More from our Christmas vacay spent in Bohol.

Dolphins in the wild

On our third day in Panglao, Bohol, we had a sea tour which included waking up really early to chase dolphins. I didn't think I'd be so ecstatic to see dolphins. It's not like I have never seen one. But when we finally saw the pack of dolphins, I went nuts! It's incredible to see them in the wild! And there were so many of them too! We were pretty lucky, we were told, since others would only catch 3 or 5, or some have been unable to see any dolphins on their scheduled sea tour. In our case, we saw at least 11 and in several sightings too!

When we spent Christmas at Bohol, we stayed in Dumaluan Beach, Panglao Island.

My niece and Panglao's fine fine sand.

The beach is really beautiful and the sand was lovely--almost comparable to Boracay. My niece loved playing with the fine cream sand, but she refused to sit on the sand. She's a little obsessive compulsive like that.

More from our Christmas vacay spent in Bohol.

Chocolate Hills not looking too chocolate-y.

Of course the country-side tour would not have been complete without stopping by the Chocolate Hills observatory/viewing deck. The viewing deck is actually one of the hills which the government has converted into an observatory.

The hills appear green here because the limestone formations are covered with grass. But during the dry season, the grass dries up and the hills appear more brown than green.

More from our Christmas vacay spent in Bohol.

Loboc River Cruise

As part of the country-side tour, we tried the Loboc River Cruise, where one enjoys a buffet of Filipino food while the “cruise boat” traverses the Loboc River. Sometimes, we would stop over floating planks where locals, young and old, would put on a show of Filipino songs and traditional dance. It was a picturesque ride, and some boat operators offer really delicious food.

More from our Christmas vacay spent in Bohol.

My niece fascinated with the light from the colored windows of the church.

As part of the country-side tour, we went to Baclayon Church, the second oldest church in the Philippines.

My family spent Christmas 2012 in Bohol. Of course, we had to take the country-side tour which included a stop at the Tarsier Conservation Area in Loboc, Bohol.

The freaky little star of the show.

Tarsiers are one of the smallest primates and are an endangered species. These guys are nocturnal, and the big eyes help in hunting during the night. As they are shy creatures, they are easily freaked out and are known to commit “suicide” when paranoid.