Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the famed Chocolate Hills were also
damaged by the quake, as was the
viewing complex, but they are still as
gorgeous as ever. he main transit hub is
the capital, Tagbilaran , somewhere you
may well pass through at some stage,
though there's not a whole lot of reason
to base yourself here when you could be
on Panglao Island's Alona Beach in
twenty minutes. his powdery strip of
sand 1.5km long, with world-class diving
and boozy nightlife, is quickly moving
upmarket, but there are still a few places
catering to backpackers. Aside from the
diving and sights on offer on the main
island of Bohol, Alona itself will appeal
to some as a sort of mini-Boracay.
Panglao Island is connected to the main
island by a bridge from the capital and
another from Bool.
TREAT YOURSELF
Angelina ( T 0915 340 4906). Replete with
checkered blue and white tablecloths in a
plush dining room overlooking pretty
Logon Beach, Angelina's turns out some of
the best (and most expensive) food on
the island. Beef carpaccio (P320), tartar di
tonno (P345) and squid-ink spaghetti
(P315) are all on the menu, but there's no
shame in ordering a good old-fashioned
pizza (P350-410). Quality coffee and
crèma catalana round off the meal
perfectly. Daily 8am-10pm.
well as the main downstairs room. Many of the palms in
the garden were damaged by Yolanda, but White Sand is
open for busine ss, and the beachside location is as
appealing as ever. P1000
EATING AND DRINKING
The Craic House In Evolution (see p.641). The new
double-sized restaurant had just opened when Yolanda
arrived and destroyed the roof. This hasn't stopped the
kitchen from turning out the island's best breakfasts
(P200) and some of the tastiest grub around including
Guinness beef stew (P400), and a pork and apple burger
with red onion relish. Daily 7am-11pm.
Ging-Ging's Flower Garden Behind Cocobana .
Obliterated by typhoon Yolanda, old backpacker favourite
Ging-Ging's was serving food again in a makeshift dining
room at the time of writing and planned to rebuild fully.
The menu still holds a host of mains for less than P100,
plus outstanding chocolate-and-banana pancakes (P75).
Daily 6.30am-10pm.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
he island's most iconic tourist attraction
is the Chocolate Hills , which legend says
are the calcified tears of a giant, whose
heart was broken by the death of a
mortal lover. he best time to see the
Chocolate Hills - there are allegedly
1268 of them - is at dawn, at the end of
the dry season when the grass has turned
brown, and, with a short stretch of the
imagination, the hills really do resemble
chocolate drops. he original Chocolate
Hills Tourist Complex was badly
damaged by the quake, but in the
meantime the nearby Chocolate Hills
Adventure Park ( T 0932 667 7098; P60)
offers vistas, plus a host of activities,
including a canopy walkway, a high-rope
challenge course, and even a bike zipline.
Other attractions in the interior include
the Philippine tarsier , one of the world's
tiniest primates. he tarsier is
simultaneously heart-meltingly cute,
with its big eyes, and terrifyingly alien;
those eyes are fixed: instead it rotates its
head 180 degrees. Sadly now
endangered, its continued survival is
thanks in part to the efforts of the Tarsier
Foundation ( W tarsierfoundation.org),
and a visit to their sanctuary near Corella
(daily 8am-5pm; P50), about half an
hour from Tagbilaran, is a great way to
experience some of Bohol's jungle
8
BOHOL
It's hard to imagine that sleepy Bohol , a
two-hour hop south of Cebu by fast ferry,
has a bloody past. he only reminder is a
memorial stone in the barrio of Bool ,
marking the spot where Rajah Sikatuna
and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi concluded
hostilities in 1565 by signing a compact
in blood. hese days, away from a few
tourist hotspots, Bohol is largely a dozy
sort of place, although the whole island
was shaken up by the magnitude 7.2
earthquake that struck on October 15,
2013. Over 200 people died, and
thousands of homes and buildings were
destroyed, including some of the island's
beloved Spanish-era churches. A few of
 
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