We’re just back from Bohol, an island to the west of Cebu. La Niña means there’s lots of rain, but it’s warm and the mist sometimes adds to the delightful scenery. I didn’t take as many pictures as usual, however, with two months here, there’s plenty of time.
The house below was just across from our small hotel. Part of the roof is palm and there are traditional designs on the walls.
These are capiz or shell windows, a holdover from the Spanish colonial period. They were less expensive than glass, but allowed for light.
Here we are at a suspension bridge and this is Mark, Lauren’s half brother, who goes to school in Cebu.
This really could be anywhere in the Philippines, but I liked the bright colours against the old buildings. You can see some more capiz windows on the second floor.
The Philippines is Asia’s most Christian country. Churches often date from Spanish rule when priests were a power in the land. Catholicism mixed with folk beliefs (an acceptance of ghosts is common) contributes to tolerance of authority, hardship and, some say, a sense of fatalism.
Bohol’s main attraction is the Chocolate Hills, more than twelve hundred rounded hills, some as high as 120 metres. In the dry season, they become brown and so their name.
Just to give an idea of how rounded they are, here's one hill on its own.
