What's on in Bohol (even when it rains)

MANILA, Philippines - Boatmen call it “the sea between Bohol and Siquijor.” Here pumpboats ferry tourists to go dolphin-watching and island-hopping.

To catch sight of the dolphins, you need to be at mid-sea by early morning. The spot where dolphins come out to greet the first rays of sunlight is a 30-minute boat ride from Panglao Island’s beach resorts. 

After the close encounter with the dolphins, you’re off to marvel at the rich coral bed and wide variety of fish in the marine sanctuary that is Balicasag Island, about 30 minutes away. 

It is a must to go snorkeling when in Balicasag. From the pumpboat, where you can leave your things with the boatman, you transfer to a small paddle boat, which will carry up to three passengers to the designated snorkeling and fish-feeding area. The water is so clear; you can see the corals and schools of fish.

Next stop is Virgin Island off the coast of Panglao. After cruising for another 40 minutes, you dock at the tip of a tiny crescent-shaped white sandbar island. 

Virgin Island is postcard-pretty. The sky and the sea come together in this uninhabited paradise. The water is not ideal for swimming as it is full of lusay, a type of seagrass, but it is quite photographable.   

In the distance, catch a glimpse of Siquijor and Cebu. Aside from Panglao and Balicasag, a small Bohol island also comes into view. It is called Cat Island because stray cats in Panglao are “exiled” here as punishment for stealing food. 

Also on Virgin Island, tourists can buy fresh catch from passing fishermen, who carry in their banca the harvest of the day. Balo, an elongated fish that thrives in shallow water, sells for P200 to P300 apiece depending on its size. Sea urchin roe are sold by the bottle for P100.

The Bohol dolphin-watching and island-hopping tour is interesting with each destination offering something different. 

The bonus is that all throughout the tour, whether at sea or on an island, you can stay connected to the Internet via Smart Bro Prepaid. All you need is to equip your laptop with a Smart Bro plug-it USB modem.  

Smart Bro is the high-speed wireless broadband Internet service that runs on Smart Communications Inc.’s nationwide HSPA network. Its prepaid version is a small USB-type wireless modem.

Smart Bro is available in both urban areas and remote provinces and towns.

“In Bohol, we have Smart Bro coverage in Panglao as well as in the municipalities of Tubigon, Talibon, Trinidad, Ubay, Guindulman, and Jagna,” says engineer Gerald Galdo of Smart Bohol. Residents from far-flung places need not travel to the main city to visit an Internet shop.

Loading a Smart Bro Prepaid broadband kit is as easy and affordable as loading a prepaid mobile phone. It costs only P10 for every 30 minutes, and load is available from over a million Smart e-load retailers all over the country.

With good connection, 30 minutes is more than enough time to reply to important e-mails, check out the news online, and even post photos on the spot to your social networking accounts. 

And while the dolphins may not come out on a rainy morning, the Smart Bro connection is not affected by wet weather, not even by a downpour, as Galdo attests. 

On such days when dolphin-watching and island-hopping may not be such a good idea, you can always stay in the beach resort and just surf the Net.