Ton-Shing-Wa

Touchdown October 2, 2011
Alone but made new friends

I didn't plan on going to DC. I was browsing through some New York City tour packages and came across a tour from NYC to DC. Since I am spending 5 days in NYC, I thought, why not? I am already in the US, I might as well experience the "land of the free, home of the brave" spirit.

The tour which I was part of is scheduled to leave NYC at 8am. The trip was only about 4 hours. On the way to DC, we passed by New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, and Maryland - all were part of the independence history of the US as mentioned by our tour guide. It was a nice city-to-city journey, I would recommend it to anyone in search of a road trip route; not a lot of traffic, nice scenery, interesting stops, and more importantly, historically significant.

Five must-see in Washington DC: the Capitol building, the Washington monument, the Lincoln memorial, the Air and Space museum, and of course the White House. Most tours around DC include these in the itinerary (plus stops at the four Memorials: Vietnam War, Korean Veterans War, Roosevelt and Jefferson) all within walking distance from each other.

The State Capitol was huge, I've seen it in movies and some pictures but I didn't imagine it to be that grand. On the contrary, the White House was rather small but it looks big on pictures. Or maybe it's just me. As expected, there were lots of protesters around the area, especially in front of the White House, but nothing violent or aggressive when I was there. CCTV cameras are also everywhere, again not surprising. What caught my attention are the beggars and homeless people around. According to our tour guide, not all of them are beggars, some are spies and secret agents (and I was reminded of Sydney Bristow and Jack Bauer and the fascinating world of spies).

If you are going to DC, forget everything except your camera because everywhere you look and turn, you will find something worth taking a picture of. The city is just bursting with great locations, old but well-maintained buildings, lush greens, museums, nice restaurants, and people from all walks of life.

The trip back to New York was a bit longer due to rush hour traffic, but once you get to the outskirts of New York, you are in for a treat. Once in Manhattan bridge, remember to put your camera out because it offers the best view of the Manhattan Skyline, one of the most beautiful in the world. The bus driver even played Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind which made the experience more authentic.

If you are looking for a nice and affordable tour package, I am recommending the tour I signed up in.

Hoy, hoy! Bohol!

Touchdown February 2 3:30pm

For an island as small as Bohol (only roughly 4,000 square kilometers), one will wonder: How on earth did it get that huge amount of attractions?! Legend has it that there were once two giants in the Visayas who got into a fight and started throwing rocks at each other, which resulted in the formation of the island.

While those that visit Bohol have the Chocolate Hills as their ultimate destination, I found the Loboc River cruise the most interesting one, and very affordable I must say. For just less than 300 pesos (US$7), you get to board a floating restaurant which will take you on the course of the river, with palms, bananas, and lush greens by the bank. Since this is a restaurant, you will be treated to a buffet of Filipino food. What I had during my tour was chicken adobo, pork liempo, inihaw na tilapia, sabay ng sinigang, and native sweets.

To add a bakasyonista feel to the river experience, you also will be serenaded by locals while eating. For those who are quite knowledgeable of our kundimans and haranas, you'll definitely have one great time singing to the songs. Now if there are kundimans, there should also be folk dances too! The boat makes a stop in a small docks along the river so the guests can be treated to performance of tinikling, maglalatik, carinyosa, and other folk dances. Of course small gratuities would be welcomed. Best time to have the river cruise is lunch time.
After the river cruise, there are lots of places to visit in Bohol. There's the Butterfly Sanctuary, Tarsier Conservation Center, the historic Sandugo Shrine, Hanging Bridge, amazing white beaches, among others, all of which had something special to offer.

But of course, visit to Bohol will not be complete without stopping by the grand Chocolate Hills. Just 20 minute drive from the city, our tour guide took us to what seemed like an endless array of little mountains (there are 1,260 according to the locals there). We went there on a February so the chocolate hills were actually green at the bottom at brown-green at the top. In pictures, it is actually a bit hard to believe that such a beauty exists, but it really does. What you will see in actuality is even better that those in pictures. Most of the hills are in a small town called Carmen and this is also where you need to make a stop to get a full view of the hills.

Great province overall, small yet bursting with attractions. I will definitely come back!

Traveler's tip: For those tight on budget, try El Portal Inn for your accommodation. They also offer the cheapest tour of Bohol package.