Bohol: Loboc

The alarm went off early the next morning. My friends had decided that I was not to be allowed to waste a single minute of my time in the Philippines and, as they had two days off over the weekend, we were going on a trip to the island of Bohol.

The island of Cebu is part of the Visayas, which make up the middle part of the Philippine archipelago. Cebu city isn't really a touristy place but the rest of the Visayas are highly recommended in the guidebooks and Bohol is major holiday destination for the Philippinos themselves. I had my first ever jeepney ride down to the pier, then it took a couple of hours to make the crossing from Cebu to the port of Tagbilaran.

Stepping off the boat, you could tell straight away that this was a tourist hotspot because we were immediately descended upon by a crowd of insistent tricycle drivers demanding to take us to wherever we wanted to go. My friend negotiated a price with one of them and off we went. Our first port of call was the shopping centre to withdraw money and have lunch, then all we had to do was walk over to the neighbouring bus station. Except that as we were eating, it started to rain. And when it rains in the Philippines, it really rains. Within minutes, the streets were awash and I suddenly realised that wearing socks and trainers was a really bad idea.

The most common footwear in the Philippines seems to be flip-flops, and because it's so hot and the rain is so heavy, an umbrella is a better bet than a waterproof jacket. You live and learn.

Luckily the rain had more or less stopped by the time our bus left the bus station, so we were treated to stunning views of the coast as we travelled from Tagbilaran to Loboc.

Loboc is famous for having the second-oldest church in the Philippines. Unfortunately, it wasn't famous enough for the builders of this bridge to remember that it might be something of an impediment to their construction plans.

The town is also the starting point for cruises up the Loboc river with opportunities on board for dining and of course, videoke. We decided not to indulge this time and instead walked through the jungle to Nuts Huts, our accommodation further up the river.

Nuts Huts is a total backpacker experience and owes its success almost entirely to being “Our Pick” in the Lonely Planet guidebook, but that doesn't make it any less of a cool place to stay. You are ferried across the river and on the other side, almost entirely hidden amongst the trees, is a small group of jungle huts on stilts that you can book for the night. You have to flush the toilet yourself using a bucket but the huts are extremely comfortable, and where else could you sit on your own private balcony and admire the banana tree just outside your front door for 800 pesos (about 8 euros) per night? And if you climb the very steep steps up to the reception area, the restaurant, complete with terrace tables and hammocks, serves delicious food as well.