Mr Rooster crowed, “cock-a-doodle-Chocolate Hills”

My most-anticipated feature in the Philippines

On our last day on Bohol, we were woken early by our friend Mr Rooster. Until he crowed, there was perfect silence in our tropical jungle resort overlooking the ocean. When we arrived yesterday afternoon the sky and sea were both shades of blue. We sat on the verandah and drank it all in. This morning, it was varying shades of grey and black with misty rain obscuring our view. Not a great day for visiting the Chocolate Hills.

We decided to take advantage of a break in the rain to pack the car and then head up for breakfast. Breakfast was ready and waiting — scrambled eggs, ham, vegetables and toast accompanied by fresh papaya, watermelon and banana and dripolator coffee — all prepared by Shari. The pièce de résistence as far as I was concerned was the litre of fresh milk she had placed on the table. I had really missed my lattes. Coffeemate creamer just isn’t the same!

She was sad waving us goodbye as she’s alone all day looking after her little jungle resort. We were her only guests last night. We must write her a great review.

Our first destination was Can-umantad Falls, the tallest waterfall in Bohol at 78 metres. Of course we missed the turn-off and when we U-turned and returned, it was to find the road closed by roadwork and a detour marked further back. We didn’t slip off the muddy track — it had rained last night — and we weren’t driving a 4WD. Once we reached the road proper, it was smooth sailing — er, driving — until we were stopped at a village.

The enterprising villagers charged a few pesos to go to the falls but didn’t suggest driving our car due to landslides (mudslides). It was a long walk so they provided young men on motorcycles. I put on my brave face and hopped on the back of one of the bikes trusting the rider not to crash. ( I have never ridden or been a passenger on a motorbike.) He gave me a helmet to make me feel safer. I hung on to him so tightly I thought I may break a rib or two ( his, not mine!)

I walked down to the viewing platform but didn’t go for a swim. The villagers had made the area very pretty with gardens and rocks. The water was brown because of the rain but our guide told me it’s normally clear.

And now the most exciting part of the whole trip, apart from my son’s wedding, of course, the Chocolate Hills! Googlemaps gave us a bum steer and thenmost frustrating. We could see the Chocolate Hills all around us but couldn’t find the entrance to the vantage point. We eventually got on the right road and drove straight past the side road — again — but only vans were allowed up. We had to park in a muddy car park, purchase tickets and wait for the next minibus. The bus dropped us off at the souvenir shops, toilets and most importantly, on this occasion, the restaurant.

We were starving and had driven many more kilometres than were necessary to get here. I was determined I was going to climb those 221 steps but first I needed some fuel — fried rice, grilled veges and pork lumpia. I thought I’d be adventurous and order an iced coffee. It was a delicious freshly made (with milk) iced coffee.

With renewed energy, I tackled the stairs and made it all the way to the top. The views were more than worth it. Just look at Stacey’s photos. These mounds were formed more than two million years ago by the uplift of coral and the action of rainwater and erosion. There are 1,268 mounds of roughly the same shape. In 1988 the Chocolate Hills were declared a National Geologic Monument due to their scientific value and geomorphic uniqueness. In fact, there are similar hills in Java but not as regular and prolific as those in Bohol.

Sometimes when I really am excited to see something I’ve read about or seen photos or videos, I’m disappointed when I get to visit it myself. This was not the case with the Chocolate Hills. I could have stayed just taking them all in but we had to put the pedal to the metal to make the 5.40pm departure of the ferry from Tagbilaran City to Cebu our next destination. We made it. (We didn’t get lost!) We handed the car back (minus one mudguard) but it wasn’t noticed. Some of these roads are definitely 4WD only. I jump onto the boat, tired but happy… I’ve seen the eighth wonder of the world…the Chocolate Hills.

Judith Uusi-Hakimo’s story of the Chocolate Hills provided me with the inspiration to see them for myself. I was not disappointed.

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