Country > Philippines > Bohol > Tagbilaran
Date > 2024 > August
Activity > Slice of Life

August 31, 2024

She Sat Beside Me

Location : Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines

Sexy and Beautiful
Seated at the Sandugo Festival enjoying live music and a coldie, I noticed this young, sexy and beautiful lady pass by my table after finishing her workout on the airstrip. She was wearing skintight outfit that revealed enough to satisfy the senses. 'Sexy and beautiful' do not happen very readily here in Tagbilaran, so of course, I noticed but didn't give a double take. A few minutes later, someone sat on the table next to me - it was her! If I didn't make a move, I knew I couldn't forgive myself in the many years to come.

Sandugo Festival hosted nightly live music, sometimes luring beautiful women to check it out

Mustering Sinew for a Hello
As a general rule, I don't approach women in Tagbilaran. Tagbilaran is conservative and it's best to be introduced by a common friend. Besides, the women who get my attention are much younger than me - I didn't want to come across as a 'dirty old man'.

But when an attractive woman gets my attention and sits next to my table, I see it as divine intervention I should act upon. So, hurdling my reluctance and hesitation, I waited for the band to finish their song and said, "Hello". She smiled back politely and went back to her phone. I asked her a question and she gave a polite answer and went back to her phone. She was either just being polite or wanted the engagement but shy. Of course, I chose to believe the latter. There was no conversation - just a question from me and a quick polite reply from her before she went back to her phone.

Keeping in Touch
Sensing nothing was coming out of this, I told her it was nice talking to her but asked if we could keep in touch via Messenger. She said yes, and I wrote "Hi" to me from her phone. I left feeling satisfied that I had her contact info.

Blocked
The following day, I tried to reply but I couldn't. Apparently, she blocked me. I guess she wasn't open for interaction - she was just polite, and being in a conservative society, being polite was preferred to outright rejection.

Ending Thoughts
Getting blocked is getting rejected - no 2 ways about it. That stings. But I'm glad I still talked to her. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for being such a chicken. Moreover, I will forever be haunted on "what could have been" - that is infinitely worse, and will stay with me for life.

I remember a moment from the Robert Redford movie, Indecent Proposal. As a young lad, he saw a beautiful woman inside the train he was on. He was mesmerized but couldn't muster the guts to talk to her. At one stop, she alighted but took a head turn and smiled at him before the door closed. For the next few months, he would board that train every day at that specific time hoping she would be there. He never saw her again, and he never forgave himself since (from the trailer below, I realize how my memory has changed).

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Bohol, Philippines

tourist attractions

Danao Adventure Park - zip lining, cable car ride, caving, river rides/trekking, off-road buggy ride, root climbing, rappelling and ultra-glide rides
Alona Beach - hub for tourists with hotels, resorts, restos, bars and dive shops
Chocolate Hills - hills side-by-side shaped like giant Kisses chocolate
Tarsier - pocket-sized marsupia looking like a monkey
Balicasag Island - one of the best dive spots in the Philippines
Loboc River - river cruise on a boat
Anda Beach - fine white sand beach with resorts, restos and cottages, 3 hours by bus from Tagbilaran
Cabagnow Cave Pool - brackish water pool about 5ft deep inside a limestone opening on the ground, 8 feet deep, P50
Lamanok Island - walk on a 100m bamboo bridge on stilts to a resto area to take a boat tour to caves and nearly attractions, P300
Combento Cave Pool - cave pool with underwater cave system, P20
Can-umantad Falls - long narrow drop until it hits a bulbous mound spreading it into a a curtain-like water canopy and down into a splash pool
Canawa Cold Spring - deep refreshing cold spring with developed pool area
Firefly Tour - evening boat ride into the river to watch fireflies

hotel

Fox & The Firefly Cottages - SUP paddle boarding, luxury riverside native cottages, mountain bike tours, SUP yoga
Baranggay Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol
Bohol Tropics Resort - seafront location, manicured surroundings, swimming pool, resto/bar
0133 Graham Avenue, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran, Bohol 6300
Oasis Resort - Alona Beach location, dive center, resto / bar
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

yoga

Jing Yoga - health & well being through yoga
The Courtyard - Airport Road fronting the church
Bohol Meditation and Yoga Center - 2nd Floor Lim Magtajas Bldg. CPG Avenue

Bohol Travel Info/Tips

Bohol FYI / Tips

the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located within the Alona Beach area
the tourist attractions in Bohol are far apart and spread-out. It would be difficult to visit them all using public mass transit. Better hire a van (P3500/day) if in a big group, or rent a motorcycle (P400/day + gas)
Bohol relies on its tourism for revenue. As expected, everything they can capitalize on from tourism is extensively used and developed

Tagbilaran Port to Panglao

You can charter any tricycle from the port all the way to Panglao (~P300), but if you want to do it on the cheap,

don't take the tricycles lined-up inside the port. Walk past the port gate and immediately outside, you'll see many tricycles. Take one to the bus terminal in Dao (~P15)
in Dao, take the jeep that plies the Panglao route (~P20)

Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu City by boat

** schedules and rates keep changing, call for latest schedule

Weesam Express - departs 6:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM
one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
Ocean Jet - departs 6-7:05-8:20-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-3:30-4:20-5:30-6:30PM, 2 hours, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63(32)255 7560 / +63 (32) 255 0115 / 0917 638 0000
SuperCat (2GO) - departs 5:50-11AM, 3:45-5:25-8:15PM, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000

Things to do, Places to go in Bohol

Chocolate Hills - this is a clustering of more than 1200 hills within a 50km² area. They range in height from 30-50 meters. What's unusual is their near-perfect conical shape resembling an individual chocolate chip. No one knows how they were formed. Entrance is P50/pax.
Tarsier Conservation Area - located Upper Bonbon, Loboc. The tarsiers are no longer being played at by tourists as circus props, but instead, visitors now view them in cordoned-off areas in their natural 6ha habitat. As they are territorial and nocturnal, they are predictable on where they can be viewed. P50/pax.
Alona Beach (Panglao) - Alona Beach is the tourist hub of Bohol. It has 1.5 kms of white sand beach lined-up by bars, hotels and restos. Alona is also the jump-off point for Balicasag Island, a world class dive destination.
Danao Adventure Park - located in Barangay Magtangtang, 72 kms (2 hours ride) from Tagbilaran. Adventure activities include river trekking, tyrolean traverse, rappelling, bouldering, rock climbing and ziplining.

Blogs

Bohol blogs