THE BLUE WATERS OF BOHOL - Anda, Bohol, The Philippines

.....we were previously in the slightly hectic Panglao area of Bohol, The Philippines......

Stunning beach at Anda, Bohol

Continuing our Bohol adventure, we took our first jeepney of the trip back to the organized Tagbilaran bus terminal, where we easily found the big bus departing for Anda. This journey was super sweaty and squishy, thanks to the packed bus and the amount of passengers, but mostly because the miniscule seat size. Thankfully, as we ventured further along the coast, people got off and we could spread out more. The bus whizzed past seaside towns with names such as Albuquerque and Garcia Hernandez, and we can say we have officially now been to Trinidad! Finally, as the roads and villages became smaller, and the jungle met the beach, we arrived in tiny Anda. In order to have the bus stop in The Philippines, one has to shout at the top of one's voice "STOP"! This took some getting used to!

Jeepney from Panglao to Tagbilaran, Bohol

Trinidad village hall!!

We found Anda to be a wonderfully sleepy beach town, pretty much just one main drag leading to a market, and dirt tracks leading off to the beach. It had a feeling of the end of the line, tucked away in the far southeast bulb of Bohol. Anda's residents had a laid back air about them, even the dogs were super chill. We enjoyed the constant friendly greetings everywhere that we had experienced in the interior of Bohol. When we ventured further than the central part of Anda, there were stares and giggles at the very sight of us. Homes in peaceful lanes were noticeably neat and there seemed to be an amount of civic pride. Cute little gardens, tidy lawns and limited rubbish about gave the village a well kept air. The quiet central market had a few stalls selling limited fruit and vegies, stall holders languishing in the heat of the day. Things livened up at around 4.30pm, when the village came alive. People bustled around the streets, chatting outside sari sari (variety) shops, traffic increased at the market and locals wandered down to the sea to cool off. 

Downtown Anda, Bohol

Resting in the heat, Anda main street, Bohol

Sleepy Anda during the day, Bohol

Stall at Anda market, Bohol

We felt slightly better off for food, ironically, considering the size of the place. A fantastic supermarket with more variety than we had seen before supplied our breakfast needs, and a few simple shacks offered palatable food for later in the day. The excellent accommodation we had found by a fluke had a well equipped outdoor, shared kitchen, so we were able to cook our oats for breakfast and make snacks. It also boasted a clean, cool and spacious room, and a swimming pool, which was amazing in the afternoons after a day out in the extreme heat. 

Cute little restaurant in Anda, Bohol

Had to try the yummy local prawns, Anda beach

Not sure what that was all about......

And then there were the beaches. People rave about certain beaches in South East Asia. It's probably very annoying for readers, but I'm afraid it has to be said. We have seen so many beautiful tropical beaches, we do have high standards and become somewhat blasé. But Anda's famous beaches certainly held their own in the comparison of other tropical paradises in the region. A mixture of small bays and longer stretches, Anda had a long coastline with classic white powdery sand and clear water- certainly the best we have seen on this trip. The fact that development along the coast was limited, with mainly smaller, low key resorts kept a rustic feeling. We were happy to see mostly Filipinos enjoying the seaside, not just foreign tourists- this isn't normal in most other South East Asian countries.

Bangka boat on Anda beach, Bohol

Lonely coconut, Anda beach, Bohol

Processing sea urchins on the beach, Anda, Bohol

A day trip to explore further afield showed us a stunning region with many varying vistas- each more spectacular than the first. Driving along the coast, mangrove villages with little shacks built down onto the water, small lagoons and fish farms had us enchanted. Modest village shacks with roosters in the yard, neat flower and spring onion boxes in the gardens, and small chapels and community halls lined the road. When we rode the motorbike up high above the sea, we discovered round, green, rolling hills spreading out into the distance inland. The scenery felt completely different, almost European, complete with cows. We pondered, that in another country, we would love to hike in these hills (too bloody humid here!). 

Small boats in a mangrove area, around Anda, Bohol

Mirror image, around Anda, Bohol

Bike across a causeway, around Anda, Bohol

The "tracks" we were following through the countryside, around Anda, Bohol

Excited at the viewpoint, around Anda, Bohol

Green rolling hills, around Anda, Bohol

Cows on the hills, around Anda, Bohol

The humidity at this time of year in the coastal parts of Bohol was insane, and we struggled walking anywhere too far. Our rooms all came with AC which we gladly turned on in the heat of the day. But we were happy that there was usually an additional fan, which we often preferred to use at night. Getting to the further away beaches and hinterland had to be done in a tricycle or hiring a motorbike.

Overall, Anda was a restoring place, and we really loved it. It would a place we could return to and stay longer, if we needed to. Many accommodation options, decent food, friendly locals, gorgeous beaches and a relaxed, village feel- what's not to like? It was a perfect final week to (nearly) bring to a close our month's stay in Bohol.

The end of the day, Anda beach, Bohol

Local girl, Anda, Bohol

Our final few days in The Philippines were spent slowly working our way back to Cebu for our flight. Amid a supposed State of Emergency due to a fuel shortage, and rumors of cancellations of transport, we did not want to become caught on Bohol. We needn't have worried- buses and ferries appeared to all be working on time. The port of Ubay was a refreshingly untouristy and bustling little town, and the fantastic local market with freshly caught seafood and the biggest range of produce we had yet to see kept us busy. We even had the best meal of Filipino food in our entire stay at a very modest street stall. A lovely woman with a few pots cooked by her aunt explained what everything was. We chose a selection of dishes, going back for seconds, it was so good.

Tricycle to Ubay port, Bohol, The Philippines

Choko to Aussies, sayote to Filipinos, very popular vegetable here

Smelly market goods, Ubay, Bohol

Delish eggplant dish, Ubay, Bohol

Ferry taking us from Ubay in northern Bohol, back to Cebu city

A night in Cebu city, with all day spent at the nearby mega mall shopping for all our last minute needs filled the final day, and suddenly it was all over. We both agreed we had loved this trip so much, and are already looking at places to visit in the country next time. 

Our slow movements around Cebu and Bohol during our month's stay

Tiny Cebu and Bohol within the entire Philippines archipelago

..........next, we summarize some practical parts of our travels in Bohol........