Bohol

Bohol was an unexpected treat. My most lasting impression of the place is the music, from the downtown parade that stretched in front of my hotel to the talented children playing ukulele and dancing along the Loboc River to entertain floating restaurant diners. Even departing the island is not done without a musical accompaniment; a band of blind performers plays guitar and croons classics while passengers wait for their boarding announcements. I stepped onto the tarmac with a smile on my face and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" being performed in the background. A proud and independent people, the Boholanos successfully rebelled against Spanish rule in 1744 and -- alone among the islands in the Philippines -- remained blissfully free of colonial oppression for the next 85 years.

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View from the 8th floor of my hotel in Bohol's capital city of Tagbilaran.

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Baclayon Church, the Philippines' oldest stone church, was first constructed in 1596. The interior is quite dark, and the judicious positioning of colored stained glass windows casts dazzling psychedelic patterns across the church's floor and walls. At the time of my visit, the light shafts were in perfect position to highlight a hanging chandelier. Since it was the only thing illuminated in that part of the church, the chandelier appeared to be floating in mid air.

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In the tiny barangay of Bool, this monument commemorates the "blood compact" between Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Bohol chief Rajah Sikatuna, who downed a cup of each other's blood in 1565 to cement the new friendship treaty between their two peoples.

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Bohol's signature attraction, the mysterious Chocolate Hills. The name stems from the brown color they turn during the December to May dry season. The rest of the year they are green from abundant precipitation and would be more accurately described, as one clever guide quipped, as chocolate mint hills.

Apparently the breathtaking scenery has the potential to drive weaker minds to distraction...

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The smallest primates in the world, tarsiers have become as much a symbol of Bohol as koalas have come to represent Australia. These bug-eyed creatures are nocturnal and tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

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A view from the hanging bridge that spans the languid Sipatan River.

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Bohol's famous floating restaurants ply up and down the Loboc River. Guests dine on a rich smorgasbord of local delicacies while enjoying the sights and sounds that slowly drift by. Halfway during the voyage is a break point where waterfalls splash into the river and troupes of animated local kids delight everyone with energetic song & dance routines. Watching them sway in unison while playing ukulele reminded me a bit of Hawaii, which was an unexpected delight in the middle of the Visayas thousands of miles away from home.

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More modern music permeates Tagbilaran's main drag.