Bohol Adventure Part 1

Four BACKPACKERS traveled more than a thousand kilometers to the province of Bohol: the home of the famed Chocolate Hills and the indigenous primate; the tarsier.

BOHOL ADVENTURE
Part 1: Bohol Tour!
by Ivan Ignacio

BOHOL: AN OVERVIEW

We landed in the City of Friendship: Tagbilaran City via Philippine Airlines. Unlike the crowded Manila and Cebu City, Tagbilaran is a humble small city where you can still feel that rustic vibe. It is the only city in this relatively small island. Despite owning only one city, Bohol has the most number of municipalities in the country. It is surrounded by Cebu on its west, Siquijor on its Southwest, Leyte on its East and Camiguin down South. We later learned that the name of the province was derived from 'Bohok' which means cave. According to the locals we interacted with, Bohol is home to numerous cave systems, one of which we visited on our fourth day. 

Mt. Sembrano 2013 (Revisited)

Mt. Sembrano 2013 (Revisited)

By: Nickson Garcia 

My First time with TheBackpackers (BP)

August of last year, I joined a group of mountaineers on their climb at Mt. Sembrano. It was again my first time to climb since time immemorial and unlike my previous climbs, I was unprepared. I had no mountaineering gears, it was a rainy (“bagyo”) season, and we’ll be sleeping overnight. My only purpose in joining that climb was for me to relax and forget (even just for a short time) all the bad events that happened recently on my life. Sadly, upon reaching the summit, zero visibility welcomed us and I just said that one day I will return and see the beauty of this summit. Little did I know, that experience was the start of my mountaineering life and surprisingly, it also marked the day where I met this set of people whom I will have a deep connection with.

Albuera, Leyte Relief Operations

#BANGON ALBUERA!

Part 2: Moving a Mountain
The BACKPACKERS 
Relief Operations in Albuera, Leyte

by Ivan Ignacio

 "Though our passion is conquering mountains, we found more fulfillment in moving one, a 5.936-ton mountain of donations across 960 kilometers to get it to the people of Albuera, Leyte." ~BP Liz

BP Liz nailed it with the opening of her Albuera, Leyte album in facebook. Huge effort and man power were needed to move a 5.9 ton of relief goods from Manila all the way to Leyte (via Cebu). And considering the time frame we had to adjust to, every BACKPACKER and friends devoted their genuine attention in making sure that we will successfully complete the feat.

BANGON ALBUERA!

#BANGON ALBUERA!

Stories of hope, faith and survival 

during typhoon Yolanda's aftermath
by Ivan Ignacio

I thought that scenes where you can see planes from the Air Force, ships from our (and other countries') Navy, and army trucks pass by every twenty or so minutes can only be seen in war movies until our boat landed in Ormoc City, Leyte. It was not the city I knew anymore. Establishments with damaged roof (some with no roof at all), electric posts and trees were either bent or lying on the ground, shards of broken glasses were scattered everywhere. The once lush green mountains and hills were now as dull as ever. And the people? They were trying to pick up the pieces from what was left of their properties, and their lives. All of these were compressed in a vast sight of a sorrowful town. It was like depicting a vulnerable harrowing work of art. The moment we stepped on that port, everything - the news, the pictures and videos circulating in different media, the stories - felt surreal.

Albuera, Leyte

I thought that scenes where you can see planes from the Air Force, ships from our (and other countries') Navy, and army trucks pass by every twenty or so minutes can only be seen in war movies until our boat landed in Ormoc City, Leyte. It was not the city I knew anymore. Establishments with damaged roof (some with no roof at all), electric posts and trees were either bent or lying on the ground, shards of broken glasses scattered everywhere. The once lush green mountains and hills were now as dull as ever. And the people? They were now trying to pick up the pieces from what was left of their properties, and their lives...

pictures from Albuera, Leyte after the super typhoon Yolanda: