Chocolate Hills & Tarsiers

I have always wanted to see those two unreal things: a crazy landscape made of huge moutains that looks like chocolate chips and the smallest monkeys with their big eyes. Oh well, it wasn't easy but I managed to see them!

Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are located about 1 hour and a half from Panglao island, where I was based.

It was a quick way there but we could see that the clouds were turning dark in color and menacing us. We managed to get there without getting lost, thanks to the CityMaps2Go app that I have on my iPhone! It's funny because some people say that the Chocolate Hills ar just another tourist attraction and not actually worth seeing. Well, I am glad I did not listen to those people. It's a uniquely wonderful landscape!!! The hills are huges! When you climb to the peak of one, all the others around seam smaller... like if you are surrounded by chocolate chips! All those round shaped hills had me wondering where the heck was Mario!!! I could easily imagine the little question marked brick, with the hills in the background, where Mario would jump and get a mushroom out of some! Hahaha!

It was awesome seeing it! But of course, too many chinese around! Haha! Then, my friends and I got back on the road... supposedly on our way to go see the tarsier sanctuary. But... BIG BUT... it started raining cats and dogs!!! Seriously, it was insane! At the first shower, we got lucky! We just stopped because we needed mose gasoline before hitting the big winding road for another 45 minutes. The shower started and it was unbelievable so we stayed at this little road side shop where we could shelter from the heavy rain. We bought candies and had a little snack and when the rain stopped, we got back on our motorbike and headed to the sanctuary. The rain started over and over, forcing us to stop at some point. We then asked someone about the sanctuary and the man said that we were too late, it was going to be close anyways... -_-' God damn it! Period.

So, completely drenched we continued on our route till we get to Tagbilaran, main city on Bohol and just before the bridge for Panglao. We got in the super air conditionned mall to go grocery shopping and we were so freezing cold, from being soaked from head to toes, that the next day, my friend Sonja and I were feeling sick!

We managed to make it home for a good dinner and a good night sleep. In the morning, we were ready to hit the road again! NO, I was not going to give up on the tarsiers! We decided to go all together with my WorkAway hosts and to stop on our way back to go see a bat cave!

Now... Tarsier Sanctuary!

The weather was much nicer and we got to the sanctuary quickly! The people at the sanctuary could only find 4 tarsiers for people to see on that day. So we went to see them, being very quiet and respectful of their environment. I guess it was a bad timing because there was a lot of other tourists there at the same time. Anyways, I was very impressed to learn about and to observe them! They are even smaller than I thought! No bigger than a man's fist, or even than my fist! Wow! And they are just there, having a good grip on the small trees like if their lives depend on it and starring at those curious humans starring back at them! I guess this sanctuary visit was also the end of my dream of having a tarsier for pet: the guide informed us that tarsiers tend to commit suicide when they are held in captivity! Really! They hit their head everywhere and because their skull is so fragile they end up dying, or they hold their breath until they pass away! Crazy uh?! Anyways, I was very happy to see 4 of them, in their natural - but enclosed- environment.

We stopped at the cave on our way home, there were bats flying close to the ceiling and water in the middle which we were allowed to jump in! I didn't because I didn't have my bathing suit under my clothes. Still, that was pretty impresive!

So that was pretty much the end of my Philippines trip! I headed my to Cebu and then flew to Manila and then to Phuket!

The Phuket adventure has now started! Stay tuned!

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