Bohol Tour » Three Additional Exciting Things To Do In Bohol

In my previous post about our Bohol tour, I shared some details of our minor activities and stopovers. These are the common activities included in a usual Bohol Tour Package offered by resorts and travel agents. On that post, I mentioned that you have the option not to include some of those activities if you have a very limited time, but still it is up to your group.

On this post I will share to you some of the most exciting part of our Bohol Tour aside from visiting the famous Chocolate Hills, historical sites and old churches.

Here are the other three activities and sites we really enjoyed:   

1. Loboc River Buffet Lunch Cruise

Your trip at this wonderful part of the Philippines is not complete if you haven’t tried the buffet lunch while cruising the Loboc River. This is a very nice afternoon river scenery and fresh air break after being under the sun the whole morning while visiting the Chocolate hills and other sites. If you want it extra romantic, you can schedule this cruise at dinnertime. Perfect and romantic place to propose marriage. Meaning, this activity is best enjoyed with a group, your family or with your “somebody.” Don’t try this alone. 

This is about an hour-and-a-half cruise to the river while having an eat-all-you-can lunch. However, the dishes they served are not that superb. The buffet includes common Filipino dishes such as barbecue, chopsuey, pancit, some fruits and clam soup. 

To make the cruise more memorable, they added three singing guys with their guitar to serenade the tourists onboard. The boat also made a quick stop on a large bamboo raft on the riverbank with singing and dancing locals, mostly children. We really enjoyed this part because we even join the children in singing and we also tried dancing the tricky tinikling dance.        

2. Camwhoring at the Hinagdanan Cave

This stopover is included in our day-2 Panglao Tour activity. After visiting some churches we headed to the Hinagdanan Cave which is a natural underworld cave with natural inviting water pool inside. We go down through short man-made stair to go underneath. Our enthusiastic and friendly local guide told us that we can swim and take a dip of the fresh clean natural water inside the cave but it’s just too eerie – you can’t help but think there might be some underwater monsters underneath.

Hinagdanan Cave is located in Dauis, Panglao Island, around 10-20 minutes drive from Tagbilaran City.

3. Pasalubong Shopping at the Bohol Bee Farm

Yes, Bohol is also known for its bees. So we make sure we drop by at the Bohol Bee Farm, a simple vegetable farm that has grown into a resort that advocates organic farming. It is located in a secluded baranggay in Panglao and is a jewel for organic food buffs and herb enthusiasts. I bought some choco-coated polvoron, ube sticks and a box of guyabano tea.

We got there a little late so we haven’t got the chance to see the beehives. Instead we just spend our remaining minutes enjoying a cone of The Buzzz homemade ice cream. They have awesome flavor such as the malunggay, durian, buko, ube, pandan, spicy ginger, honeyed or halo-halo flavor. Perfect to end the exhausting but memorable day.

Also part of our escapade and the most exciting is our amazing Panglao Island hopping, which includes the exciting dolphin watching and snorkeling at the Balicasag Island – details and pictures on next post.  

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How To Have A Bad Day

» Wake up late, in a panic

» Rush to get ready

» Dress hurriedly
 

» Don't eat breakfast

» Drink lots and lots of coffee

» Cancel gym schedule

» Spend the day without a plan

» Focus on your failures

» Never smile

» Be selfish and unfriendly

» Criticize, blame, and complain

» Think negative thoughts

» Dictate, direct, command

» Always think about salary increase

» Don't forget to nag

» Don't overlook mistakes

» Grumble

» No time for lunch

» Harbor resentment

» Keep rushing

» Don't communicate

» Keep it all to yourself

» Worry about tomorrow

» Be rigid and cranky

» Post negative/hate status on YM, Twitter or Facebook

» Retire with bad thoughts and a full stomach

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Inspirational Story » The Bamboo and the Fern, Reflections on Toxic Mondays

One day I decided to quit…I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality…. I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to reflect and have one last talk with Mother Nature.

“Mother Nature”, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

Her answer surprised me.

“Look around”, she said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

“In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four."

“Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth."

"Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant.

But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall."

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. The Creator would not give any of its creations a challenge it could not handle.

“Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? The Creator would not quit on the bamboo.. He will never quit on you."

“Don’t compare yourself to others,” she said. “The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.

“Your time will come”, she said to me. “You will rise high”

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” she asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned

“Yes.” she said, “Give yourself a purpose by rising as high as you can.”

I left the forest, realizing that the Creator will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life.

Good days give you happiness; toxic Mondays and bad days give you experiences; BOTH ARE ESSENTIAL TO LIFE.

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The Guy Who Turns A Red Paperclip Into A House

Who could have thought that a single red paperclip could become the beginning of a great big adventure? During my bloghopping, I came across this blog by Kyle MacDonald called One Red Paperclip. Maybe you already know about him but I think his inspiring take-action-have-fun story is worth repeating.

