BIRI Beautiful: How to get there

Biri is an island municipality in the province of northern samar. It can be reached by means of a passenger banka from the port of lavezares of the same province. The boat ride can take 45 minutes to more than an hour, depending on the wave conditions. Fine print: the waves can be rough, very rough.

We initially rented a banka from Matnog port, but after 45 minutes, the boatman decided to turn around and return to the port. It was a boat ride from hell, it wasnt my first boat ride, ive been to many island hopping sprees but this one was one for the books. Tip: check the wave forecast before you rent a banka from bulusan or matnog sorsogon.

And so, we decided to take the ferry from matnog to allen, northern samar. Oh the trip was a breeze, despite the fact that we were soaking wet from the previous attempt to reach samar. When we reached allen, we boarded a tricycle to take us to the jeepney terminal which was less than 5 minutes away. The jeepney was bound for catarman but it will pass through lavezares. The roAd was concrete thank goodness. In 15 minutes more or less we reached the small port of lavezares, just behind the fish market.

The banka fare from lavezares to biri is Php 50.00. If youre in a group of more than 6, its better to rent the banka for a special trip. The rate can be as low as Php700.00 one way :) Tip: waterproof your stuff! need i say more? oh and bonamine for the seasick!

Roughest travel ever but it was soooo worth it. Just look at the picture below.

PANGLAO ISLAND

GOOD MORNING PANGLAO!

This will greet you in the morning when you wake up in Panglao Island. Bolod/Dumaluan beach is actually made up of flattened coral beds. On top of the coral beds is fine white powdery sand. Explore it while lowtide and you'll notice something like this:

WTF is this?

Bohol Beach Club

This is the beach of Bohol Beach Club, adjoining Dumaluan Beach Resort. Its beachfront goes on forever! We did not reach the end of it, got too tired from all the walking.

Dumaluan Beach

I wanna wake up each day with this as my view. I recommend the resort not for its great service but for its perfect location and facilities. The resort has a pool and wifi and the only resort near it is Bohol Beach Club. The beach is never crowded and noisy.

PANGLAO, BOHOL ISLAND HOPPING

This is the view of Bolod Beach a.k.a. Dumaluan beach where we stayed for two nights, as we leave the island for the island hopping and dolphin watching. Yes, it is soooo low tide. We had to walk for at least 100m to reach the bangka. notice the pearl white sand. Just lovely! beats boracay IMHO.

This is why we woke up before sunrise... these dolphins don't like the sun :)

Virgin Island

This island has a semi-circle sandbar. This was the first sandbar I have been to, made a big impression. Overcast sky and a drizzle of rain did not prevent us from having fun. The island itself is not interesting, but i love the shape of the sandbar. Photo hobbyists will have a blast shooting this island :)

Balicasag Island

These are the two lighthouses of the island, but these are not what you should see here. Underwater, you will be amazed at the fishes and corals here. We had lunch at the island courtesy of islanders who cook for the tourists. Freshly grilled food gave us a hearty appetite :)

BOHOL DAY TOUR

Upon arrival either at the pier or the airport, you will notice hordes of van drivers advertising and enticing tourists to hire them. There is a standard tour which will take you to the places or tourist attractions being offered by Bohol province. Some are worth it, some are not so take your pick...

CHOCOLATE HILLS

Need i explain why it is called as such? This is the attraction bohol is famous for. It is essential that you visit this site. It's pretty isn't it? Wait till you make the hike towards the viewing area. Haha. I think I was cursing while going up the hundreds of steps. I stopped complaining when a middle aged lady was cruising her way to the top. Shame on me for not being physically fit. :)

MAN MADE FOREST

This is called as such because this was a product of bohol's efforts in preserving the environment. They reforested several hundreds of hectares of forest with mahogany trees which after many years, multiplied and voila. What a sight! I havent seen anything like it before. I thought the road lined with mahogany trees will never end. This is a happy place. Very peaceful. Could not resist stopping and walking along the road hhww :)

BACLAYON CHURCH and MUSEUM

This is one of the oldest churches in Bohol, very photogenic except that we didnt take a good picture of it haha. It is made of coral stones cemented by white eggs. Most of the churches in Bohol were made using this material, which is very abundant in the area. Fortunately, the province is seldom visited by typhoons so their churches are well preserved. There are tour guides in the church, and there is also a museum which i found creepy so we did not go inside.

