Arrived home safe and sound after my journey to Bohol. Let me slap up some photos from our last day in that lovely land.
We started the day by hiring a boat for an island tour.
Swan and I had the boat to ourselves.Anchors away!Heading out to sea.That would be us.That island was our first destination, but we didn’t stop there.Balicasag Island is known for its snorkeling and viewing sea turtles. Swan doesn’t swim, and I don’t snorkel, so we took a pass on that activity.Could be trouble on the horizon……and we are heading right for it.We got off the boat at Virgin Island for a quick walkabout. The rain found us there, but it was light and didn’t last long.Acting like the tourists that we were.Swingin’ in the water.The water wasn’t exactly pristine, but at least it was nature’s litter.A walk in the sand.The guard at the church building.But there wasn’t much to guard.Is that one of those virgins?Not anymore!Don’t ask me.I understand that at low tide, this is dry ground. Swan waded out anyway.Then we headed back to civilization.And arrived at where we started three hours earlier.We grabbed some lunch at a hostel called Mad Monkey. As you might expect, we were surrounded by young backpacker types.
Back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation, then beer o’clock arrived, and we headed for Alona Beach.
We kicked off our Saturday evening at Oxyanus for a beachside drink.Then moved upstairs to the second-floor restaurant.It was empty when we arrived, but by the time we left, there were several other diners.I guess I’m becoming addicted to chicken quesadillas. At least it is fun to compare and contrast them with the others I tried this week. Oxyanus’s were the thickest, but that dipping sauce was all wrong.Swan played it safe with the hamburger. We both agreed the fries were excellent.
And this being our last night and all, we dropped into our new old favorite, Escape Bar.
Alas, all the preferred beachside seats were occupied, but we still had a nice view from this perch.Eventually, we were able to move up front and watch the beach scene.
There was one other bar I’d been wanting to try, but it’s off the beach and opens later. Last night, as we walked by on our way back to the hotel, I decided it was now or never for the Sky Bar experience.
No other customers except a couple of pool players. And no waitress, so Swan had to go to the bar to place our order.And despite being on the third level, the view sucked.So, I’d rate Sky Bar a swing and a miss.
Tuk-tuk back to the hotel, a goodbye beer at the bar there, and then it was time to bring the day to an end and prepare for our early morning departure today at 6 am.
Facebook memories reminds me of that life I was living fifteen years ago:
Another drunken Itaewon night.
It’s April 2019 in the LTG archives, and being the fool that I am, I posted a gotcha lie, and a true story from long ago that reveals my lame sense of humor and how it backfired at a Postal Service training session in Memphis, Tennessee.
Today’s YouTube video talks about the myth of foreigners being targets in the Philippines. Sure, we get hit with the skin tax thing, but I’ve walked through squatter villages alone on many occasions and never felt unsafe or threatened. I would never walk through similar ghettos back in the USA. And that thing about being offered free drinks from strangers happens all the time. I decline, because I’m hiking, but it is still a friendly gesture.
Just a laugh before I go:
It’s been said that love is a drug.That’s a reflection on the true nature of your character.Recruiting sucks.
And that’s all for now. I need to get ready and see if my old haunts in Barretto have survived without me. Tomorrow I’ll share my thoughts on Bohol: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
One thought on “Island hopping”
Looks like you had a great time. Travel is our reward for a life time of work. I was lucky enough to retire at 60 and try to do 2-3 trips a year . But at 81 it is hard to make those 10 to 20 hour flights.
Looks like you had a great time. Travel is our reward for a life time of work. I was lucky enough to retire at 60 and try to do 2-3 trips a year . But at 81 it is hard to make those 10 to 20 hour flights.