This Canadian guy Kyle Macdonald was meant to be looking for a job. He was at that point in his life where he wanted his own house. But how could he get a house if he didn’t even have a job?

Thinking back his childhood he remembered the game he loved to play – Bigger and Better, which is a way of trading old stuff to get bigger and better new stuff. And then he saw it. One red paperclip, sitting on his desk, holding the pages of his CV together.

He then bartered his way from a single red paperclip to a house in a series of online trades over the course of a year.

His Trading Adventure

Kyle made his first trade, a red paper clip for a fish-shaped pen, on July 14, 2005. He reached his goal of trading up to a house with the fourteenth transaction, trading a movie role for a house. This is the list of all transactions MacDonald made:

On July 14, 2005, he went to Vancouver and traded the paperclip for a fish-shaped pen.

 

He then traded the pen the same day for a hand-sculpted doorknob from Seattle, Washington, which he nicknamed "Knob-T".

On July 25, 2005, he traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts, with a friend to trade the Knob-T for a Coleman camp stove (with fuel).

 

On September 24, 2005, he went to San Clemente, California, and traded the camp stove for a Honda generator.

On November 16, 2005, he made a second (and successful) attempt (after having the generator confiscated by the New York City Fire Department) in Maspeth, Queens, to trade the generator for an "instant party": an empty keg, an IOU for filling the keg with the beer of the holder's choice, and a neon Budweiser sign.

On December 8, 2005, he traded the "instant party" to Quebec comedian and radio personality Michel Barrette for a Ski-doo snowmobile.

Within a week of that, he traded the snowmobile for a two-person trip to Yahk, British Columbia, in February 2006.

 

On or about January 7, 2006, the second person on the trip to Yahk traded Kyle a cube van for the privilege.

 

On or about February 22, 2006, he traded the cube van for a recording contract with Metal Works in Toronto.

 

 On or about April 11, 2006, he traded the recording contract to Jody Gnant for a year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona.

On or about April 26, 2006, he traded the one year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona, for one afternoon with Alice Cooper.

 

On or about May 26, 2006, he traded the one afternoon with Alice Cooper for a KISS motorized snow globe.

 

On or about June 2, 2006, he traded the KISS motorized snow globe to Corbin Bernsen for a role in the film Donna on Demand.

On or about July 5, 2006, he traded the movie role for a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan

"I knew it was possible," he said on the BBC's Today programme. "You can do anything if you put your mind to it."

Source: One Red Paperclip Blog

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Bohol Tour » Minor Destinations and Stopovers

To continue the series of posts about our Bohol tour a few weeks ago, I want to share some minor activities and quick stopovers we had. These activities and destinations, such as the tarsier and python/ostrich viewing, quick stop to the man-made forest and the hanging bridges are part of the usual tour package. If you are planning a Bohol tour, I suggest you skip some of these activities and spend the extra time to other worth-seeing and more exciting adventures.

The sad life of the suicidal Tarsier

I thought we were going to a forest or some enclosed thick bushes to see the famous cuddly-looking tarsiers with soft, grayish-fur – or perhaps it’s like a quick hunt in an enclosed forest. But no - we just made a detour in a residential place beside the highway, which is more like a souvenir shop with tarsiers and some flying lemurs in a big stinky cage.

I don’t know but I think there’s something wrong with the display of the tarsiers with tourist interaction on that cages – there’s a touch of cruelty to animals there. Some noisy foreign tourist still have their camera flash on while taking pictures and others are touching it despite the person-in-charge’s “no-flash, no touch” warnings.

Three Interesting Tarsier Facts:

1. They commit suicide during captivity due to trauma from touching and loud noise. (Is that so? Then why are these tarsiers in cages are not yet dead? – maybe they are in group therapy or in some kind of a self-help-pro-life session. ha ha)
 2. They are nocturnal animals and should not be disturbed at day time (Ah, ok. That’s why they are just clinging on those branches and not moving – because they are supposed to be sleeping. I will understand if they hate humans that much. Maybe they are praying that those who are taking pictures with flashes will be re-incarnated as a tarsier in cages too.)
3. They can rotate its head nearly 360 degrees – (Yay! reminds me of the movie “The Exorcist”)

-Source: Philippine Tarsier Foundation Inc.

Eerie Man-Made Forest

Even if it is still noontime, the area has this late-dawn effect due to the towering mahogany trees growing straight up, obscuring the sky by its branches and thick leaves. 

Our initial plan was to do a short horror-comedy video clip on this eerie forest. Myself, in a hood as the killer-with-a-knife chasing the girls. But our camera ran out of battery charge (damn!) and we don’t’ have enough time. Sayang masaya sana yun. What we did is just a few not-so-perfect jump shots.

