LittleSandyBeach

On Monday we went to check out the nearby South Farm Panglao. It was a lot bigger than we thought with many different animals, herb gardens and fruit plantations. There was also lots of opportunities to feed the animals. After trying to fish on the lake we were told we had to take the fish so gave that a pass!

We had a fun time feeding the rabbits and guinea pigs banana leaves and then got given a small basket of seeds to take into the aviary full of parakeets. Upon entering we weren’t expecting them to swarm us!

Near our hotel was White Beach. It’s one of the least touristy beaches in the area however not the prettiest as it had lots of leaves from the forest behind. Nonetheless we enjoyed a little time watching the boats and then escaped quickly as a storm was rolling in!

In the evening we went to a restaurant called Ubeco which was very popular with the South Koreans (many direct flights from Seoul for their beach holidays). We found out that Ubeco is a portmanteau of the Filipino words for purple yam (ube) and coconut (co). They serve Asian fusion food mixing traditional Filipino ingredients with modern twists.

Included in our stay at our hotel was free breakfast on their rooftop. We were very impressed with the generous portions and the amazing view.

The following day we ventured out to the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary about an hour away on Bohol mainland. First, we had to watch a 5 minute introduction video on tarsiers and the conservation work they do at the sanctuary.

There are three different types of Tarsiers still in existence which are restricted to maritime South East Asia predominantly in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They are among the world’s smallest primates with a body length of only 9-16cm. Similar size to a human fist or tennis ball!

They have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal. Their enormous eyes are roughly the same size as their entire brain and lack a light reflecting tapetum allowing for exceptional night vision. They can also jump up to 5 metres, roughly 40 times their body length!

The next two days we had really bad weather with lots of rain so we didn’t get up to too much and stayed inside.

In and around the Philippines there are lots of Sari-Sari shops which are small family run convenience shops often operating from a home’s front window. They sell essential assortments of households goods and snacks contributing roughly to 35% of the country’s total retail sales!

The best beach we found in Panglao was Dumaluan Beach. We went there yesterday and spent a few hours chilling and soaking up the sun. It was spectacular and we saw lots of fish.

Afterwards, Harry went to the local barbershop for a long overdue haircut. The Filipino man was very nice and worked his magic. It cost 260 pesos for a cut and shave (£3.35).

In the afternoon we headed to the main tourist area as we wanted to check out a place we haven’t seen in Asia… an English pub!

When we stepped inside it was like being transported 7,000 miles back to England. We tried some of their pub grub – a Cornish pasty, scotch egg and bangers and mash which were very nice.

As we left the pub we came across a street vendor selling Pandesal (Filipino bread roll). Once he said it was only 5 pesos (6p) we had to give it a try! It was very yummy.

All across the Philippines they are known to love doing karaoke as it’s a deeply routed cultural pastime. Most families have a big karaoke machine in their homes and you can always hear someone belting out a tune.

This morning we left on a tricycle to head to the ferry port for Cebu. After many more fees (you can’t believe how many fees – terminal fee, luggage fee, entrance fee!) we boarded our ferry which took two hours.

We then got a Grab to our accommodation near Cebu Airport where we will be flying to Boracay tomorrow! For an easy lunch we stopped by Jollibee and Tasha had to try their famous spaghetti.

We are very excited for Boracay as it’s known to have one of the best beaches in the world with crystal clear waters. Let’s hope the rain stays away!