LOBOC RIVER CRUISE with Buffet Lunch

(Riverwatch Floating Restaurant)

My absolute favorite. The breeze, yummy food and gentle boat ride relaxed me and made me sleepy. There are several floating restaurants here but our guide recommended this one, and we're glad he did. The food is good and there is a folk singer on board singing visayan songs i hardly understood, but i liked it anyway. He sang some english folk songs too. The boat stopped at several barangays who danced and performed for us. The tourists even joined in the dancing. I was entertained :)

TARSIERS - smallest monkey

And I thought I was tiny.... They look like medium sized mice, ugly tails. They are nocturnal creatures and i felt sad for them. Some of my companions chose not to take a picture with them and I almost joined them but for posterity's sake... Anyways, I love sleeping and I hate getting disturbed and waking up early so I can only imagine what it's like not to be able to get enough sleep because of the noise of the tourists and the camera clicking and flashing. I wish there were some ways they could be enclosed in a glass viewing area... sobrang kawawa sila. They all look so forlorn...sad

We also visited the phyton sanctuary - not worth the effort of uploading pictures and describing it. Butterfly Garden - so so, although kids who havent been to a butterfly garden will love it. Hanging Bridge - bailed out! did not manage to cross it :)

Hongkong Ocean Park

HONGKONG OCEAN PARK

A visit to hongkong's ocean park involves a lot of walking and trekking. Wear your most comfy footwear. It's a bit mountainous and larger than disneyland in my opinion. It has a lot to offer specially to kids. There is a dolphin and seal show, check out the schedule and map so you can plan ahead your itinerary. There are tons of people during weekends so better come and visit during weekdays.

My favorite is the sea jelly aquarium. Here is a sample picture, the aquarium has lights which the jellyfish reflects. It was so cool. The other aquariums are similar to Manila's ocean park.

For the adventurous, the rides can be challenging. We didnt try it though, the queue was so long (Thank God!)

This place is exclusively devoted to seals. They are sweet. You can even feed them if you are lucky.

I had to literally drag my hubby to get to the Panda sanctuary. We had to take the cable car to get there. The baby pandas are so cute and cuddly! i wanted to take them home.

Hongkong Disneyland

HONGKONG DISYNEYLAND - A MAGICAL PLACE

It is truly a magical place for the young and the young at heart. The disney train station is a marvel, it feels and looks like an old train station ala harry potter. The moment you ride the disney train with the trademark mickey silhouette appearing in all corners of the train from the windows to the hand rails, the excitement builds. Upon arrival, you are greeted by this.

And of course, a picture with your favorite disney characters is a must. Prepare to wait in line for at least 5 minutes :) We were lucky the assistant was a Filipino, he gladly accommodated our request to take our picture using our own camera. Be prepared to dip into your pockets for the souvenir snapshots taken by official photographers :)

This was my very first 3d animated movie experience, way before the imax. It was wonderful!!! the kids around me were trying to catch the images hahahaha. i tried catching one too!

Don't be tempted to ride this one. We boarded the english speaking guide- boat, but sadly i did not understand a word they were saying. sucks!

Don't dare miss the fireworks! The fireworks is synchronized with the disney music... sigh. what a magical experience indeed.

Hongkong Part 2

NGONG PING 360 AND THE GIANT BUDDHA

Day 2. We decided to check out the ngong ping 360 and giant Buddha in the morning and Disneyland in the afternoon, to save time and train fare because ngong ping is near Disney. We were lucky, even though it was raining, the ngong ping 360 was open. I must admit it was really very scary. The ride was so high, slow and so very long. Imagine being suspended in air for more than 30 minutes. Thank God i managed to calm my nerves and enjoy the ride, particularly the view it offered. Please check the website if its open, before you decide to go.

We arrived at the ngong ping village which was really cute! It is situated on top of a mountain and the Giant Buddha is just nearby. We were running out of time so we did not climb the steps to the Giant Buddha and contented ourselves with a picture from afar.