Beautiful Bohol

God has been allowing me to discover a lot of new things lately. The past week was filled with new lessons, new sceneries, new friendships. The IVCF Conference in Bohol was well worth it. My only regret is that I was not able to take many pictures during the conference itself — I was enjoying the sessions and activities so much that I completely forgot to document them. Nevertheless, I am reserving a full write-up of my experiences for my writer’s blogck.

During our free hours though, I was able to take snapshots of the sceneries of the place. Here is one, during my early morning quiet time by the seashore. The sun rose above the mountains while fishermen pulled their boats to shore, finished with their early morning catch. I thank God for allowing me to witness moments like these.

The Loboc river was one of the attractions of Bohol. We cruised across its pristine waters. Coconut trees line the riverbank and sporadically scattered are nipa huts. You will see people doing their morning routine – mothers doing their laundry, fathers bathing their pigs, and kids diving into the water from the trees. Sometimes I envy the simplicity of their lives.

Here are some kids who were riding with me on the floating restaurant. Their smiles were as refreshing as the pristine waters of the Loboc River.

Finding Hersheyland. As a kid, I have always wanted to see the Chocolate Hills. Maybe it was my love for chocolates that made me curious about these hills. Now that I found them, I can now conclude that they are not really made of chocolate. =)

I had a very enjoyable swim in Panglao. The tide was low, and there were already seagrasses and corals where water was only waist-deep. Thanks to Elmer, who let me borrow his snorkel set, and Yvette, my very enjoyable snorkeling companion, I was able to explore a portion of the underwater world of Panglao. Too bad I did not have an underwater camera (it’ll be my next investment) so I just took a photo of what my camera can: the sunset above the waters.

Nightfall came, and we had a very enjoyable dinner of barbecued chicken and seaweeds on the beach. After dinner, I was talking to Jun near the gate when I noticed that the gleam of the lamp’s light on his glasses made it seem luminous, and set the rest of his figure on the silhouette. This is just an experimental shot – a result of my artistic frustrations – but per the model’s request, I am posting it on my blog. =)

Story and photos by Vanessa Velasco (Follow her blog on the link above.)