CEBU and BOHOL - Tarsiers, Chocolate Hills and more :)

Over the Chinese New Year weekend we decided to visit the Philippines after almost a decade, this time flying into Cebu. I had heard a lot about Mactan island and the resorts there so thought that it would be good to enjoy some beach time…

However, unfortunately, being able to enjoy beach time meant staying at one of the large resorts with a private beach front, which our Airbnb apartment did not have. So we did spend on a day package at the Movenpick Hotel to chillax on the beach, though it was nothing to shout about, having been to lovely beaches in Thailand and even Boracay, in the Philippines, previously. 

In fact, I would advise those looking for a Philippine beach holiday to avoid the grossly over-priced resorts in Mactan and look for other options. Instead, if visiting Cebu, choose to spend a couple of nights in a nice hotel in the city so as to be able to enjoy the sight-seeing and nightlife on offer. The traffic between the two is simply unbearable given that they have just two bridges servicing it, so not worth a daily commute back and forth.

With regards to Cebu city, the highlight for me was the view of the city from the Tops Lookout followed by a quick bite at the Lantaw hilltop restaurant nearby, just in time to experience the lights in the city being turned on. Quite a beautiful sight! The visit to Tops itself was made interesting by this guy and his drone which had everyone pretty mesmerized as he manoeuvred it over the valley. The Basilica del Santo Nino and the ancestral Yap-San Diego house were very interesting and worth a visit when in the city. I would recommend lunch at Café Laguna in the Ayala mall in the city. They serve authentic, local fare and the popularity of the restaurant can be seen from the queues at lunch time. 

The highlight of the entire trip however, was the last day that we spent in Bohol which had us wishing that we had spent more time there. Bohol is a two-hour ferry ride from Cebu and the Ocean Jet ferry was very comfortable and stable. We had a car to pick us up at the ferry terminal and immediately embarked on our sight-seeing. 

First stop was the Tarsier Conservation Area in Loboc. I was in for a shock, as in the pictures, they make the tarsiers look so BIG! In reality they are smaller than your palm!! Too cute for words and we were thrilled to be able to view 4-5 creatures comfortably nestling in the trees. Being nocturnal creatures, they are very sluggish and mostly asleep during the day, but we were fortunate to get some great pictures of one that was awake. I absolutely fell in love with these creatures whose adult weight is a mere 150 gms!!

From there it was on to the Loboc River Cruise which included lunch. While not great food, given how much we had to cover in a day, it made sense to eat on board. In any case, the stunning views of the river made up for it. Lovely also to see poor kids play with gay abandon on handmade swings over the water which they used as a launching point for a plunge into the river.

Of course, no trip to Bohol is complete without a trip to Bohol’s most famous attraction, the Chocolate hills. The Chocolate Hills are a geological formation with over 1200 hills spread over an area of more than 50 sq. km. They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, making them look like endless rows of chocolate kisses, hence the name. The 214 step climb to the top was well worth the effort for the views that greeted us at the top. Beautiful! Even the drive to the Chocolate Hills through the man-made mahogany forest was stunning.

A trip to the Hanging Bamboo Bridge, Blood Compact Shrine and the Baclayon church rounded off our sight-seeing. 

Then after a rest at the hotel, we were lucky to indulge in our best meal of the trip at Persona Mesa. The fabulous wine accompaniment to the meal rendered hubby a happy camper and he was all smiles thereafter. A perfect ending to the trip :)


February 2016 - Cebu, Bohol (Philippines)

NASHIK – A hidden gem

Nashik, a city in the northwest region of Maharashtra (India) is situated at the foothills of the Western Ghats on the banks of the river Godavari, at an elevation of 2,300 ft above sea level. We had always wanted to visit the city and it definitely surprised on the upside.

The key ingredient in our amazing experience was our accommodation,Teerth Villa, 

a beautiful homestay-cum-posh bungalow hotel located in a quiet residential area in Nashik. We spent 3 wonderful nights there with my husband's family and could not have been happier with our choice. The rooms were beautifully done up with great attention to detail. The highlight of our stay though was the amazing local, vegetarian food. We used to look forward to the breakfast each day with the menu changing every day. We ate 3 main meals there as well which were mouth-watering.

The owners arranged a fabulous guide to take us around the city. The city has so much to offer and we would never have discovered as much without her help. She accompanied us to the amazing Naroshankar Temple

in the Panchavati area, on the banks of the Godavari. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is a great example of the architectural style called “Maya” dating back to the 18th century. The intricacy of the designs on the exterior of the temple were a sight to behold. In the front of the temple there is a huge bell called the “Naroshankar Bell”. It is believed that the jingle of the bell can be heard up to 5 miles away. 

Our guide also enlightened us about the Kumbh Mela, held once every 12 years in Nashik (last held in 2015). It draws millions of devotees and tourists from all over the country and the world. Trimbakeshwar is a holy town that houses one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India. According to historical records, Nashik is one of four places where the elixir of immortality, the 'amrit', fell to earth from a pitcher as gods and demons were engaged in the tussle to gain the ownership of the jar full of 'amrit'. 

The Kumbh Mela rotates among the four holy sites every three years. Millions of devotees' plunge into the river Godavari, in the belief that it would cleanse their souls, leading to salvation. Another nice temple we visited was the Navshya Ganapati Temple at Anandvalli, with a history of around 300-400 years. The Ganapati idol is famous amongst its followers because it is said that he grants all wishes of anyone who comes to him.

A trip to Nashik would not be complete without a trip to one of its vineyards, with Sula Vineyards  the most famous. Here one can do a winery tour followed by wine-tasting following which, one can buy wines at discounted prices from its store.

However, the highlight of the sight-seeing for us was a visit to the Pandavleni caves, a group of 24 caves carved between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD, representing the Hinayana Buddhist caves. The caves face eastwards, so it is best visited early morning with the sunlight enhancing the beauty of the carvings. A must-do when in Nashik.

All in all, we were delighted with our accommodation, the sight-seeing, infrastructure, cleanliness and high service standards and quality of food at restaurants (Barbeque Ville, Veg Aroma and Divtya Budhlya worth a mention here). We could well be back for more …

December 2015 - Nashik, Maharashtra (India)