Friday, July 11, 2008

Tarsier's, and How I Want to Put Them In My Mouth.

The second day of the Bohol Bonanza kicks off with a shitty breakfast, provided by our beach resort. My mother and I were surely looking for a grand buffet feast, only to be disappointed by what seemed to be recycled food from the previous evening, and some old bacon. Afterwards, we suit up for our tour of the Island's tourist spots.

We meet our driver (who looks like a Filipino Buzz Lightyear), and off we go to the Chocolate Hills. Basically, a group of conical shaped mountains at the center of the island, geologists only have theories as to their origin. They are called the Chocolate Hills, because of this hardy sort of grass that grows on them, turning brown during the dry season. These things look absolutely alien when seen in person. They seem to appear totally out of no where in the midst of the jungle.

It took us about an hour's time to drive out, and we had to climb steps carved out of the face of one to get the best view. Tourists everywhere, and boy was it hot. My mom, being slightly fearful of heights, had to cling to my arm the way up and back down again, but I told her it was well worth the hike. I fired off some shots with the Black Brick, and we came back down to meet our driver again for the next jaunt.

Onwards to the Tarsiers. Tarsiers are the smallest species of marcupials, about the size of an apple in one's hands. They have buglike eyes, and oblong shaped fingertips, and are so so so so cute. They are nocturnal creatues, so during the daytime they are somewhat lethargic. Originally found throughout the southeast Asian region, their numbers have whittled down to only a hand few, found sparcely distributed through some random islands in the area. This is due to their sensitivity to environmental changes, as they are extremely delicate. Such a sad thing, as they are adorable. You could basically pluck one off a branch and hold it in your palm. Not sure if they bite though, as I didn't get around to grabbing for one.

The location for the tarsier zoo was off the road, near a river that cuts through the island. Tourists galore. Apparently, these 'zoo's' are quite illegal, as the Tarsiers held in captivity here tend to die out from all the human contact, and environmental instability. If you want to see the Tarsiers, but support the delicate ecological system they live in, you have to go to one of the sanctioned Tarsier preservatories.



So afterwards, we head down the road, to see one of the oldest cathedrals in the Philippines. They weren't lying, boy it was old! Right down to the smell of the place. It was beautifully done on the inside, with ornate statues of the Santo Nino, and Christ. One can see the heavy influence of Catholicism in this country, right down to obscure, deep in the jungle locations such as Bohol/Panlou.



Hunger has started to take hold of us, so we decide to dine at this extremely old historic household/restaurant, owned by an old political family. I forgot the name of the family, but basically they have maintained this ancient house, relics and all, as a sort of tourist attraction.

Everything from undergarments, to their bed linen, to the first San Miguel bottles ever manufactured, are kept.
Very interesting, to say the least. One can definitely feel how old it is in there. Must be hard to imagine a place as creepy as this, with no electricity at night.



The food that we ate there left much to be desired. I was truthfully worried I was consuming dog, and had no qualms about questioning my mother on the matter. She reassured me that it was not dog, just simple chicken adobo. My mom's dish was even worse.

After our meal, we head back to the Hotel for our last evening in the beautiful Panglou. Dinner was great, and there was a sporadic storm front moving through. I chose to have a few drinks at the outdoor bar, and sat watching the lightning converse off in the horizon. Afterwards, I had a nice walk on the beach, which was illuminated by nothing but moonlight. I could see very clearly, as it seemed that the moonlight reflected off of the white sands. *Sigh*

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