Bohol’s Tarsiers & Bon Bons

About two hours on a fast ferry from Cebu is the relatively big island of Bohol. It has a geological formation that is unique. From Cebu there are ferries to at least two ports of Bohol, Tagbilaran and Tubigon. The latter leaves Cebu at 7am and reaches by 9:30. About 50km from Tubigon, in a tuktuk takes you to the starting point of the geological attraction called Chocolate Hills.

As soon as you enter the area, you have to pay 100 Philippine peso fee to enter. The first chocolate hill is right in front of you and it looks a little bit like it is out of fairyland.

If you climb the 100+ steps of the first hill, where most of the tourists are seen, you will come to a viewing area with a very vast view of the surroundings and many many chocolate bonbon like hills. They look green, but in the dry season, the green grass becomes brown, and it does look like chocolate hills.

It was a very windy day, and you could see the tall grass on the hills, swaying to the wind.

All around the area was very green with dense forestry.

The prior day there was a tsunami warning, and that is what made it very windy and full of dark clouds.

It is unclear how the Chocolate Hills came to be, but there are some geological explanations for it described in the placard below.

Another primate mammal only seen in this part of the world and few of the neighboring countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, is the Tarsier.

There are a few zoological parks in the neighborhood, which have a small population of these very tiny, furry, cute looking animals which somewhat resemble the ET.

Although they look very cute, I imagine when they are attacked, they may be baring their teeth like seen below. Nothing to worry, because they can fit in the palm of your hand.

The road in the region has many mahogany tree plantations, which are very dense and look so beautiful that there are people standing in the middle of the road, taking their own picture with these tree canopies.

The Loboc river is nearby and a tourism outfit offers a couple of hours long river cruise complete with a big spread buffet lunch and entertainment.

The river is very serene and long. It is surrounded by dense forest on each side.

Filipinos love to do karaoke and the entertainers performing here belted out lots of American songs favorites from the 80s to now.

There are about 30 or so of these houseboats on the river and as any boat passes you by, the people on it are enthusiastically waving at you making the whole experience a very happy one.