Bye Bye Davao, Hello BOHOL!

Thank you so much Davao City for opening up your arms to me!

DAY 1

Today we arrived in Bohol, known to be one of the tourist destinations in the Philippines. We were greeted by our guides with a nice MUBUHAY (Welcome) Banner.
 We drove about 30 minutes to our beach resort on Panglao Island.  Panglao Island is an island off of the main island, Bohol.  The two islands are connected by a bridge.  Once we arrived the first thing I did was drop off my stuff in the hotel room and ran to the beach to jump into the water.  It felt sooooo gooooddd to be swim in the warm water.  I am such a beach girl.  The water is absolutely beautiful here in the Philippines.  It is very clear and warm.  I felt like I was back in Hawaii, I felt right at home.  After a nice swim I joined my professor and some classmates on the beach for dinner.  Our table was literally 5 steps from the water.

After dinner, as most of my classmates decided to hop onto facebook, I decided to take a stroll down the beach.  I am not about to travel to another country just to stay on facebook.  I want to venture off and explore the country that I am in.  The only reason I go on my computer is to update my blog about my trip to let my family know how I am doing.  This is my only means of communication, but I try to keep the use of technology at a minimal.  It really hinders my experience in the Philippines if I decide to bury my face in the computer.  Anywayyyy, as I strolled down the beach I bumped into some locals who were using poi balls.  Poi balls are Polynesian and the dance comes from Tahiti.  I was familiar with what they were doing because I too, learned how to use poi balls in Hawaii when I was younger.  The only difference with them was that they set their poi balls on fire.  It was nice to watch them.  I just spent the night talking with them and learning more about the locals from Bohol.  After that, I went back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day.

 

DAY 2

We started the day off with breakfast on the beach.  Then we departed for our tour around the island.  We visited many tourist attractions.

Blood Compact Marker

 

Machete Making

Tarsier World’s Smallest Primate

Lobac Riverboat Cruise

Chocolate Hills (Formally One of the World’s Seven Wonders)

Baclayon Church

Butterfly Museum

Underground Cave

I ended my day by going for a swim at the beach.  In the evening I relaxed with my local friends while listening to an awesome reggae band.

DAY 3

I woke up this morning and grabbed some breakfast.  Drank a yummy banana shake and had some fruit.  The fruit is so popular here in the Philippines, so fresh and sweet.  After breakfast I made my way down to the beach with my roommate Lauren.  We plopped right on a lounge chair and did just that, lounged.  It felt so good to soak in the sun and relax after two weeks of activities.  The water is amazing here in the Philippines; So clear and warm.  I felt like I was right at home.  I sat there and just thought about how my heart is so attached to the ocean.  I’m a water girl for sure.  In high school I played all water sports; water polo and paddling.  I have never lived off of an island in my entire life.  In fact, moving to Washington DC for college was definitely one of the most difficult things for me because I was being deprived of the ocean.  As I relaxed on the beach I couldn’t help but to think, “Man I love my life.”  I really have an amazing life. I really have amazing opportunities.  How I wish I could share these opportunities with others, especially the people here in the Philippines.  I pretty much spent the entire day on the beach.  Met some Canadians backpackers and met some Persians who are going to school in the Philippines.  They are fun.  Yasmine and I had dinner with them.  After dinner I took a shower and came straight back to the beach.  I decided to go for a walk along the shoreline and explore the area.  Panglao Island is very touristy.  It is a popular tourist destination which I’m not too fond of.  Although the place is extremely beautiful, I’d rather be with the locals in a local village.  That is when you get the true experience of the Filipino culture.  I walked down to visit my friends who I had met the night before.  They are so friendly.  After my walk, a few of my classmates and I met up at our resort bar and had some drinks.  We also were joined by the Persians and some friends from Germany and South Africa.  One of the most thrilling things for me about traveling is that I encounter so many different people from different walks of life.  On maps it is clear to see the borderlines and territories, but as I sat and conversed with my new diverse friends, I didn’t feel that borderlines or territories existed.  Farzad is from Iran.  As most know, the relationship between the Iranian government and the U.S. Government is not so stable.  Despite this, I was able to bond and get to know a person from a country whose country doesn’t like my country. (Sorry if that sounded confusing but I think you get what I’m trying to say..haha)  If only we could all just get along.  I don’t understand why that is so hard.  Here you have a Persian whose lifestyle is COMPELETELY different than mine. He has a different religion, a different culture, but none of that mattered.  I didn’t see him as an “IRANIAN” I saw him as a person, a human being.  Oh how I wish the rest of the world could stop thinking about all of these “boarders” and “territories” and not be so consumed in nationality but rather the simple fact that we are all human beings.  And yes, we are capable of getting along.