Wandering Flipflops Recommends: Panglao Island, Bohol PART 1

If you're staying on Dumaluan Beach but don't want to spend $100/night at the Bohol Beach Club, then book a room at Dumaluan Beach Resort 2. We got a Deluxe room for half the price. The resort is not as swanky as BBC, but then, we had more money to spend on booze and food so, Yay!

Deluxe Room 

Garden Area where you can hang out 

For cheap, grilled food, head over to the DBR grill which is only a few steps away from the resort. 

Instead of getting stuck in a day-long happy hour, book a countryside tour with Tatsky (contact info below) and see the following:

Butterfly Farm - We almost skipped this one but thank goodness we changed our minds. This was the highlight of our trip that day mainly because of our guide, Marlon, who was recommended by Tatsky.

Butterflies in heat.

Man-made Mahogany Forest - Beautiful 2-kilometer stretch of Mahogany trees planted during President Garcia's time.

Philippine Tarsier - Smallest primate which is no bigger than my hand. They're nocturnal but I guess all the tourists milling about are keeping this guy up.

Chocolate Hills - According to our guide, there are around 1,300 of these hills. Going to Bohol and not visiting the hills is like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower.

Loboc River Cruise - Buffet lunch is served on the boat while going on a cruise. Buy your ticket from River Watch Cruises as the food is better than the rest. Costs P400.

Prony the Python - Around 20-30 feet long. The main attraction on this trip was actually Marimar :)

Baclayon Church - One of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Our guide, Tatsky, pointed out this wall which they say has Padre Pio's likeness etched on it. Padre Pio became known for his stigmata.

Padre Pio on the church's wall. 

Padre Pio

There are around 12 sites included in the countryside tour, but, you can always tell your guide if you want to skip some.

Hinagdanan Cave - Nothing special about this and only good for photo ops. We were done in five minutes.

Hanging Bridge(s) - Again, you can totally skip this. You cross one bridge to go to the other side where locals sell you stuff then come back using the other bridge. Took us some time to cross since a lot of people stop in the middle to take photos.

The Real Blood Compact Site - According to our guide, the monument that overlooks the sea is not the real one. A few years back, the National Historical Society found documents describing where it really happened. According to what the NHS found, the blood compact happened near/at a well located between two rivers.

The REAL Blood Compact Site
Photo from Unsubcultured

Bohol Bee Farm sans the bees - This was the last stop of our tour. They sell stuff like flavored honey, dips, spreads, and ice cream with weird flavors like malunggay, spicy ginger, panda, etc.

Photo from Unsubcultured

We got back to our resort tired and sweaty around 6pm. First thing we did when we got back? Order drinks of course. It was a long and hard day after all.


P.S.
If you're looking for a tour operator in Bohol, contact Tatsky. I highly recommend him. Excellent service!

Tatsky Cubero
jessercubero@yahoo.com
0922-367 1051
0915-794 5556
0912-747 2737

WTF was I thinking?

Played in the M&M Ultimate league yesterday after a five-month hiatus. Spent half of my Sunday guarding and running after kids 10+ years younger than me. Really bad idea. I'm aching all over.

An Afternoon of Zen...tea

I was finally able to visit Zentea along Mother Ignacia over the weekend. Thankfully, traffic along EDSA was not so horrible that it took us less than an hour to get there.

I've tried several milk tea places before so I wasn't really expecting much with regard to how different Zentea tastes compared to the others.

I started with the Autumn Tea which, I was told, was one of their bestsellers. I found it tastier and better unlike some of the others I've tried which tasted a bit watered-down and bland.

Having enough milk and jello to last me a week, I decided to switch to their green tea offerings and chose 3Berries (strawberry, blueberry and grape).

3Berries

I loved this tea. It was refreshing, light and it reminded me of the fresh iced tea that I normally got at the Salcedo Market. If, like me,  you don't like your drink that sweet, you can always request for the guys to add less syrup.

Was also able to try another one of their green tea bestsellers called Sunshine. If I remember correctly, this had ginger, calamansi and honey. This was also really good. Don't be turned off by the ginger since they only put a hint of it so the taste is not really overpowering.

Sunshine

Aside from their teas being reasonably-priced (slightly cheaper than the others), another thing I like about Zentea Mo. Ignacia is the fact that the store is really cozy. It's a place where you feel like hanging out with your friends for some chit-chat over a cup of milk tea.

Inside of the Store

My take on Stonehenge. The design on this changes daily
as customers love playing with it. It's so Zen!

If you're in the area, drop by their store located at the Mo. Ignacia Food Court just across ABS-CBN. They also deliver to buildings nearby for a minimum purchase.

For other details, you may also visit Zentea Mo. Ignacia's Facebook Page.