Bohol Holiday -- Days Two & Three

Bohol: Day Two.  Today was a lighter day as far as activities.  Just perfect for our tired bodies after yesterday's long day that included an hour-long very bumpy ATV ride (that was definitely over "all terrains") and then the long ride to our hotel.  We're used to being our own driver so it's hard to let someone else do it. In fact, it's been a bit hard to not have a vehicle entirely at our disposal.  In both our previous missions - Kenya and Sweden - we had our own vehicles.  That's what we get for asking for a temple mission. 

Day Three was basically checking out and waiting for the ferry back to Cebu.  Lots of time to talk with people about why we are here in Philippines.  In contrast to Kenya, people never ask us why we're here.  In Kenya, people stopped us all the time to talk about Jesus.  They saw our white faces and name tags and wanted to talk.  Here, we need to be a little forward and we have been doing just that. 

View out our hotel window.  Palm trees and Pacific Ocean.  We've seen so many oceans in our lifetime - the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Southern (Antarctic), the South China Sea, the Mediterranean, the Northern Sea, the Tasman Sea, the Baltic. . . so many oceans for us landlubbers.  Vast oceans are such a foreign thing to us.

The Bellevue Resort on Panglao Island is a lovely, relaxing place to stay.  You can walk on the beach or swim in the pool or just do nothing.  That's a bit hard for a farmer.

Interesting scents . . . purple kale, parsley stem, and maca root (which is related to the radish family).

Hungry colorful koi hoping for a bit of food.  I used to want an aquarium, but after I had a goldfish in a little bowl, I disliked cleaning out the bowl daily.  So . . . no aquarium for me.  Still . . . they are so fun to watch.  Our first mission president in Kenya, President Hicken, raised koi as a hobby.

I'm not an engineer nor an architect, but I found the roof structure at this hotel so fascinating.  How did they design it?  Why did they design it like that?  Is there a purpose to it all?

Lovely sandy white beach here on Panglao Island.  It's actually a nice temperature, although very humid and a bit windy which keeps down the mosquitoes. 

This tree was knocked down by the wind but continues to grow as it roots down.  So resilient.  My dad always said that trees are determined to live; even trees back home have several sets of buds so if one bud is killed by cold temperatures, the next set are there to take their place.  My dad loved to quote the poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer (who is actually a man): "I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree . . ." ending with "Poems are made by fools like me But only God can make a tree."

The lovely "crinum asiaticum," aka giant crinum lily, or spider lily, or poison bulb (gulp!) is different from those that grow around the Cebu Temple.  This one has long purple filaments, rather than white ones.  So pretty.  And red hibiscus too.

I can't get enough of the different kinds of palm trees.  The one on the right must have blown over in a wind but is now sprouting new growth.

These very different trees caught my eye . . . so feathery and light compared to the mighty palms.  This is a Variegated African Talisay with variegated cream and green leaves.  Almost like a willow.

A replica of a bigiw amakan, a traditional lightweight boat used by local fishermen.  Bigiw means "to run," referring to its speed, the sharp prow easily cutting through rough water.  Amakan refers to the woven bamboo matting used for buoyancy. 

First stop today:  Hinagdanan Cave.  There are 1400 caves on Bohol, with Hinagdanan being the most popular.  The caves are karst limestone formations, some with natural pools that you can swim in.  I was excited because I love caves and have been to many.  This one was a little underwhelming but still cool, because, after all, it's in the Philippines.

You go down about 20 steep steps and there it is:  the cave.  People swimming in the cool water.  The cave, unlike most caves we've been in, was very warm.  Stalactites hanging from the roof.

Colleen & LeRon (aka Sister and Elder Torrie) in . . . "the cave."  The cave is entered through a 1-meter wide hole.  If it had been 1-meter wide for very long, I couldn't have done it due to my claustrophobia, but once you were through the small hole, it opened up.  So it was definitely do-able. 

Have been trying to remember all the caves we've been in -- Lewis & Clark Caverns in Montana, Timpanogas Cave in Utah, Jewel Cave in South Dakota, Marvel Cave in Branson Missouri, Mark Twain Cave near Hannibal Missouri, Thien Cung Cave in Ha Long Bay in North Viet Nam, and Skocjan Cave in Slovenia.  Someday I will go to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico -- either in this life or in the eternities.  Caves are fascinating but they can be tricky.  In 2002, our son Eric was trapped for 36 or so hours in Gargantua Cave in the Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta.  That's another story.  And yes, he survived.   