Hanging-out at the Hanging Bridge 

This hanging bamboo bridge is located across the upper part of the Loboc River. This bridge hangs approximately 20 meters above the Loboc River and slightly sways back and forth as you walk across. Other than the two bridges, there’s nothing there except for a souvenir shop.

Anyway, you can a have a refreshing drink of fresh buko for only 20 pesos there. It’s a good quick stopover to have refreshing break on a long road trip.  

The bored Python, crazy Ostriches and other animals

We have some pictures of the python and the animals in cages but I think they are not worth sharing because I’m sure you’ve already seen one - plus what’s so exciting about animals in cages. I’d rather watch Animal Planet or National Geographic.

However, you can still include this in the tour if you’re a fan of viewing lazy python, snakes, ostriches, owls and other animals in cages.

What I suggest is the zip-line or the butterfly farm instead. Zip-line adventure is definitely more fun than looking at these bored animals. 

Ok that’s all for our minor bohol tour stopovers. I should have included Bohol Bee Farm, Hinagdanan Cave and Bayoyoy the Dwarfman but I think these parts deserve a separate post.

More of Bohol on my next posts!
 
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SMS Advisory » Multiply service will no longer be available starting October 12, 2010

I received a text message (SMS) Free Advisory from 2295 at around 5:32 pm today informing me that Multiply service will no longer be available starting tomorrow, October 12, 2010. The message is official looking, I guess sent by Smart Communications

Here's the actual SMS message:

FREE ADVISORY: We would like to inform you that the Multiply service will no longer be available starting tomorrow, October 12, 2010. Thank you. 

I immediately check out my multiply.com site for the official announcement but I didn't see any. I googled the announcement but there's no related results. I'm worried because almost all of my personal pictures and videos are stored there. I totally abandoned my Friendster account (for the same reason as yours - all my friends are in Facebook now), but I'm still using Multiply for it's friendly media sharing plus the marketplace feature is quite useful.

Most of the time, these SMS notifications are annoying and misleading. I already requested to turn it off, but still, they keep on sending junk notifications.   

Accordingly, I called Smart customer service (waited 10 minutes - it sucks). I mentioned my concern, to verify if the advisory is official, the customer service guy told me to wait while he is verifying the information. I waited for another  damn 5 minutes, then he just hang-up. Yes, the line just went dead, nothing  - maybe  that's how they are treating pre-paid subscribers.

Anyway I tried calling again, after 20 long minutes I got an answer. The CS Rep said it is not from SMART. She said the advisory was from a third party provider and asked me if I have any push or pull subscription. A push-pull what? 

The bored CS rep. then rephrase her question: "Do you have any SMS alert subscription from other company or online applications?"

I said there was none, then she asked me if I would like to turn off my notifications. I said I've already done that three times, but I'm still receiving alerts - Thank you. I said my courtesy thanks-for-the-help then hang up.    

   

Just want to share this just in case you also received the same advisory. I hope Multiply is not really closing. Maybe I'll just have to check my Multiply account tomorrow. 

I guess it's just another glitch from Smart Communications' not-so-smart system. Their 888-1111 customer service is definitely a time-waster. 

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Inspirational Story » The Cracked Pot

Today is a perfect-10 Sunday. October 10, 2010 or 10/10/10. It was so rare to have a date like this. Some people believe it's a lucky day, but for me it's the best day to re-think of coming back on track - I seem to be losing track of my goals these past few months. However, I realized that goals are good, but not reaching them isn't the end of world. Hence, I just need to learn to be happy without being perfect. 

Speaking of being perfect, when I noticed the perfect 10/10/10 date, I immediately grab my Jurassic laptop to write about some inspirational rants about the problems of being perfect or something related to narcissism but I seem to run out of ideas. I googled some stuff and came across this story about the cracked pot. I noticed that I haven't added any inspirational story in my collection so instead of writing some narcissistic article, I guess sharing this story will get the message I want to share today. 

The Cracked Pot Story

A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house.  The cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. 

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

Why?" asked the bearer.

"What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house.

Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side?

That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." 

Yodz' Notes: 

We all have our own unique flaws - Great! That makes us all a cracked pots. But as the above story said, it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. Imagine if all your friends are perfect - that would be terribly boring. We have just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Hoping everything will be perfect is an insane way to live. There is nothing perfect in this world, and continually trying to attain perfection leads to so many problems. I never quite feel that everything is OK, and I think that stems from my unreal perception of how the world should be

There is a lot of good out there, there is a lot of good in us! We just have to remember to appreciate all the different people in our life.

So, to all the CRACKED POTS in my life - THANK YOU. You have made my life more interesting and exciting. You all know who you are.

Hope you all have a perfect Sunday, cracked pots!

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