After
passing the EnP Board Exam, I promised myself to bring along my mother with me
to the oath-taking ceremony in Bohol. And so when my eldest sister suggested
for it, I readily answered yes. So we go, also with our youngest sister.
We
left Lavezares (Northern Samar) at six o’clock in the morning of July 26 via JM
Bus Liner bound for Tacloban. We pay 300 pesos each for that six-hour ride. We
arrived at the Tacloban Terminal at past 12 noon. We took our lunch at Pinutos,
a small restaurant inside Savemore. We enjoyed homemade menus over unlimited
rice for only 360 pesos. Then, we headed to Ormoc thru Grandtours Van, the
terminal of which is located just across Savemore. The fare was only 130 pesos.
At 5 pm, we arrived at the Ormoc Pier, we rode on a Fast Jet for three hours to
Cebu for 450 pesos.
We
arrived in Cebu at 7 o’clock in the evening. Then, we checked in a small hotel
called Travelbee located at Garcia St., Capitol Site just across Verbena Hotel.
The family room has five beds for only 1,700 pesos but because my mother got a
senior citizen discount, the amount went down to almost 1,400 pesos for an
overnight stay. We had our dinner a few steps away from the hotel. The food is
all grilled meat and fish. We just pay more than 300 pesos only for the four of
us.
The next morning, I woke up early, went to the pier leaving my family in Cebu and
boarded on a Fast Jet bound for Tagbilaran for 475 pesos. At the pier,
passengers were met by the staff of Bohol Tropics Hotel who fetched us to the
hotel which is just a few meters away from it. I registered myself for
the seminar and the oath-taking then looked for a good seat inside the biggest
ballroom of the hotel. I placed myself with some EnPs from my region, the
Eastern Visayas. The whole day was spent listening to lectures on sustainable
tourism and climate change.
While
having our dinner, we were treated to a great musical delight from Loboc Youth
Band with their blowing instruments. We enjoyed it so much. Then, we retire to
sleep in one of hotel’s cottages.
The
next day, I met my mother and my two sisters at the pier. I took them to Nisa
Hotel located just a few steps away from Bohol Cathedral. The overnight stay
was only for 1,100 pesos for three persons. Only three as I was staying
at the Tropics Hotel. After checking in, we boarded on a van which we hired for
2,000 pesos to take us for a Countryside Tour in Bohol. For one and a half
hour, we were already at Bohol Chocolate Hills. I and my two sisters went up
the 250-step hill and enjoyed the nature’s wonder with a 360-degree view. We
left our mother at the small pavilion because she can no longer make it on top. We took a lot of photos. We have seen a lot
of foreign tourists mostly Koreans and Chinese.
Our
next stop is the man-made forest established during Marcos years. It is planted
with hundreds of thousands of mahogany trees. It is so dense the sun rays could
hardly penetrate. Then, we visited the tarsier sanctuary where my mother and my
sisters got a first look at the big-sized eyes of tarsiers. Next is, we crossed
the Hanging Bridge. To my estimate, it is 15 to 20 meters long. Good my mother
was able to cross it fearlessly. At the other side of the river bank, we bought
some souvenir items. This is where the cheapest souvenir items can be found so
my sisters and my mother bought a lot of it.
Then,
we toured the butterfly and snake sanctuaries and took a lot of photos. There
was this preserved body of the biggest snake found in Bohol which the guide
told us can swallow a pig or a human. I touched the body of an albino-colored
snake notwithstanding my mother’s objection.
We
passed by the Loboc Church and the Loboc River across. We no longer did a
cruise due to time limitation. So sad to see that the church is still at its
crumpled state after the deadly tremor in 2013. We also dropped by the Baclayon
Church which is now already undergoing internal reconstruction. It is good the
façade and the belfry are already reconstructed and rehabilitated after the
earthquake destroyed it.
Some
kilometers away from the city proper, we dropped by the famous Blood Compact
Shrine, where Rajah Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi had a covenant of friendship.
We
were able to have the entire Bohol tour in five and a half hour. The experience
was so overwhelming especially that this time I had my loved ones with me.
The
following day, July 29, I had taken my oath as a licensed environmental planner
together with fifty others coming from the different parts of the country. My
mother and my sisters were there to witness this memorable event. This has
perfected my day.
At
one o’clock in the afternoon, we are already heading back to Cebu. We checked
in again at Travel Bee. After an hour’s rest, we went to the historic
Magellan’s Cross, visited the Santo Nino Basilica, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
and Fort San Pedro. These are all historical places that cap Cebu’s tourism.
Going to the Ayala Center, my sisters were so awed by stretch of high rise
buildings. They cannot believe Cebu has this version of Ayala in Makati. We
went around the mall and had our dinner at the Food Court at the sixth floor.
I
woke up as early as three o’clock in the morning and readied myself for a long
day. At five in the morning, we were already travelling to Simala via taxi that
we chartered for 2,000 pesos for a round-trip. We arrived at Simala fifteen
minutes before seven in the morning. The church is still closed and is
scheduled to open at nine in the morning. So we waited by a restaurant just
across the gate of the church. We were only a handful when we arrived. As
minutes went by, the handful swelled into hundreds all waiting for the gate to
open. When the gate was finally opened, we walked inside along with fellow
pilgrims. My family was really astounded by how huge and majestic the
church-castle is. We took some photos while walking thru a long walkway going
to the church. We said our prayers inside the church. We toured around it and
have seen lots of memorabilias of thanksgiving from a lot of people who
received miracles from God thru Mama Mary. I really treasure this very rare
moment with my family in this hollowed spot in Cebu.
At
ten in the morning, we went back to Cebu City and went straight to the Taoist
Temple. The view of the temple was really picturesque. We took some photos. We
are so happy my mother was able to come up the temple with its more than fifty
steps, to my estimate.
At
12 noon, we checked out of the hotel and finally bid goodbye to this wonderful
place taking with us beautiful memories as a family. My mother said she never
imagined in her lifetime she would be able to come to the places we have
visited. Perhaps, this is God’s reward for her and for us her children. Isn’t
that we work hard for this to happen.
‘Til
we tour another place.