Next stop . . . the Bohol Bee Farm.  Sadly, the bees were all destroyed during Typhoon Odette in 2021.  But the business still goes on . . . producing sustainable food products, entertaining tourists, and employing many people.  We were impressed with their business model of helping those in need by providing employment.

Food in the restaurant was filling.  Edible flowers in the salad, black rice, beef adobo.  Beef a little tough.  Chicken would have been better but it wasn't on the menu.

First stop on the Bohol Bee Farm tour was the coconut processing station -- dehusking, splitting, grating, etc. to get the coconut milk out to make the ice cream.  Most things are done by hand but they do use machines to get the milk out.

Homemade ice cream . . . or rather, coconut cream ice cream, sweetened with honey and flavored with dragon fruit, avocado, buko (young green coconut), malungay (a root crop), ginger, tsokolate cacao (chocolate), ube (purple yam), charcoal (yes, charcoal), honeyed caramel, jackfruit, pandan (Asian vanilla), peanut kisses, melon, or star apple.  Also durian, which is a really stinky fruit that is outlawed in many hotels in Asia because once you eat it, you stink like it does, and it causes stinky sewer too.  Not sure why they are offering it here. 

But notice the pebbly looking wall.  It's made of the shells of coconuts.  All the buildings here are made with these shells.  Nothing is wasted.  The shredded coconut, once the milk is removed, is fed to cattle. 

Look at the size of that bread dough in the bakery!  Thankfully they had a machine to knead it, but a lot of things are made by hand.  And thankfully, they have air conditioning in the bakery.

Love this sign: Plant Seeds; Grow Blessings.  Here at the Bee Farm, they grow as much of their own produce as they can in their garden area. 

When asked what kind of crops we grow on our farm, LeRon always says, "Well, the best crop was three sons and two daughters."  And now 11 grandchildren.  For sure, that's the best crop, and the best blessings.

We tasted a bit of pure cacao.  Very strong.  Very bitter.  I'm a chocolate lover but this was too much.

These women are deep frying cassava chips.  Cassava chips are like potato chips but honestly, they are tastier and crunchier.  Delicious.

Trying some coconut milk ice cream.  It was kind of tasteless and the creaminess was almost too much. Not my favorite.

Wanted you to see my charcoal ice cream.  Yes, it's really got charcoal in it.  They say it's good for the digestion.  Hmn . . . I'm not so sure.

An internet picture of a buri palm tree.  The leaves can stretch to 40 or 50 feet and each palm branch is made of 80-100 leaflets that are then cut and torn off in parallel lines, giving a long continuous fiber.  These are woven into "raffia".  The raffia fiber is soft, pliable, durable, easy to dye, and biodegradable.  It's used to weave all kinds of things.

This woman is weaving buri fibers.

South Farm is just down the road from the Bee Farm.  LeRon has discovered that bougainvillea vines have sharp thorns.  Yes, they do, but they also have beautiful flowers that are actually colored leaves (bracts) surrounding tiny white flowers.  I have grown bougainvillea at home but it only grows very small and of course doesn't make it through the winter.

Notice the green papayas growing on that straight trunk in the center.  Coconut shells create borders.

More garden plots at South Farm.  Chives interspersed with dragon fruit.

Internet picture of dragon fruit.  We've tried them in various countries and they are tasty.

These "Silkie Chickens" were darling.  So fluffy and white, even down to their toes.

LeRon and I enjoyed this farm even though there was no wheat or canola or even rice.  Here's a papaya tree.  Not ready for eating yet.

A gorgeous "Torch Ginger," also known as Red Ginger Lily.

More herb gardens.

I learned something new.  I knew that a doe is a female rabbit, and a buck is male.  But I didn't know that a kit is a baby.  And that rabbits have almost 360 degrees vision.  They are born with their eyes shut, like kittens.  Hmn. . . kit. kittens.  

These parakeets (budgie birds to me) felt very strange as they clawed to stay on my hands.  My sisters had budgie birds but I don't remember ever holding them (the birds I mean).  It's really hot and humid here, and I am sweating to beat the band.

This was the most fun experience of the day!!

LeRon thought I was having too much fun so he had to jump in too.  Tiny cups of bird seed in our hands definitely attract the budgie birds.

