise waters, rich marine life, World War II shipwrecks and karsts-dotted landscapes that can rival the best the world has to offer.

Often referred to as the country’s Last Frontier, it is located in the province of Palawan, 595 kilometers from Metro Manila.

Coron is the perfect destination for the casual vacationers, the hardcore backpackers, the beach lovers and adventurous divers. Once you’ve visited, coming back for a second time is really something you won’t need to decide on; Coron would automatically make the decision for you.