PHILIPPINES: house on ALONA BEACH :)

..arriving by boat to Jagna city port on Bohol island we were not sure which direction to continue - we had several options, but after asking around fellow travellers we opted for Alona beach on Panglao island..cause nobody had anything bad to say about it (nobody had been there ;))...

...and then we found THE SUN! :)
...and the perfect house on the perfect beach :)

That`s Panglao island :)
Red line = our motorbike trip approximate route
Swimming dude in the sea = Balicasag island
Sun on the coast = approximate location of Alona beach
Sun in the sea = approximate location of Virgin island

View Panglao island in a larger map


Alona beach is a great place for divers (not that I dive myself ;) as there are many dive resorts offering full range of dives. It`s also great for beach holiday (this i do :), some island hops (this I love) and snorkelling (this I did for the first time!)


The house on the left is ours: Peter`s house linked with Genesis divers
..right on the beach..
..swim as you get out..
..drink mango shakes whenever you feel like..
..snorkel right off coast..


Our room in da house :)

Home beach :)


And this is the very relaxed Alona Beach different times of day (most people come here for diving, so beach is far from being crowded ;)






After the sunset it`s night fun time...live music...dinners by the coast under the stars...tropical cocktails...beach parties...

Hawaii :)



ISLAND HOP-HOPS & SNORKELLING

BALICASAG ISLAND


..is told to be one of the best diving/snorkelling sites in Philippines for "macro" experience ;)
It`s a small island nice to wander around...and snorkelling is wow!!! :)

I had snorkelled for the first time in my life the previous day on Alona beach, so jumping into "God knows how deep" crystal clear blue water....

...and seeing the "live" wall with all those colourful creatures was surreal!!! It was a new amazing reef world for me - ALL ALIVE AND CONSTANTLY MOVING...small fish...big fish...yellow fish...blue fish.. violet fish...white fish...striped fish...Nemo...square fish...armies of sea urchins...butterfly fish...corals....squid...tiny fish...etc...AMAZING!!!

And that`s very happy & funny me on the reef :)...


And as I don`t really have underwater camera to show all the amazing things I saw...here is at least something (actually, very nice sea stars) I was able to capture in shallow waters in different places :)





VIRGIN ISLAND
This ring shaped VIRGIN island is a true natural beauty & miracle - tropical oasis in the middle of the sea!





EXPLORING PANGLAO ISLAND ON MOTORBIKE

And as usual the exploring is not complete if we haven`t rented a bike to find all the hidden gems...so we took one day to ride around Panglao island and here`s what we found..

...cool houses :) and countless villages


...breathtaking beaches in Doljo point area


...remote "postcard-like" resorts


...local youth


...different colours of schools uniforms in different areas of the island: from pink, to blue, checked and dark blue...


...sunset :)


Riding into the sunset...with almost non-existent bike lights



NEXT: Last chapter about Philippines..LITTLE PRIMATES, LITTLE KIDS and LITTLE FLOOD...again ;)