LeRon is touching a "magic fruit."  It's also called a calabash fruit.  The shell is very hard and you cut it open and boil the pulp and make a juice.  It's supposed to be highly medicinal.

Farmer LeRon checking out the old Caterpillar tractor.  It has seen better days.

Crossing a bamboo bridge to check out the mangrove trees.

So interesting to see trees growing out of salty seawater.  Most trees would die, but not Mangroves.

Not just the short shrubs are growing out of this VW Bug, but also that big tree trunk.

One of my (many) BYU roommates, Bonnie Webb, drove a VW Beetle.  So fun.  I remember driving with her down I-15 in the pouring rain with non-functioning windshield wipers.  She would stick her head out the window and wipe away the rain so she could see to drive.

Question: How many people can fit into a jeepney?   Answer:  One more!  They usually seat about 26 but there's always room for more even if they have to hang on the back.  

Here's the new way of water bottles: lids that stay attached.  No more bottle caps everywhere.  But a little harder to drink from.

Getting ready to board our ferry for the 2-hour ride back to Cebu.  Water, thankfully, is calm.

 LeRon had some pass-along cards printed at home.  They are simply cards with questions that might pique interest, with a link to answers and how to contact missionaries.  The Church used to produce them but doesn't anymore.  Now missionaries just share phone contacts with those they meet.  But LeRon and I still like pass-along cards.  We strike up conversations and pass out many.

Waiting for the ferry, we sat by a Filipino young woman and had a nice conversation, and at the end, I gave her a pass-along card.  She said, after seeing the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Oh, you are Mormons.  I have relatives who are members of your church." I told her to check into it for herself.  So fun to share the gospel in an easy way.

More fun times waiting for the ferry to Cebu . . .  I noticed three young people speaking a language I couldn't pick out; it wasn't Tagolog or Cebuano.  Then I noticed a Hebrew word here and there.  So I tapped the young man's arm and asked if he were speaking Hebrew.  He (and the two girls) were so surprised that I recognized their language.  No one on their trip to Philippines had ever guessed they were from Israel.  We had a fun conversation with them since we have been to Israel 5 or 6 times and have friends there.  And no, I did not share the gospel with them.  Tempting, but no.  Our Church and the government of Israel have an agreement that church members will not try to proselyte Jewish people in any way.  In exchange, Israel let BYU (Brigham Young University) build the BYU Jerusalem Center in Jerusalem.  That's another story.

Bohol Holiday -- Day One

The Cebu Temple has been closed for two weeks (Feb 3-16) for maintenance and major cleaning.  They even wash the exterior grey granite walls.  They thoroughly clean carpets and the huge, gorgeous, Austrian Swarovski crystal chandeliers.  Every time I gaze at their beauty, I say to LeRon, "I'm glad I don't have to clean them."

We spent the first week of holidays in Manila.  I haven't gone through those pictures yet, but I will.  The second week we spent three of those days in Bohol with the other two missionary couples.  Beautiful part of the Philippines.  Touristy, fun place.

A 2-hr ferry boat ride took us from Cebu to Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol province.  Coming from dry southern Alberta, we are always fascinated with bridges -- how they are built and how they work and the beauty of their designs.  The crossing was calm, thankfully.  Last week there were major warnings for heavy rainfall and wind in Bohol, but this week things were calm. Our guide met us at the port.

  

First stop was Sandugo -- the place of the "Blood Compact" of 1565 between a Spanish explorer and the chief of Bohol.  The participants cut their arms and dripped blood into their common drink, sealing their friendship, instead of fighting.

The flag of Bohol shows the dripping blood!  Apparently the blue stripe represents nobility; the white stripe, purity (hmn . . . not sure bloody wine is so pure); and the red stripe courage.

Next stop . . . a dinner river cruise on the Loboc River.  Food mostly Filipino, so . . . interesting.  We're with the Andreasens (in front), then the Stirlands, then the Torries.

Luscious green foliage.  Why can't we grow palm trees like that?  In the 50 years we've been married, we've planted trees and they've died, and we've planted again, and they've died.  We're on our third go-round right now for our shelter-belt trees!

The Ati Tribe are the "first nations" people of the Philippines. They live in villages along the river and keep to their traditions, not just for the tourists, but because they like their way of life.  Their livelihood comes from the land but also, of course, from the tips tourists give or from the handmade souvenirs tourists buy.  The river boat company doesn't pay them anything.

