Another trip to Bohol was not even in my travel itinerary. Besides, a sojourn to Bohol a few years back had already made me a living witness to its breathtaking cone-shaped Chocolate Hills, its unpolluted waterfalls, beaches, natural and man-made forests, caves, caverns, seas, and calm rivers. Beyond these, we thought the province was more of the same.
But what brought me back to the Island of Bohol is not the known. It was the fact that many Filipinos and foreigners are still unaware of the berth of historical legacy the island of Bohol can boast of, especially in the realm of the Spanish brand of Catholicism. What is already known is interesting enough, but what has yet to be discovered remains my ultimate fascination.
The magic of my visit began with the journey itself. While still inaccessible by plane from Manila then, a one and a half-hour ride through fast crafts, with jump off points in Cebu City and a good conversation with fellow passengers, brought me to this tenth largest island in the country.
The sea trip was smooth and calm. Even before coming close to the shores of Tagbilaran City, Bohol's capital, a showcase of terrain that is a magnificent landscape of rolling hills, rice fields, elongated sugary-white coastlines, and crystal clear sea waters greeted me along with the early-morning sun.
Bohol is like a jade brooch set on a velvet-blue sea. Its fertile land has hills that roll gently around lush forests and grassy meadows. Marine life - from schools of tiny reef fish to bigger pods of dolphins and whales - teem in the surrounding waters.
"Maajong Pag-abot!" (Welcome!) A Boholano's version of greeting visitors and frequents hang in streamers as our boat docked in the newly-constructed port of Tagbilaran. The friendly gestures of locals selling Kalamay and peanut kisses were as warm as the early morning sun.
A friendly tricycle ride from the port area safely brought me to one of the lodging houses in the city which, although not exactly as luxurious as the lodging houses in Manila, look after their guests with a rare charm and comfortable hospitality.
Then my real adventure began.
Baclayon Church
From the developing city of Tagbilaran, a 20-minute-ride on a pedicab, and an occasional chuckle with the friendly cab driver, brought me to the serene and peaceful town of Baclayon where the oldest stone church in the Philippines is nestled - the famous Baclayon Church.
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