March 14, 2016

Well....here we are....our last full day at Veraneante Resort on Bohol.  As luck would have it the Stars have all aligned and we are the only guests at the resort today so we have the pool and the grounds all to ourselves.  No one but us and the dozens of birds that call this place home too.  Seriously, there are so many of them and they are chirping and singing and tweeting...it is nature's music and a perfect accompaniment to a perfect day.  Lucky once again!

Much of our time here at Veraneante has been spent in R & R mode.  We were tired when we finished our travels of Luzon and adventures in El Nido so this down time has been a welcome treat.  So other than our tour day (which was a FULL day) there hasn't been much to report in on.

Yesterday we did venture out again though.  We wandered the quiet streets of village life here in the little town of Looc where our resort is located.  We are only 6 km from the tourist centre of Alona Beach where there is lots of hustle and bustle but after our walk yesterday I am 100% certain that the guests at Veraneante are the only non-locals in Looc.  And when you consider that there are only about a dozen little cottages at Veraneante...there aren't too many of us.

It was Sunday yesterday and so church was in full swing as we walked past it's open doors and windows.  It seems that pretty much everyone here attends church regularly and there are several masses per day at the Catholic Church so....churches are kind of the centre of the community.  The sound of voices singing along (in native tongue) with an accompanying guitar was really beautiful to hear in these very simple surroundings.

Our "turnaround" spot was MoMo Beach (about 20 minutes walking from Veraneante) and we were happy when we arrived at MoMo as there was a shady bench to sit down on and a nice cool breeze coming in from the sea.  This respite from our very hot walk was happily welcomed!  We had been intentional about following the shaded spots along our walk but even though there are lots of banana and other trees along the way....that sun is pretty unforgiving.  While we sat at MoMo we watched 3 young boys play basketball on a court that was at best "rough".  Everyone here loves basketball - in fact it is their national sport.  Everywhere you look you'll see kids bouncing a ball or shooting hoops somewhere.  Every little town has a rustic but proper court and every village has one too.  The court the boys were playing on at MoMo yesterday was just rough hard ground with exposed roots and rocks but that didn't matter as everyone has the same advantage or disadvantage.  There were also a couple of guys working on their boat that was dry-docked on the beach and two other fellows snorkelling in the water in front of us.  The beach here looks much like Alona did only a little narrower...there is some seaweed on it but it is pretty clean and the sand is fine and white.  Every few minutes while we sat there another group of kids would come along the shore laughing and playing with sticks....poking at the seaweed and dodging the waves.

Our walk back "home" was just as toasty as going there was and by the time we arrived back at Veranante I said to the little server who knew where we were going that I was melting and I think she believed me!  Honestly, I could have wrung my clothes out they were that soaked with sweat!

Tomorrow at noon we will take the shuttle from here to the Bohol airport.  From there our one hour flight to Manila departs at about 3:30.  We're booked back into the Remington and we've been there so many times now it will be easy to find something for dinner etc.  In fact, there is a movie theatre right across the road.....do I hear popcorn for dinner? :). Well....maybe not just yet....might be a bit of a shock to the system!  In fact, we've both commented that it's been a pretty clean month.  Not much here that is processed and I think I could count on one hand the number of drinks either of us have had....it's been a pretty healthy trip.....well....other than my stupid jelly fiasco.....grrrr......

It's almost 2 in the afternoon here on the 14th as I type this and I think many of you are just going to bed right about now on the 13th.  Kind of strange when you think about it....here I am typing this in the future and yet in real time.....it's simultaneous.  Ah well....too much intellectual stimulation to carry on with that thought so I'll just sign off for now and head back to my lounge chair where a mindless book is waiting to be finished.  Yep...I think I'm on book number four since our arrival here a few days ago.  :). Oh ya...and then there is the pool calling to me again too....sigh....so much to do and so little time to do it. :)

Maybe I'll have another shake this afternoon.  They do a nice job of them here....this morning I had banana/coffee and yesterday I had pineapple.  The other day we both had a cucumber/mint that was surprisingly delicious and Lynda has had a couple of mango shakes.  Yep...maybe that's what I'll do...order a mango shake.  Whew!  Decisions are hard work! :)

Doubtful that you'll hear from us again before we're home but....heh....who knows what adventure might materialize and need to be reported.

Till next time,
L & L