Bohol: Cathedral of St. Joseph and the Plaza

1 May 2011

I'm at home. It's a hot, listless afternoon. I wanted to sleep, but the file I had to upload and send is taking forever to be uploaded.

So while waiting, let me share with you another part of our visit in Bohol last February. Another favorite.

On our last day in Bohol, we decided to visit the church in Tagbilaran. We couldn't go too far from the city as we need to be at the airport before noon.

We entered the Cathedral of St. Joseph. It was a big church, and also quite old. A sign placed by the National Historical Commission says that the original church was built by the Jesuits on this site in the 1500s.







After saying a short prayer, we went around the church for a while, then walked to the plaza right across the cathedral. It was still early when we got there, and a few people were sitting at the benches at the sides of the plaza. On one end of the plaza is a gazebo. The gazebo, to my surprise, was filled with doves. Doves were flying around the plaza. I find this an unusual site--to see doves flocking in places where humans also are.

Amused by such a sight, my friend and I took photos. Then, a mother decided to feed the doves, who immediately flocked at her feet and around her children.

Later on, my friend and I sat on one of the benches. I bought two pandesal from a nearby store. We then fed the doves, who gathered close to our feet, stayed on the bench next to us, and came as close as the armrest of the bench we were sitting on.

That made my day. I love animals, and I love the fact that these doves felt safe in this place.

Quickly, Bohol: The Flying Lemurs

Last February, my friend and I visited Bohol. The trip was a quick one, about two full days if you take away the trips from and back to Manila. But it was packed but unhurried at the same time. A lot of firsts. It was like finally, you're seeing stuffs you've only seen in books. Like the chocolate hills. Like tarsiers. Like flying lemurs.

One of our stopovers was a place to view the tarsiers. After the photo ops, I looked at the other partitions. I really thought they only had tarsiers, a snake, and a monkey. Until my friend pointed at what looked to me like a blob of fur suspended on a metal rod. One of the guides told us it was a flying lemur, and I thought: "What?! Weh?"

I was scared to touch it for photo ops. I mean, it looked harmless. You just see the arms and the legs grasping the metal, and all fur. You don't see the head. But if I touch it, it might hit me or something. I mean hello, who wants to be bothered, tapped, or touched every so often, when you seem to want to be left alone? And of species that aren't even your kind.

Well, it did not hit my friend when she touched it. I sort of regret not doing the same. Anyways...

Something I didn't expect happened. After a few minutes, or was it just seconds, the lemur stuck out its head, slowly. And a baby lemur's head popped out. Wow! I really didn't know much about lemurs, so I didn't know they had a pocket on their tummies where their babies could stay. Least of all, I never thought I'd ever have the chance to see a baby lemur and its mom live, not in books, not on TV. There was another lemur hanging beside them. I just assumed he's the dad. I dared not do anything but take a video. Daddy lemur might not like it if I try to go near the baby.

Oh well. This is one of the best parts of the trip. Seeing creatures you've never seen before. Not that I want to see more of them that way. I'm pretty sure they'd be happier amidst trees, where they can "fly" from one branch to the next. Maybe next time, I'd rather go where their homes are. Where I have a chance to see them flying rather than just hanging, curled up in a ball of fur. I wonder if my friend would say "Yes" to this. Just a thought, an idea for a next trip. :)