After a quick stop in Cebu City from Malapascua, Amelia and I boarded a not so 'fast craft' to the island of 'Bohol'. Bohol lies southeast of Cebu, and amongst other things is famous for its 'Chocolate Hills' and the 'Tarsier'.
Arriving whilst it was getting dark we were undecided what to do. In the end we decided to rent a motorbike from a friendly local guy who approached us near the pier. We knew both of us (including bags) could just about fit on the bike, as we'd managed to squeeze on to a huba huba back in Donsol. Still, even with 'only' the two of us this time, it was a bit of a squeeze.
With my knees tucked around my ears, we headed off inland to find accommodation near the Chocolate Hills.
Amelia navigated, whilst I attempted to ride the motorbike with the handlebars in my lap. After swerving to avoid stray dogs and stopping by numerous over-priced guesthouses we eventually found a place called 'Twighlight N Guesthouse'.
It was very reasonably priced, half of what the other places were asking, and in immaculate condition, it must've been fairly new. Wanting to find a place to eat, we got speaking to the only other guests staying at the guesthouse. They were a very friendly Filipino bunch, who were using the guesthouse as a base for contract work. One of whom was the ex-mayor of 'Siquijor Island' (south west of Bohol)!
It was a very enjoyable and interesting evening with our new very hospitable Filipino friends. They introduced us to Emperador (Filipino Brandy) and knowing we were hungry bought us some pizza and mangoes. They literally wouldn't let us spend a penny!
It'd been a very long day (up at 4am for the Thresher sharks), but not wanting to offend we managed to keep our eyes just about open until gone midnight, then had to call it a night as we'd needed to get up early again.

We were supposed to be at the Chocolate Hills for dawn, but not having a clear answer as to whether the view point would be open or not, we decided to have a little longer in bed! But still, we were in the local village eatery at 7am, and after a longer ride on the motorbike than we anticipated, we arrived at the Chocolate Hills by 8am.
The unusual 'hills' range from thirty to fifty metres high and apparently look like chocolate drops (hence the name), but I like to think they look more like giant mole hills. This remarkable landscape is a natural wonder - geologists to this day do not know exactly how they were formed.
On our way back we stopped by the 'Tarsier Conservation Centre'. Tarsiers, arguably the smallest primate in the world, used to inhabit most of the rainforests throughout the world, but now only exist on a few islands in South East Asia (Philippines, Borneo and Indonesia). Being nocturnal, most of them were asleep and clinging onto branches with their elongated fingers. But some did open their humungous immovable eyes and swivel their heads to gaze at us. The tarsiers are able to roam freely around the sanctuary and, although protected by a seven ft high fence, are able to (theoretically) come and go as they please. Amelia thought they were very cute, I thought they looked like gremlins.
We got back before check out time (midday) to pack and wedge ourselves back on the bike.
Raül (dive guide from Ko Lanta), after spending a fair amount of time in the Philippines, highly recommended a few dive spots. One was 'Balicasag Island', located off 'Panglao Island', south of Bohol.
We arrived in 'Alona Beach' on Panglao Island, about an hour or so after squeezing ourselves on to the motorbike. Peeling ourselves off the sizzling hot bike at each guesthouse wasn't an ideal way to spend our first hour or so on Panglao Island (reached by bridge), but it was easier than walking and had to be done to find a fairly priced room for the night.
After finding a distinctly average room at 'Casa Nova Gardens', we had KFC style chicken with rice for lunch (less than £1 ea) and went seeking a dive shop. With plenty of choice, and being 'low season', we managed to strike a pretty good deal with a highly rated Spanish owned dive shop called 'Piratas'. Which, without knowing, turned out to be owned by a friend of Raül's.
Having sorted a dive trip for the following day and being sized up for our scuba gear, it was time to go back to the room for a shower, then out for dinner and back for an early bedtime!

As our dive at Balicasag would take us past check out time, we woke up early to find breakfast and pack our bags to take with us to the dive shop.
Since conquering her fear of the sea, Amelia has been craving to see a turtle. So she was very ecstatic to hear we were guaranteed to see at least one turtle at Balicasag. I was a little more reserved and skeptical after my last promise from a Spaniard (Raül guaranteeing a Moray eel sighting at Ko Haa).
During our banca ride to Balicasag Island, we met a girl from Finland (travelling by herself). We asked her, where have you been? Which country did you like best? To which she responded with some very surprisingly negative comments of SEA, including some that could be deemed racist. She was quite possibly the most narrow minded depressing backpacker we've ever met!
Needless to say, it was nice to get in the water and not have to hear her awful views!
Our dive on 'Black Forest' dive site was awesome, and one of the first things we saw was a massive turtle relaxing on the seabed. The sight was full of life, and just to name a few species.. a giant grouper, nudibranches, bluefin trevally, yellow snapper and many other turtles ranging in size.
Back on the boat it was actually quite saddening to hear the Finish girl still moaning. Apparently she'd seen bigger and better in Mexico.
Although her attitude was bothersome we still loved the dive and would definitely go back, as there were lots more dive sites to explore around Balicasag.
Back on land we collected some laundry, enjoyed a refreshing avocado 'ice candy' (similar to an ice pop), and contorted ourselves back on the motorbike to get back to the ferry terminal, just under an hour away.

It was a rush, but we made it just in time for the 4.20pm 'fast' craft back to Cebu...