My Bohol Experience

So far, my Bohol trip is what I considered as the most exciting and wonderful travel of my life. I’ve been to different parts of the Philippines but Bohol is a lot lovelier than the rest that I’ve seen.

I arrived in Tagbilaran, Bohol last May 13 for the ACSCU seminar with 3 of my officemates, where we were served as the major sponsor. The venue was held at the Bohol Tropics. It was such a beautiful place. The weather was so supportive because it didn’t rain during our 3-days stay! We stayed at Metro Centre Hotel, also one of the finest hotels in Bohol.

First things first! We visited the antique church of Baclayon (Immaculate Concepcion of Baclayon). I was so captivated with its historic façade and structure. Really, it’s very amazing. Built in 1500s and is one of the oldest coral stone churches in the region. I was able to take few shots of its interior. Too sad, cameras are not allowed inside their museum. You can really appreciate the aged furniture and other sacred materials used during the Hispanic times. Most of the old churches in Bohol have ‘pulpito’ or pulpit. A pulpit is a small elevated platform from which a member of the clergy delivers a sermon in a house of worship. This traditional structure was used during the Spanish colonization in our country. I was really amazed and very thankful to God for having seen that wonderful church!

Among the wonderful sites I’ve seen in Bohol are Panglao Nature Resort, Hinagdanan Cave, Man-made Mahogany Forest, Chocolate Hills, Loboc Church of San Pedro and museum, Loboc River Floating Restaurant Cruise, Tarsier sanctuary, and Albor where the largest phyton in captivity, Prony, can be seen!

All those sites offered different admiration to me. The man made forest is really amazing! The chocolate hills are so stunning and surely one of God’s miracles on earth! The tarsiers are cute, I love them! My experience of Loboc River cruise is also memorable. Most especially, I was astonished by the sight of Loboc Church. Just the same with Baclayon, it is the second oldest church in Bohol. It was built in the 1600s. The interior walls, floorings, furniture, images, confessional boxes, other sacred materials were all well-preserved. We also saw its seminary (about 400 years old) on the second floor. It gave me a chill realizing how many priests ever trained and lived in that holy church. Inside the church is the beautiful, life-sized image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and has been known to have performed a lot of miracles. Many petitioners keep on coming back, giving her new clothes. A lot of answered prayers happened through her intercession, so I made sure that I have also prayed for mine.

I thanked God for having been to Bohol. It used to be one of my dream adventures and finally it came true! My heart was overwhelmed with praises and gladness and I could still feel the hang-over of Bohol! If God’s will, I hope to be back in Bohol someday. Bohol is definitely a breathtaking and lovely place!