Chocolate Hills to Loboc River, The Rush!

If our drivers might have been zooming faster than usual this time, ah I was not complaining hehe. My principles on safety, comfort and convenience do get a bit twisted when the tummy grumbles. I think you my dearest readers should also take note of this. Its just impossible to depart from Tubigon in the morning and expect to have a timely lunch at Loboc River after attempting to enjoy Inabangga, Danao, Carmen, the hills, Batuan, Bilar, the Tarsiers and many other things. Don’t worry, I pre-advised the companion that I acceded to his plan on the condition that I will blame him forever and ever. The reply: we can always come back here. Awk! See that picture? I never even got to say hi and hello to the operators of that buggy tour. I could have asked questions like “what’s with those two front tires slanting inwards at the top” hehe! I snapped this photo by twisting my body as if to turn back as we sped past them.

Then there was Batuan but we did not even make a stop anywhere in this town. I really wanted to since none of the local tours offered by the tourism accredited agencies includes a stop anywhere in this town. Not that there’s anything particular that I wanted to see. I was just curious actually to roam the town center and see for myself why this town is tagged as a “6th class municipality” on wikipedia, though it has been called a town as early as 1903. Plus, I really wanted to see or at least ask and learn why one barangay in this town is named “Behind The Clouds” – yes, literally and IN ENGLISH! Aren’t you curious?! Well, I am, and am already smiling, imagining how it got that name hehe. If anyone of you happens to know or will be going in that area, I’ll be glad to learn how that barangay got such an amusing name! Aw, see that picture? I took it as my haba-habal ride zoomed through. Well, from my previous trips, at least I know that this town’s name does not come from the root word “bato” (stone). Rather it is from a fruit tree called Batuan – pronounced “bat-one” or more precisely “but-one”! Yep, the English words "but" and "one", just pronounce them fast like in this phrase: "nothing but one"!

Then there was Bilar. Nope, I was not as excited to pass by the man-made forest again as I have just even been there like a few months ago. I wanted to see more at center of this town and not just the highway area hehe. But alas, we were speeding through so I got no choice. That picture of their church I also snapped as we passed, probably at about 50kph. While this town is along the highway that is daily trodden by vehicles going to the chocolate hills, did you know that it is also along the famous Loboc River? Well, am not real sure as a friend just told me about it, but I would have wanted to see, if not even just ask about the Bilar portion of that river. This one I know: while we always see the tarsiers on “display” in Loboc, there is a protected tarsier conservation area amongst Bilar’s thickets that is off limits to tourists or even curious onlookers! But I know I won’t be allowed in that jungle anyway. So, I happily took pictures of the companion posing by the tall trees beside the highway that cuts through the man-made forest!

Loboc Forest Camp. When we passed by this area, it was the tandem of my companion and his habal-habal driver that got there first and opted to stop and wait for us. They seemed interested to go inside and check out what might be in there. Hah, my turn to remind everyone that we were rushing down to the river for lunch hehe. So I asked “who wants to ride a zip line that is generally for elementary school children?” and of course none raised a hand - as it was so up at Danao hehe. Then I declared that nothing else in there would be fantastic for any of us as everything else is a representation of the Filipino’s rural life that I said we all see and encounter too often anyway. Discourse done, I was successful in asking everyone that we move on and omit this place. Well, at least I reminded them to take foreign visitors there as surely it will be educational for them. Eh, I did not anymore tell, that in my head, I was already planning at coming back to this place with my little kulit nephews and nieces. Soon darlings, soon!

The Tarsiers finally! Well, if those cute little ones could talk, they would probably have said “hey, its you again” to me hehe! They never fail to amaze me. While the companion and the drivers went in different directions to see every available Tarsier for viewing, I lazily went around, still watching the cute little primates. Like I said in a story of long ago, visitors are not anymore allowed to hold any one of them. Good I think. I always like it when these Tarsiers have their eyes in a sleepy mode (or mood) than totally wide awake. Notice this… when you are there in front of any one of them, your eyes will unconsciously form the way the Tarsier’s is hehe. So, if you are in front of one that has both eyes open wide and round like an owl's, look at the people around, theirs (and yours) would also be so hahaha!

Then, the river finally… yes, the river! So let’s have that next!


If you want to read the chronology of all stories on this tour, click the following:
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

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