A View From Above: An aerial tour over Bohol

My Friendster account is full of been-there-did-that photos. Definitely, this recent experience will be part of those photos. I had an aerial tour over Bohol's famous Chocolate Hills courtesy of AviaTours Fly'n - the first full-service fixed-base operator (FBO) in the country recently.

At around eleven in the morning last May 26, this writer together with this paper's ace photojournalist Iste Sesante-Leopoldo and Mandaue Maris Travel and Tours Travel Manager Doreen Cataluña boarded the four-seater Cessna 170. We had the amiable and charming Captain Iñake Policarpio as our pilot (My Pilot, I call him). We took off from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport after a seven-minute engine warm up, leaving urban worries and looking forward to a wonderful experience.

As the elongated island of Cebu slowly dissolved into a silhouette of greenish-blue, we were greeted by Bohol's vast seascape of different aquamarine hues dotted by islets: a landscape of marshlands, plains and mountainous terrains.

The weather that day was perfect for flying with the sun high above us. We were at level with the pearlescent fluffy low-hanging clouds. Armed with a notebook and a pen, I scribbled down some stuff while Ate Iste got busy taking photos. Ms. Doreen, on the other hand, was glued to the splendid view below us.

Under us is the provincial scenery, seeming timeless and beyond the complications of a typical urban setting. Patches of communities looked unperturbed - a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of urban living.

In the far stretch was a vast expanse of what looked like a well-manicured terrain, making the whole island appear like a gigantic golf course.

A few minutes after entering the Bohol airspace, the sight of the mounds that are the Chocolate Hills came into view.

Qouting www.bohol.ph, "Legend has it that the hills came into existence when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally exhausted, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. For the more romantically inclined is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief."

Caught at the threshold that separates fantasy and reality, I had a vision: two giants madly throwing mounds of sand and earth at each other, while the land they're standing on is shaking. Click! The giants were gone and the surrounding was serene. The view changed into a picture of a giant weeping over a great loss.

Having learned about these stories before taking the trip, I gravitated to the magnificence and the mystique of the natural wonder just some distance under the Cessna.

Moments later, the brown hills seemed magnified and came into focus when Captain Iñake (to my delight) maneuvered the plane a little lower. The view then became more spectacular as we went closer to the brown hills. They are uniform in shape and even in size so that upon first encounter, you would think they are manually engineered, built and landscaped. Entertaining that thought, Chocolate Hills would give the pyramids of Egypt stiff competition. Some of them however are now dotted with green specks, indicating the entry of the rainy season.

According to the latest count, there are 1,776 hills that are intact. There are also those that are already covered with trees and shrubs. From the shapes of the latter, I presume they were Chocolate Hills once but vegetation covered them with the passing of time.

We passed over Carmen and Sagbayan towns where Chocolate Hills are standing like a battalion of giant sentinels guarding the residents.

Further on the flight, mountain ranges unfolded and rivers snaked through the valleys.

There was a little turbulence that Captain Iñake explained as caused by the gusty winds that day. With his expertise in flying (a career that started in 2001), My Pilot was able to achieve a smooth and enjoyable flight.

Fast forward.

We were flying over the waters of Bohol Strait on our way back and I felt immediately nostalgic. How I wished we flew over the magnificent island a little longer than the course normally would take.

As we approached Mactan Island, we flew much lower (a little more than 500 feet) and the cystal blue waters were sparkling while a cluster of bancas lay quitely below.

After about 45 minutes, we were back on the ground, back to the bustling metropolis and back to work.

What we took was the tour package AviaTours call Course B. Other trips are: Course A - flying over Mactan and Olango Islands and Course C - flying over Olango Island and Bohol's Chocolate Hills and Panglao Island.

Now if you want to experience the same, or even more, feel free to call AviaTours at telephone number (032) 341-2268. You may also visit their hangar at the General Aviation Area of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-lapu City.