THE CHOCOLATE HILL MARVEL
By Debin Acaso

Call it blog, a journal, a piece of twisted art or writing in the midst of lamenting what might have been. I say wouldn’t let this come to pass. This is my tale of a journey to a never been space, God’s mighty & grandeur creation.. Bohol -The chocolate hill ride..

March 23, 2005 7:00 am
Let my senses drive to conscious state and I shake my head from getting up in bed. Slipped through my room where my bike is and whispered my mind- we are going for ride. Have triggered will travel, and there I was packing her with Jam, my younger brother along with his bike in a huge black bag. This is just the beginning..

March 24, 2005 6:30 am
Cebu was the first stop. Our precious bikes were unharmed and cruised in a ferry jet going to tagbilaran..1hr 30mins.At last, destination reached. As it docks the planks, was moved and dumbfounded by the green colored mixed with blue sea. The sun shines semi peak around 10am but that did not bother us as we are in a helix by the island. We were met by our noble friend Joey ”ajaw boy e!” don’t know whets his last name, a humble escort with a valiant & soft heart.

Alona kew in panglao –the exhilarating and soothing bay was the place where we made our breakfast.Eventhough the food was bad the scenery made the good deal. We were taking pictures on us, the shoreline and everything we find good taken by our official photographer-Dexter and his 3 mega pixel dig cam that always on the go whenever we need it.

We were like mathematicians for awhile trying to allocate our means about whose paying who but the bottom line is “hating kapatid” so there’s no need to rationalize or race each others competence and integrity.Just don’t get pissed when the mind games starts and reach the punch line from time to time being you as the victim,right?”ana ba, abtik ba!” .Of course Joey” ajaw boy e!” was on the side because he has “the common gene!” that we possess on one area...

This is just the beginning...Ah... Bohol public beach was the cleanest and alluring beach I ve ever seen, a sheer unimaginable and lovely piece of nature with astral beauty. Lured by the scene and crystal waters we began to change and put on our swimming get up We talked anything under the sun-literally soaked with the sea water half deep from our bodies and simply amused by God’s boon. It was bye bye Bohol beach and we headed on to the hotel to take a dip into a miniscule pool.Nice stretching and trying to prepare our physical everything for the next day ride.

Walay sili!.. We were hungry like the wolf desiring for a quick big meal .We sat on a table for 5 while waiting for our orders, me thinks that was a famous restaurant jam packed with starving individuals like us.The food took nearly an hour to be served but were like “chill baby you’re not going to die tonight from starvation!”, still we managed to share a good laugh. The food finally was laid on our table and everybody wanted to eat everything! a waitress was doing her way to complete our orders when all of us silently screamed with desperation at her “palihug mi ug sili day” and she uttered in a composed and straight answer,”walay sili!” we could feel her harassment and all of us were startled, as if our tongue was slashed and cut off from our senses that we couldn’t say a word..A moment of silence we all looked at each other and started laughing .Now you know what am talking about.

“Suffering on a bicycle is noble since it equates the evolution on the will.” Taken from the book am reading “23 days of July” which describes why the tour de France is one the most prestigious sporting event since 1906 because riders never give up no matter how painful or how hard it is. They keep the revolution of the wheel...

That best describes the feeling I thought for my younger brother Jam who experienced the “bonk’. He was doing well keeping up with group but after 30Kms he started feeling weak and unable to keep afloat and ride on with the group while climbing the hill of Bilar I think pardon me for a breakdown of my short term memory.” It must be from consuming the 4 chocolate bars that Carlo gave me.” He explains, but I think it was the result of not eating breakfast, told him that.

The good thing that emerged from this experience is that we never leave a good biker behind and all of supported him thru waiting for him on every distance he was slowing down and pushing him to keep up his momentum. The next lesson learned was to never use up all your energy in order to save some for later. Jam’s consolation was being mistaken for a foreigner when children watching us on the side of the road shouted at him “Americano!” a reason for being pale because of depleting energy.

We passed a man made forest surrounded by green tress & nature infested sight & environment. It was steep climb and even though it’s a hard one for me I felt refreshed and overwhelmed by its ability to render a different feeling. Somewhat a perfect euphoria for me. Had to go down and re experince it so I couldn’t erase the feeling…

Accidents happen, it could happen to you and sometimes you could make that accident happened too. Carlo was pushing Jam to finish a short climb when his handle bar bumped my left shoulder and started crashing. The fast reflex Carlo rolled and got up swiftly and the first thing he did was to check on his bikes condition not his. A normal extinct for a serious biker like me. Accidents happened and there’s no way a ride be completed without it. Now this ride is getting somewhere. Now we’re talking..

Finally after the 2km last hill, we reached the destination, all of felt kings for awhile conquering a territory. The battle was won and the reward was sweet. We settled our bikes to a kiosk at center of the hills parking area and climbed the top to have a good sight of the 1,200++ hills molded for 200 million years. That was an amazing experience for us reaching there and took pictures to document the event. Thanks for Demzy’s 3megapixel digicam that never fails to capture the moment in full color.

