Philippines 2009 Day 4

Had breakfast at the resort restaurant, and was surprised to encounter and make acquaintance with a Singaporean family based in Manila. They were raving on and on about their diving trips at Balicasag and enticing me to go get a diving license in Manila (which is cheaper), so that I can "swim with the turtles" and "see lobsters at night". Their passion for diving was so infectious that I was thinking about moray eels throughout breakfast.

Yum, soup noodles!

Slug enjoying his cereal

Rented a motorbike to go cruising around Panglao island in the afternoon. Roads had no lane markings and worse, no road signs (but we did not even have a map anyway). The safest bet was just to go straight so that we would not get lost. Enjoyed the relaxing sights of domestic animals loitering by the roadside, kampong-style houses constructed out of wooden planks and rattan, and the locals busy with their activities.

Patting two little goats

An emaciated cow by the road

On second thought, 'busy' would be inappropriate to describe them because many of them were just engaging in simple household tasks and they did not look like they had been tortured by chronic stress. Some of them even had the luxury to nap after a banana tree. They warranted much envy from us.

Filling up the petrol tank at a coffee house nearby

Their basketball court

Down the quiet road

Nothing beats the fresh smell of wind-kissed laundry

Rustic houses

Their austere convenience store

Dropped by a local school and took a curious peek into their classrooms. Saw a lesson on the male anatomy being conducted with a bunch of 7 or 8-year-olds, and was surprised that less developed countries like the Philippines also take sexuality education very seriously, even in the countryside.

Children playing around at a school

Panglao Sentral School

Errr ... okay ...

The principal's office

The simple slide and swings are so reminiscent of my childhood days

The school children got curious to this rude intrusion by a foreign stranger, and started to peer back at me, together with the teacher, so I quickly snucked away. Somehow felt sad to witness the basic classroom facilities there that pale in comparison to our high-tech modern classrooms. Their classrooms did not even have lights and it was so dark inside!

Cocks are the pride of many locals who use them to win in cock-fighting competitions

Boys enjoying an afternoon game of basketball

We could not resist sidetracking to a secluded beach, where I had fun chasing and catching small crabs (and boy, can they run!).

Cow grazing lazily

At the quiet beach

Third time riding illegally

These little critters are hard to catch!

Pink pig idling on the clayey soil

We also stopped by a mangrove forest.

Mangrove forest

Slug at a small pier

Banca

We decided to return back to our resort as the fuel tank was running low and we did not feel like topping up the petrol for them. We stopped by a small bar for our afternoon tea of pizza. The pizzas sold there were really stinging on the toppings and cheese, and they tasted more like soda crackers.

At least they were stone-baked

At the bar

In the late afternoon, we went swimming at the resort pool. Lazing by the pool and watching the sun set - the leisurely feel and relaxed atmosphere were indescribable.

By the pool

It was dinnertime, and we chanced upon a small and modest-looking seafood restaurant as we were strolling at Alona Beach. We splurged on a lavish seafood feast consisting of fried calamari, gigantic prawns with garlic, steamed red snapper, grilled chicken thigh, baked potato and garlic rice. Although not exactly of as high standards as the seafood cuisine in Hong Kong, it was considered worthy enough after all the previous horrible food we had eaten in Bohol so far.

The humble-looking restaurant called Roderick and Vivien

Last dinner in Bohol

These huge prawns cost 300 pesos for 4, NOT cheap!

I will not dare to eat this luminously blue-green fish

Slug waiting impatiently

Last dinner in Bohol, last moonlight stroll along Alona Beach ... ... it felt as though the trip was coming to an end, where actually we were just moving on to Manila the next day. Last night of playing Scrabble and table soccer (we love competing with each other) at the lounge before retiring for the night.