Sagbayan Peak is beginning to be a popular spot among tourists and sightseeing locals alike. From the few times that I’ve been there I can certainly see why. The place is reminiscent of the Chocolate Hills resort located in Carmen, a neighboring town, although more spacious and a whole lot less crowded, with ample parking space for your vehicles. From the resort’s parking lot, and upon registering at the entrance, a few steps leads one to the resort itself, which boasts of an in-house restaurant. Several wishing fountains abound around the place–a treat for the sentimental soul. There’s even a telescope around that’s very convenient if you want to look over the surroundings and gush at the lushness of the environment. But perhaps the resort’s primary attracton is its butterfly sanctuary. The sanctuary is home and habitat to numerous winged creatures of multi-colored variety and certainly makes one feel as if entering a whole new dimension. Leave the frazzled and busy modern world–get up close with nature instead. After all, the best way to spend one’s time in Sagbayan Peak is to just forget about it.

Sometimes the most ordinary places can hide a gem within. This can most certainly be said about the town of Loay, Bohol. Hidden within the heart of the town lie a cluster of diminutive and verdant hills called Himontagon Hills that are beginning to attract tourists of the sentimental and romantic sort. While not yet comparable at present to the famous Chocolate Hills in terms of popularity, the hills can boast of an ambiance that brings to the traveler a feeling of serenity and tranquility— a paradise away from the hussle and bustle of the city. A dirt road leading from the main highway brings you to the scene; the travel can be a bit bumpy along the way but the effort is truly worth it once you get to the place. The hills can be seen at their best during sunrise and sunset, when the intense orange-red glow of the sun fully illuminates the surroundings— a golden paradise indeed.

On my frequent travels around Bohol I have often passed through a snake-like road in Bilar town that the locals call “tinae sa manok” in the vernacular, or “chicken’s intestine”. Quite a funny name for a road that seems darkly forbidding at first, but if you’re a sucker for atmosphere then I highly recommend that you stop for a while if you ever pass through this place. The air around this place is very cold–so it’s recommendable that you bring along a sweater if you’re going to stop by–it sort of reminds you of Baguio or Tagaytay. The cool air is attributed to the tall, leafy trees that abound in the place. The trees do have a history: according to the stories, in the 1950’s a group of Boy Scouts gathered in the area and planted seedlings in the area in one of their reforestation projects. Five decades have passed and the trees have grown to be the same trees that abound along the sides of the road–a testament to their hard work.

Perhaps no other wildlife would associate to Bohol more than the tarsier, the smallest primate in the Philippines. It is found in Corella, Loboc and other places in Bohol. In Corella, about 8 km from Tagbilaran City, is the sanctuary for the tarsier which is now considered endagered. These nocturnal creatures appear drowsy during daytime but are quite active at night when they hunt for small insects.
More information about the tarsier may be found in the website of PTFI or Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. which seeks to conserve the tarsier amidst the development and increased tourism in Bohol.

The tarsier has become a favorite souvenir item and it comes in various sizes and styles. There are tarsier bags, magnets, keyholders, penholders and many more. Techsier, on the other hand, is Bohol’s IT mascot as published by AUZA.NET on its website.