So long Brothers were going to miss you...One of evolutions missing link to a lost world are the miniscule monkeys called “Tarsiers” they look same as the picture you see. Sometimes I could mistakenly identify them as bats but still they are a brilliant creation of God. Orley & Jam really had a strong connection with them they kept on addressing each other as “Brothers”.

Along the way going back I could see the floating restaurant down by the rivers of loboc rich with green and wild scenery. For a second I thought a haven for the river monster in Locke or a place where anacondas live but I was wrong because those people eating floated by the river would their next meal. But its not it’s a haven for people who wants to explore the wonders of the almighty in a different level. There were lots of old churches we came across with –shows the lavish, extra ordinary ancient and historical architecture built, takes me back to the 300 years tyranny & the independence of the country in one setting. The pictures will tell the tale. For a minute there thought we were lost but Joey plainly forgot the cave in panglao, was it higdanan? Correct me if am wrong. So we drove back 5 kms. From where the entrance is. The cave was like a fall out shelter the natural way where there is a creepy lake inside. Am not sure where the waters came from but sure enough its nature’s unexplained wealth.

Finishing the afternoon we relaxed our stressed muscles to the soothing beaches of alona picked a bar with monoblocked chairs & tables .Enjoying the scene-the people having a message, kayaking, a “banka” filled with foreigners going back to their resort hotel rooms from a diving experience, a group of three reading a book, a couple having a good conversation & the most remarkable of all.. hold your breath and brace yourself, the eave dropping by accident & most controversial phrase of the day” Martyr si mommy!” after that incident our conversation was never the same we were bothered by that young attractive girl’s story and his date was embarrassed by her broadcast. But I pray for her strife, God will make a way for her if she only believe. Before the night came we arrived an expensive restaurant where you could see the sun set and a very comely view of panglao bay .Its a stick up eating there but its better than most stick up restaurants I’ve been. Arguably the best restaurant by the sea I’ve been. The night came and we rest in the hotel room while Dexter and jam dipped in the hotel’s mini pool. The night finished early with the ride is still fresh from our minds.

Thank you Lord for giving us that day.

March 26, 2005: coming home...
After the coffee, Joey was waiting outside to commence our last day together. We hopped in to his spacious van when not in bikes and went to find the marvelous falls –Mag aso –located in antequera where we were welcomed and served with a tasty sufficing breakfast courtesy of the warmth and kindness of cocong’s aunt. Told them they look like mother and son because an array of resemblance.Am sure they wouldn’t disagree.

The falls was way down 197 steps, careful now going up as it has steep ascent especially for the weak heart. We bathe in our hearts content jumped and swim and took pictures. We had a great time reflecting the place and it seems that the adventure wouldn’t be complete with out this place. Admire jam for his courage to reach the ends of the falls not many could do. I couldn’t do it but someone did.

We had our lunch in the city where island mall is located, a taste of urban living. We roamed around the place like tourist. We felt like kids for awhile as we spend our time playing video games and karaoke to the tune of “should I say or should I go” a dilemma encountered by me referring to bohol. Having done our time there, Joey met us again 2pm and then took us to Jagna.This place will be our means to an end, the adventure has to end.That's how nature works and the equation is irreversible.We played cards in the waiting area, time flew fast. It surrounds us with passengers waiting like us for the ship.”suspicious liner” as my sister calls it. The next thing I knew was all of the passengers lined in for the ship. And there she was the most amazing experience that ever happened to me in this trip. I coyingly introduced myself saying what time they left from panglao.She uttered a few words and smiled…

We were justifying our bikes from not having to pay additional bucks to spend to the port man up there. We did not insist but bargained. That’s how the system works these days, it could be feisty but the element going with the flow sometimes saves you from the minds of manipulative people. My comrade in this trip exactly knows what am talking about. Its true, the ship is not reliable in observing time but the important matter here we arrived safely into our homes overwhelmed by the adventure.

Orley took a cab, Carlo rode on their AUV, and Dexter rode with us where my brother in law fetched us. We took Dexter to his place, the last click of the camera sounded as we passed their house and the trip ended. After the entire struggle –the revenge of our bikes carrying them, the laugh of our mind games, the disoriented & twilight zone freak show feeling being new to the place, the knee bruises which Carlo claims it still hurts to this day, the setting sun, the waves of the sea ,the breaking of dawn, the marvelous hills, the drained water dispenser of the hotel consumed by us, the stick up prices of the restaurant by the sea, the strip show in the van courtesy of Carlo, the nice breakfast of cocongs aunt,dexters cunning shots of bohol,Joeys unrelenting commitment to serve, the courage of Jam, the humor of cocong and the beautiful girl named Kate.

There was one thing I relearned in this experience. God has plans for us and his plan involves us being with people because in the world full of sadness, you could never replace the value of friendship and brotherly love to your fellowmen. Nature’s wonders is there to help you experience it .You cant see or hear them talking to you but you could feel their effects on you.

And I will stay to tell the next journey…