A TRIP TO BOHOL
A good friend Ian Gill writes from my old 'Second Home' the Philippines:
"The guide took me aside and talked about the “apparition.” He pointed to the wall of Bohol’s Baclayon, one of the Philippines’ oldest stone churches. There, he said, is the face of Padre Pio (the Italian mystic and priest who is said to have appeared with the stigmata of the crucified Jesus).
I could see nothing except dark weather stains on the gray wall. The guide asked me to take a photograph. When I looked at the digital image, I could make out a picture of a bearded man, said to resemble Padre Pio. Judge for yourself from the attached photo!
Bohol is a laid-back, often overlooked province in the central Visayas. Up till a few years ago, its impoverished people hunted and killed dolphins. They also snared and stuffed tarsiers – the tiny endangered primates – to sell to tourists.
Thanks to the eco movement, that’s largely changed, which made our short holiday more enjoyable. Scores of “spinner” dolphins – which leap into the air and twirl – surrounded our banca during an early morning ride with two ex-fishermen. They jump from nowhere and only for a split second, so photographing them is a challenge!
The tarsier, with its bulging eyes (bigger than its brain or stomach) and human-like fingers is easier to photograph and very photogenic.
The kids enjoyed seeing Bohol’s unique Chocolate hills – turned green by the rainy season – but were disappointed they weren’t edible.
A stay in Bohol is very reasonable. For example, a two-hour river cruise through the “jungle” costs only $10, and includes lunch plus singing and dancing (including the tinikling, where dancers hop between bamboo poles in imitation of the tikling bird).
The better homes in Bohol are built by foreigners, including many Germans, and their Filipino wives. It was a German who reportedly discovered the “apparition” of Padre Pio."
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