Thai Food For September, I think I'll do a little more of Thai-cooking - not from scratch since not all ingredients are locally available. I'll use the bottled sauce/paste imported from Thailand. It should spice things up.
...cooking on a carbon-steel wok on a cast-iron stove
Lechon Manok Pizza
Lechon Manok Pizza
(September 23, 2023 Tagbilaran, Bohol Island, Philippines) Pizza will always be my staple and my comfort food. As many pizzas as I post here, there are more I don't - that's how much pizza I make. Usually, I default to roasted chicken leftovers for my pizza topping. But of course, there is always the olives, mushroom and shallots interspersed with the cheese. Yummy!
Carrot Juicing
Carrot Juicing
(September 16, 2023 Tagbilaran, Bohol Island, Philippines) My vision has been challenged for many years now but I still defy using prescription glasses. I do just about everything to optimize my eyes - daily trataka cleansing, eye exercises, and now carrot juicing. I tried carrot juicing decades ago and my eyes reverted back to 20/20 - even my eye doctor was astonished. Westinghouse had a 20% discount on its juicer. It was my long awaited chance. 3 big carrots fill up my 500ml cup. Local carrots, no matter how fresh off the farm, don't taste as sweet as the imported variety. But I'm not sure if that is also a measure of the beta carotene nutrition it has. Still, carrot juice in pure form is very refreshing...and healthy!
Carrot Bread
Carrot Bread
(September 17, 2023 Tagbilaran, Bohol Island, Philippines) After juicing the carrots, what do you do with all that pulp? Commercial juicing outlets simply throw that out. Not me. It's still nutritious food and great fiber. I make carrot bread! You can buy the commercial carrot cake, but you can never find carrot bread. And this bread has more carrot than flour - it's as healthy as it gets.
(September 26, 2024) After my Tom Yum Soup, next Thai food is equally famous on the global stage - Pad Thai, again, using Real-Thai pad-thai paste. Looking at the ingredients, they can all be locally obtained. Next time, I'll do it the DIY way. For a change, I'm using shrimps....more »»
(September 6, 2024) I miss Thailand and I miss Tom Yum Soup. In Bohol, Philippines, it's challenging to make this soup from scratch since not all ingredients are locally available. Luckily, prepackaged Thai sauces, pastes, coconut cream and noodles are available at ICM Mall in Tagbilaran. This is the first time I'll be cooking Thai cuisine. Crossing my fingers....more »»
Perfect-Crust Pizza
Perfect-Crust Pizza
(September 4, 2023 Tagbilaran, Bohol Island, Philippines) I did something different this time with my pizza dough. I didn't 'rolling pin' it too hard leaving a slightly thicker pizza dough. Then I put it on the wok, covered, to rise the 3rd time. The outcome was pizza-joint style crust that was crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Another lesson: since the wok has a round bottom, all the melted cheese accumulated at the center. Next time, put the cheese on the outer edge of the dough, nothing on the center. When it cooks, the cheese should have flowed with equal distribution on the entire pizza pie.
Ending Thoughts Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai, hmmm, not too bad for a change. Next, perhaps Masaman Curry.
(September 2024) On my 4 am alarm, I do Trataka before leaving the house. When I can help it, I begin my practice at the Bantawan Old Airport at 5 am - this gives me more time until the sun begins to hurt. More cardio than before with rope skipping. After the practice, I listen to noteworthy podcasts. September has been a month of intense learning...more »»
(October 2024) Aside from my usual staples (pizza, bread), I've added my flare for taho, Pad Thai and roasted peanuts for my trail mix....more »»
More on Tagbilaran:
Tagbilaran Map
Tagbilaran Local Info
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Tagbilaran to Cebu by Boat
Lite Ferries (Roro) (updated Jan 25, 2025) info from website, Economy P370, 4 - 5 hours, daily, departs 12 noon and 12 midnight, but info is inconsistent with online booking, website and office info. Best to double check.
As a Roro, you can load your motorbike or car, no Senior Citizen discount for online ticket purchase
Ocean Jet - 2 hours, departs 10:40 am, arrives 12:40 pm, Pier 1 Cebu. Ocean Jet is NOT folding bike friendly - it charges on a per kilo basis. My folding bike amounted to P500 extra.
Chelsea Starlite Ferries Inc. - MV Starlite Pioneer (CARGO-PAX), 5 hours, P400/P670, Sun, Tue, 1 am,
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.