Peregrination in Bohol with iTravel iExplore!

This summer season everyone may look for an excitement place to go for a family picnic, or an island to go for vacation with office mates or extreme adventure with peers. This is not only the upper class Filipino norm, but downtrodden as well if given a chance, would enthusiastically favor to this initiative. And because life is short, I never miss every limited chance that comes my way.

As a glimpse of a beautiful chance and wonderful experience, for example, was the opportunity I had to tour in Bohol island and marvel its diversity as one of the country’s best tourist destinations.

The trip was organized by the newly opened travel agency iTravel iExplore, partnering with the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation Inc (SWCFI), a non-governmental organization advocating for environmental protection.

It was about my first time in Bohol, and for many failed plans with pals and gals, I could finally go to the Island that known in its peculiarity. Aside from the tarsier, Bohol, has exceptional identity on its rare geographical shapes called chocolate hills which were nominated as one of the Seven Wonders of the World in early 2008.

The island also has plenty of historically significant places like Danao where the brave Francisco Dagohoy fought the Spaniards in the late 17^th century. This is also the island where one could find a different ambiance for pleasurable relaxation in any of the beach resorts in Panglao, or could go trekking and experience breathtaking extreme adventures in Danao, as well as marvel in the island’s many natural abodes like Loboc and Makapiko River.

I had an overwhelming feelings when the fresh airwave brushes into my body when we arrived in Tubigon, Bohol, a manifestation that I’m closer to a good environment but nothing to worry about except to submit myself to the beauty of nature.

I found myself in complete admiration to the environmentally shrouded climates with trees and local crops like coconut and rice fields when the group were on way to Bilar, Bohol where native menu for lunch waited in the island’s newest landmark, Balay sa Humay (House of Rice). I was delighted with the idea that although El Niño besets our country, Bohol remains tough and still has water in its rivers except to some badly affected peninsula.

Together with my colleagues we met the Executive Director of SWCFI, Mr. William Granert, his wife Mrs. Aida Granert and their son Mr. Christopher Granert. They hosted our tour to Bohol’s center for Biodiversity where Sir William taught us the proper way of planting trees and imbued many important things about ecology especially the Karst terrain and the Dipterocarps tree. Sir William said Dipterocarps is

a family of forest trees with 17 genera and has approximately 680 species. This can only be found in the tropical belt like the Philippines specifically in Bohol.

Karsts terrain, on the other hand, is a kind of land lumped with different minerals like lime, sulfur, copper and the like. The Granert family further guided the group for 30 minutes trekking inside the biodiversity zone.

Travelers or guests (especially students on educational tour) can plant and name their own trees inside the protected biodiversity complex. They can also lodge within the compound or choose to camp out few meters off from the guesthouse. The SWCFI has an environmental learning center and a library to be used for climate research, with extensive updated reading materials.

Aside from the Bohol’s Biodiversity Complex, the group also went to Bohol Bee Farm where we bought some organic products and tasted the popular flower salad—it was my first time to encounter the kind of food and I found it weird but truly health friendly according to the farm’s tour-guide.

We made a side-trip to Bohol Beach Club for a much anticipated swimming activity. I reckon that staying for days in the resort is far more interesting than anywhere else. Same remark to Alona Beach Resort where everyone in the group would surely prefer to go back if chances permit because of the sumptuous food they have to offer.

Two days of touring in the island full of natural treasures, will make one’s experience truly diverse.

On our second and last day in Bohol, the last three itineraries included a visit to the Ramon Magsaysay Park where we fed the wild monkeys; lunch at the Jose Gonzaga Farmers Foundation Inc. (JGFFI); and a breathtakingly extreme adventure at The Danao Extreme Adventure Park.

I was indeed naturally reinvigorated to sojourn the beauty of our own environmental treasures which iTRAVEL iEXPLORE (032-236-5253) has to offer. I am appreciative of iTravel’s Ms Juliet Amazona and Ms Vhenice Juera who gave me the privilege to cover their summer packages for environmental tour-adventure. My peregrination in Bohol island was truly one of my wonderful experiences this summer season.

Published on April 7, 2010, Cebu The Voice, Pp 8 and 9.