Highlights of Panglao

We spent the next five nights at that hotel on Panglao Island. It was many relaxing days of reading, thinking, beaching, and eating. Alona beach has a whole strip of restaurants that have tables on the sand, a few feet from the ocean. It felt like a dream to have dinner watching the sunset and listening to the waves.

Best View: Chocolate Hills

These are a collection of hills that turn brown in the summer, hence the name. Even though they were green because it was the “cold season”, they were beautiful.





Best Star-Gazing Spot: Alona beach

If you walk past the restaurants there is a stretch of beach that is wider and darker, without the many lights for the Christmas-decorated restaurants. Lying there, looking up at the sky, I suddenly remembered that I grew up in a place where I could see constellations.

Biggest Annoyance: “Taxi?” “Island hopping?” “Diving, ma’ am?”
You could not make it to the beach without being asked each of these questions a few times. I’ll admit I’m out of practice because in China, I either walk right by because I don’t know what they’re saying, or at most shake my head and say, “Sorry, no Chinese” and am left alone. Luckily, though, the approaching men would not follow us, and would eventually take, “No thank you” for an answer.



Best Wine: Le Elephante Blu

This awesome spot, which we only referred to as “the Blue Elephant”, was a great little spot off of the beach. It was a cottage that had been turned into a restaurant and hotel. With their multiple couch areas, delicious wine and tasty appetizers, like hummus and buffalo cheese on bread, and coffee-house, stay-as-you-wish, atmosphere, it quickly became a daily spot for us.


Best Lunch: Floating Riverboat

As part of a tour-the-island we arranged with our hotel, were hired a private driver to take us to Bohol’s top touristy spots. One of my favorite parts was this lunch on a riverboat. You sit at a table and help yourself to the buffet of fish, meat, rice, fruit, etc. as you float down the river. They even have a live singer create some playful ambiance to oldies-but-goodies like the Beatles, while you take in the lush surroundings. Everyone who had done this recommended it to us, and it did not disappoint!



Best Beach Fun: Building a Sand Castle


What started as an impromptu idea became a 3-hour collaborative project. By the end of our efforts, Kelly and I had designed a castle with a sea-weed designed mote, a shell and coral garden, and a backyard pool complete with a palm-made path and a working hammock made from a coconut, piece of rope, and two branches. We collected everything from the sea, and after the nigh heavy rainstorm and high tide, everything was returned.