I had no idea fire was going to shoot out!  Scared me!

Cute little girl was happy to get her picture taken.  You can see that they wear western clothes sometimes.

Children are children, no matter where they live.  All are alike unto God.  "He inviteth them all to come unto him, and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none . . . black and white, bond and free, male and female . . . and all are alike unto God . . ." 2 Nephi 26:33.  One of my favorite scriptures, especially after having served a mission in Africa.

Well that was a fun experience!  Wish I would have known more about the Ati people before the experience though.

Since I was on the boat, I couldn't take a picture of it, so here's another riverboat, just like the one we are on.  Fun times.

Now that we know what to look for, we see rice fields all over the place.  LeRon wanted to get a close-up look.  He is "outstanding in his field," or rather, kneeling in his field.

 

Camera focused on LeRon's shirt instead of the rice heads.  These are starting to fill, just like wheat does.  So interesting.  Harvest is a still a couple of months away.

Rice field by some homes.  These homes seem a bit more upper class than what we see in Cebu.  In fact, we even saw a home with a brick wall around it with broken glass on the top of the wall, just like we used to see in Nairobi.  Protection from thieves.  Notice the coconuts in those coconut palm trees.  So interesting to our prairie eyes.

Gondola ride across a beautiful valley.  No, we didn't do the zip line that you can see.  LeRon doesn't like heights.  I'm amazed that I got him into a hot air balloon ride one time.  That was in Cappadocia, Turkey, and he loved it.  Highly recommend seeing that part of the world and doing a balloon ride there.  Some things he can do, and some things he can't.  I understand because I can get pretty claustrophobic at times.

Coolest thing ever was to see a tarsier.  Look at those eyes!  Tarsiers are small primates -- about 5-6 inches tall with eyes that are bigger than their brains.  They are born with fur, and with their eyes open, and are only about 1 inch long.  They can climb trees almost immediately after birth and eventually can jump 5-6 meters between trees.  Their eyes don't move but they can rotate their heads 180 degrees, like owls.  They are nocturnal, so mostly sleep during the day.  Not sure how anyone discovered them in the first place.  Tarsiers are my new favorite animal -- along with zebras, penguins, and koalas.

Photographer is closer to the tarsier than to us.  It is absolutely tiny.

More beautiful rice fields.  The farmer in us notices things like that.  In fact, it made LeRon a wee bit homesick for the farm.

Here we are in the "Chocolate Hills" riding ATV's.  The other couples did it last year and loved it.  I knew I couldn't straddle a 4-wheeler anymore (because of problems with my hips), so we chose to ride a go-cart type vehicle.  It was brutal.  Even the other girls said so.  The 4-wheelers were pretty beat up and it was super muddy and very rocky.  Much worse than last year, they said.  Not so much fun.  We were glad for the rain gear they had us wear.  So much mud everywhere and water would rush in under our feet.

Picture stop.  You can see the riper rice field and the chocolate hills.  And our blue footwear too.  Glad for all the plastic as we rode through deep pools of muddy water.

Most of the work in the rice fields is done by hand.  But farmers are starting to use some mechanization.  In fact, we have heard of farmers swathing the rice with some kind of swathing machine.

LeRon thought this logo on the tuk-tuk was cute.  "Do not dismay . . .."   Yes, for sure you need God's help when you ride the streets on motorbikes and tuk-tuks.  But tuk-tuks go slower, so you are a bit safer.  There were lots of tuk-tuks in Kisumu in Kenya.  In fact they called Kisumu "Tuk-tuk town".  We've ridden tuk-tuks in Thailand and thought they were quite fun.  And tomorrow we will ride one again.  Stay tuned.

Chocolate Hills lookout.  There are about 1700 chocolate hills here in Bohol.  They are yellowish-brown in the dry season and green in the wet season.  They are karst formations (i.e., made of limestone).  They range from 30 meters to 120 meters tall).

We're climbing up the tallest karst to an overview.  But since it's 120 meters tall, LeRon and I decided to only go half way.  By the time our old bodies made it to the top, the light would be gone.  End of a fun first day in Bohol.

Found some more tarsier pictures in my many pictures.  The keepers have made nests for the tarsiers close to the walking path so we could see them as they sleep.

Google says that yes, they can sleep with their eyes open.  Who knew?