"Peso sa Bohol" was our slogan during the initial stage of planning our first ever family trip. We have chosen Bohol as our first destination because of its famous "chocolate hills and "tarsier" the smallest monkey of the world. I first visited these places with friends when we gatecrashed a company outing. Then I visited again twice with my office mates. And each time of these visits my family will eagerly asked about these places in addition to "kalamay" as the official "pasalubong".
From those visits, I learned that the trip is affordable especially when traveled in groups. So, I convinced my nephews and nieces to save one peso each day so that by the end of the year we could save enough funds for the transportation cost. We could find some cheap accommodation in Panglao area just like what we did with my office mates. The kids were so excited and we started the project "peso sa Bohol" last December 2011. Our target date of completion was summer of 2013. That sounds like a long wait for all of us but it was good enough to inspire us. It is always better to have something to look forward to.
My brother learned this and he too was excited for the kids. He used to work in a shipping line with route from Cebu to Tagbilaran and had visited those places too for quite a number of times. He wanted these kids to see these famous places too. So when the summer of 2012 was about to start, he offered to cover some expenses so that we can have the tour that summer.
The kids and their mothers were so excited. It was the first time for them to travel together and visit these places. They used to see these places in books and the idea of getting there personally is amazingly remarkable. We never thought that we could enjoy the tour by the end of March 2012 but we made it that day.
Since this was their first travel via ship, the kids could not eat their lunch that day. The ship was scheduled to depart at 10PM but my family were on the pier at 6PM. The kids ate a little for dinner but by the time they were aboard the ship, they ate all the food we bought. They were so happy, excited and thrilled that finally they were officially on board. Apparently, their appetite too, burst rapidly.
During the trip, the first problem is the location of the comfort room. The boys thought that the comfort room are for women only because they cannot find one for men. They shared this to their uncle who was so shocked with their innocence. He guided them towards it and it was quite a relief for all of them. The next joke was when one of our nephews asked their uncle why was the helicopter keeps following the ship. He thought that the sound he heard during the trip was from a helicopter. His uncle explained that the sound was from the ship but he was not able to escape all the tease throughout the trip.
Thanks to my brother and we were given good accommodations during the trip. We all occupied the lower deck altogether. We were able to get discounts too. We were close to each other and it add more opportunity for bonding and sharing. We could easily guard and protect each other too during the duration of the trip.
The first thing we did upon reaching Tagbilaran is of course picture taking. We searched for the word "Tagbilaran" and took some photos with it. It was still dawn when we reach the port but it did not stop us from getting off the ship. And there you go ladies and gentlemen, our first family photo in the island of Bohol.
P.S. San Mig is now playing so I have to end this blog...haha!
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