Philippines - last big trip together

I know this is absurdly overdue, but I must finish writing about my experience in Hong Kong so my life will be complete.


A trip to the Philippines had been decided in the middle of the semester. We had one week before exams started and everyone penciled it in to go to Bohol, Philippines for as many days as everybody could. People were in and out but almost the entire “crew” was there for at least part of it.

We took a taxi, plane, taxi, ferry, taxi to get to the island of Panglao after roughly 10 hours of traveling through the night. Then we arrived at the beautiful oasis of Villa Belza. This is a French villa in the Philippines with the idea of a comfortable place for older French travelers to come where the people speak French and they can get assistance with their travel and tourist plans. The place was AMAZING with our group taking over 6 of their 7 bungalows, a pool in the middle of the rooms, outdoor eating area, pool table, massage table, a cute dog, and an even cuter little Filipino girl.


Here is a very brief, or maybe not so brief, rundown of our time in paradise with lots of pictures to guide you.


Day 1


After putting our stuff down and lathering up the sunscreen, half of us headed to Dumaluan Beach while the others went on a tour. We traveled by “tuk-tuk” to the beach and wandered and lounged there the whole rest of the day. Tuk-tuks are the “taxis” of the Philippines. They are motorbikes covered with a rickshaw looking contraption. There are two seats attached, a place for a baby wooden chair to fit a third, and an open space behind the driver on the bike for yet another passenger. You can also take a regular motorbike as a taxi but after several of our friends had serious accidents on those (they were driving, not the Filipinos) the girls were more skeptical to take those. 

Tuk-Tuk

The beach was completely gorgeous. Light sand, crystal clear water, palm trees, etc. For lunch we walked along the beach and stumbled upon a nice outdoor restaurant with a very nice staff and a beautiful view. We ended up eating here everyday we were on the beach so by the end of the week they knew what shakes we were going to order. The shakes in this country are yet another amazing piece of paradise. The locals would make mango or banana shakes from fresh fruit and we ordered them with almost every meal! After a bit more relaxing on the beach, our tuk-tuks picked us back up and took us home to the Villa. The rest of the evening everyone spent together in the pool, with more shakes, with dinner at the Villa, and then just sitting around drinking and talking. Hard life in the Philippines so far.

On the beautiful beach

Day 2


This was one of my favorite days. We decided we wanted to ALL go snorkeling (all 22 of us… again we travel in packs) so we rented several boats and headed out for the day. The boat construction was so neat and we took an hour or so boat ride, again in crystal clear water, out to a random island. Here we ordered fish to be cooked for the entire group and then took mini boats out to the deeper water where the snorkeling was best. This part was a little bit difficult with 22 people splashing around trying not to scare fish, but we saw all sorts of fish and coral and sea life, while continuing to have an amazing time together. 

The Crystal Clear Water

Snorkeling

After everyone was worn out from our fins, we headed back to shore for lunchtime. The locals did not disappoint. We all sat at one long table with fresh fish and vegetables and oh wait… shakes (probably about 12 shakes made with one blender). We were fueled up and ready to head to the next destination, which was the virgin island. Another glorious boat ride and we arrived at a very small island where we ended up being the only people. We circled the island with the gang and then everyone sat down in a huge group and we just enjoyed the view and a few random games. This island was amazing. There was a large sandbar leading up to it so it truly looked deserted and isolated from the rest of the world. A peaceful way to end our adventurous day.

The whole group

Since we brought so many people to the Villa (and because it was their anniversary for being open) they had a live band come play and catered an amazing meal with spring rolls, skewers, shrimp, and a special type of Filipino pig – whole. Yet another amazing meal with wonderful friends and great cover music! After dinner we decided to head to the beach bars and we convinced the owners and Villa Belza staff to join! When I say beach bar, I literally mean there are tables in the sand about 3 yards from the water. Of course this was a bad idea to be that close to the water so several people got thrown in or chased along the beach. Everyone had a great time dancing, wrestling, and drinking in the lovely weather and ocean breeze. Topped off with a late night jump in the pool and then everyone was finally off to bed.

The Feast

Events at the Beach Bar