I think it was fair to say 5 hours of air turbulence when you fly is not good for anyone. In addition, we are now recognising that Covid protocols are completely different in each country, with the Philippines requiring a QR code from their own mobile website (eTravel.gov.ph).
However, we arrived safely in a very hot and humid island of Bohol. Looking back at the minus figures in South Korea, we now have the opposite with temperatures of 29 degrees and 85% humidity.
To help us acclimatise to our new surroundings we decided to visit White Beach, via a local 5 Star Resort (South Palms Resort). The only condition of using all the resorts facilities was that we purchased drinks from the beach bar – and as ’happy hour’ had 50% off between 7.00am to 7.00pm it wasn’t really an issue We also found the local Rum was only NZ$4.25 for a 750ml bottle, but Coke is twice as expensive as in NZ.
. During our 7 day stay, we also rented a scooter (Alan driving and Helena holding on for her life) to enable us to explore the surroundings. The sights have included the Hinagdanan Caves, Exotic animal sanctuary, Chocolate Hills and of course a visit to the Bohol Tarsiers.
The island of Bohol is particularly known for two unique things. The first are the Chocolate Hills which are located throughout the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, consisting of 1,776 mounds of the same general shape. During the dry season the grass-covered hills turn chocolate brown, hence the name (but they are still green at the moment, damn global warming). The second is the Bohol Tarsiers. These mammals measure only 10 to 14 centimetres and are considered as the world’s smallest primate – weighing only about 113 to 142 grams or four to five ounces.
