Bohol Island

Port of Benoni, Camiguin - Jagna, Bohol – 25 km & ferry
Plenty of time remained to cycle to the port, as the boat departed at around
11h00, and no sooner were we underway when the weather took a turn for the
worse. The ferry rolled and pitched, and people yelled and hung on to all
conceivable posts. Seasick bags were in high demand, as the boat rocked and
rolled on the high seas. The scariest part was there were no visible signs of any
floating devices. All we could do was sit tight and hope for the best. To everyone’s
relief, the ferry safely arrived at Jagna, Bohol two hours later.

The wind was still pumping, and not being in the mood to battle a headwind, a
scrappy 250 pesos abode made a good enough hiding place until the morning.

Bohol forms part of what is known as The Visayas, a large cluster of islands in the
middle of the Philippines. The Visayas consists of thousands of islands, but the
nine main ones are Cebu, Bohol, Guimaras, Samar, Leyte, Panay, Negros, Romblon
and Siquijor - I could see more than one visa extension coming up.

Jagna – Talibon – 90 km

The weather cleared in the morning, and I went to the municipality to inquire
about an island map. While waiting until the doors opened, breakfast was from a
mobile food cart. Then, map in hand, my route went in an anti-clockwise direction
around the island. A fascinating ride (vastly different from Mindanao) took me past
mangrove swamps, strange-looking hills, a multitude of small hamlets and sari-
sari stores. I even spotted giant monitor lizards.

Talibon, the first town encountered, was steeped in history and was home to a
beautiful old church built with coral rocks and, ironically, by slaves! Construction
started in 1852 and was completed in 1899 (the slaves were clearly not in a great
hurry). Even more bizarre was the history of Talibon.