Country > Philippines > Bohol > Tagbilaran
Date > 2025 > March
Activity > Peoplescape

March 16, 2025

Nathalie: The Odd Friendship

Location : Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines

Odd
The odd thing is our age. She's 20, I'm 65. Nothing romantic or sexual, just friendship. But girls in Bohol (or for that matter, the entire country) that age don't hang out with 65-year-olds. But we spend lotsa time together during weekdays, talking, eating, and sometimes, eating out. She's been on the back of my motorbike once. We had Vietnamese coffee together. What's with all that?

Study Hub
We met at the Study Hub, a public library-ish place at the CPG Park that's open on weekdays. It's where I do my laptop work in an a/c room with wifi. It's better than spending P120 for coffee in a cafe just for the working environment. I started noticing her late Feb. She would be there daily, becoming a familiar face. I don't remember how it started but I must have asked her something. She replied and that's that. I didn't think any of it. But that started a growing comfort level. We began talking with the passing days. Weekend, the Hub is closed and we don't see each other.

with Nathalie outside Study Hub

Doing Stuff Together
Once, she offered me Pan de Sal. I likewise reciprocated. Then we took a walk to the sikwate place for some cocoa drink. One day, she asked if I could take her to a job interview in Dauis. That was surprising. We went on my motorbike. Then we ate Pancit Canton at Saya's Restaurant and met the owner, Boy Daku. Then we started hanging out in the morning at the park where I do my yoga. I even started bringing a spare lounge chair for her. I prepared Vietnamese coffee for us using my phins.

Nathalie, Boy Daku of Sayas Restaurant and me

Ending Thoughts
What does it all mean? I don't know and I don't want to know. Anything romantic on the horizon? I'm not saying no to that, but I'm not steering it that way either. I'm not new to this. In Chiangmai I went out with 20-something ladies - that was my landscape. But here with Nathalie, it's best to just enjoy the moment with no expectation. Maybe it leads somewhere, or maybe it's just a deepening friendship. It's a treat for me to even step back and see how this relationship morphs into whatever shape and form it takes. Before her, for the 9 months I was living in Tagbilaran, I didn't have anyone to talk to - well, maybe with Kat before, but that was more like an arms-length measured friendship. I'm just thankful to have someone I can hang out with...an odd one at that.

--- 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

Anda

ANDA

Exploring Combento Cave Pool Jun 29, 2017

Visiting Cabagnow Cave Pool Of Anda Jun 28, 2017

Exploring Anda, Bohol Jun 25-30, 2017

Candijay

CANDIJAY

Roadtrip from Candijay to Ubay Jul 1, 2017

Firefly Tour In Candijay, Bohol Jun 30, 2017

Freediving Canawa Cold Spring Of Candijay, Bohol Jun 30, 2017