Hi. How have you been? We'll pick back up where we left off in this new entry. With heavy eyelids and sleepy brain cells we headed to Cebu port before 4 am. The ferry ride, though bumpy, was a blur for me. It took more than a couple of hours, however I was in lala land and drooling the whole ride so I hardly noticed. We reached Tagbilaran, Bohol at dawn.
Still groggy from our city adventure in Cebu city, we immediately inquire for a van rental. As expected the fee is much higher than my budget. LOL. Talk about cheapskate. Right then, I decided to just go local instead of having a service for our two-day stay there - it was the best decision! There were lots of PUVs around the port so we didn't have much difficulty getting out. When travelling, especially to the places that are not too touristy, it's better to go local. What I mean by 'going local' is to take the public transport, walk, and to eat at small eateries. It's best todo what the Romans do when in Rome, right? That'll give you an opportunity to immerse in their customs and traditions. Not to mention you'll learn some useful phrases or slang which you can use for your next visit. Take our experience as an example, we hired a tricycle to Sagbayan (our first destination for the day), and on the way, we chatted with our driver a bit to get to know how long will the ride be and which side of the Chocolate Hills is more popular with the visitors.
Our first stop was Sagbayan Peak in the municipality of Sagbayan. We hired the tricycle for 200 pesos (if I remember correctly we haggled a bit). Because the road was in a very good condition and the traffic was easy we arrived at our destination in less than hour. It's like hitting two birds with one stone, because although the view of the Chocolate Hills wasn't as grand as the one they have in Batuan, the Butterfly Dome is also located in Sagbayan Peak. It's absolutely an eye candy, for only 10 pesos you can enter the dome and be surrounded by butterflies of different sizes and colors. What's more, we were able to the see the life cycle of these creatures within the dome.
We had a quick meal right there in the mountain resort (you probably realized by now that every meal in this trip was a quickie). This mountain resort and recreation center also boasts its Tarsier Sanctuary which we didn't interest ourselves with (looking back, I ask my self WHYYY?) If you're planning to visit this resort to see those wide-eyed lovely creatures, be advised that taking photos with flash isn't allowed for it may disturb the primates. Visitors are also asked to refrain from creating too much noise which can agitate or stress them that may lead to death.
It was high noon when we accomplished our goal at Sagbayan Peak. Our tricycle driver was patiently waiting to take us to our second stop of the day - Danao Adventure Park. I had to pay our driver extra because of this sudden detour. He was supposed to take us back to Tagbilaran but I thought it would be wise to continue availing his service since he's very approachable and answered our inquires really well. Moreover, I didn't see many tricycles outside the gate of the resort, there were mostly rented vans.
I'm all about adventure so we didn't waste time and went straight to the section of the park where I can experience what they call 'The Plunge". It's a canyon swing with a 75 meter free fall which cost 700 pesos. When we arrived at the site, we were greeted by a lively band playing some local music. They don't look very cheerful in these pictures, I know, but believe me when I say that they played enthusiastically. I felt like they were cheering me on and so I summoned all the courage I could muster. Originally, Arlene and I planned to do it together but she chickened out after seeing me do it first. Bummer!
The first few minutes I was there, waiting for my turn, I felt really hyped up. But the longer the wait, nervousness started building up inside me. The more time I had to think, the more tense I got. I put on my helmet, harness, and removed my shoes as instructed. I checked the ropes for any visible tear, checked and doubled checked the carabiners - safety first. Always.
I opted for the head-first reverse sitting position. They lowered the platform until I was hanging. I was talking to the staff while he was lowering me down. I was telling him to release me on the count of three, and I should be the one counting. My head was spinning a bit, I was excited, I was nervous, I think puked a little in my mouth, I was giggling bitterly to myself all at the same time. I thought I'll scream my lungs out while free falling to relieve the tension. Breathing heavily, I counted 1.. then BOOM! I was released and was suddenly falling.. I opened my mouth to let out a scream unfortunately the air attacked the insides of my mouth thus the scream was cut short. I cursed in my mind, I thought "Wasn't my instruction clear to let me go on a count of three?" I really believed that guy would listen to me. Ha ha. I was free falling, I opened and closed my eyes multiple times but all I can see are the colors white, blue, and green. I couldn't make out what was I seeing. It felt longer than what it is in reality, the fall was long and fast so I feared I would smash my head to the wall of rock and trees at the other side. What's more, I was waiting for a flash back of my life which didn't happen. I wasn't dying apparently. :D Silly, yeah.. tell me about it but it's true. Soon I felt a tug and stopped falling, however I was still swaying side to side. This time I have a shark smile on. It's feels like a giant swing and I was exhilarated. IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.
Whew! All the feelings came back to me like it was yesterday. Anyway, I'll end this blog here, I don't want to tire you. I'll narrate the second half of our Bohol adventure as soon as I can. See you later. Peace!