Continued from the peek a boo with the dolphins and snorkeling in Balicasag Island
My senior companions could have foregone the visit to Chocolate Hills had it not been THE Chocolate Hills. What discouraged them was the tiring walk to the viewing deck. (In one of our neighbor towns in Laguna, there’s a church situated on a hill which requires at least 100 steps to get inside it. So, the experience was very reminiscent.) I was catching my breath when we went to the viewing deck at the town of Carmen (Bohol). What fueled me to “climb” better was the (embarrassing) thought of losing to my mother’s and aunts’ stamina in braving the numerous steps to the top.
I lost count of the number of steps we triumphed, but our tour guide and Wiki both said that it was 214 steps. It helped that we invested on enough sleep the preceding night and we dotted this amazing attraction first from our countryside tour; hence, we were all on our strongest state that day we climbed. In the future, there will probably be escalators just like in the Hong Kong Ocean Park. Maybe.
(There are 1,776 hills encompassing the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan in Bohol.)
The hills that welcomed us were on their green state since we visited pre-Christmas. Apparently, they are brown-chocolate-y during summer. I have not given much thought about my preference because I think that it’s surreal and unique regardless of its color. It also helped that the December air on the viewing deck was so refreshing that it eased all the sweating and shoo away the rayuma (rheumatism) tendencies. Be careful when taking photos and/or when you’re being photographed (especially when doing a jump shot) by the edge. You might fall and roll.
(Here’s a photo from Wikipedia when it’s indeed a “Chocolate Hill”.)
(And here’s a comparative “Green/ Mint Hill” photo that I took.)
(We didn’t pay much attention to the bell at the viewing deck. In fact, this was my only photo of the bell. Only after our visit I learned that it’s a counterpart of a wishing well, i.e. you make a wish while ringing it thrice.)
The flat surface in between hills are mostly rice fields and are planted with trees and ferns. The hills are covered by limestones that there were reports that a portion was harmed by the quarrying done in the past.
I enjoy learning about legends though I (generally) don’t really believe in them. That’s why I was all ears to our guide when he shared the varying versions of Chocolate Hills’ legends: the two feuding giants and giant carabao whose poops turned into hills, the romantic story of a giant (whose tears formed hills) and a mortal, and more that always involved a giant. The other theories of formation related to geological shift and volcanic eruptions (although bearing insufficient evidence) are equally interesting. But whatever it is, the Chocolate Hills are truly a wonderful creation. Much has been written about it and I could only hope for its official inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. And let’s hope that the provincial government of Bohol would be able to find the balance between its protection and use as a natural resource, tourism instrument, and utilization by its locals.
witsandnuts 
0 thoughts on “214 steps to the chocolate (or mint?) hills”
kayni
I really hope the Chocolate Hills of Bohol will be recognized by UNESCO. It’s truly beautiful.
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sheng
I have always wanted to go there, soon I hope!
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eds
what a lovely place! your photos are so alive. i particularly love the third picture. 214 steps up, ok lang, sulit naman sa ganda ng tanawin.
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Photo Cache
the legends make the spot more romantic 🙂
love to see this in person too. almost everyone has seen it but me 😦
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upto6only
wow never seen the chocolate hills that up close. did you try riding the broom :p
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Daphne
Ah yes THE chocolate hills, they were indeed brown when we visited in April some few years back.
I remember our guide (a very thin woman) sprinted up in a dash while my sister and I had to rest every few steps. LOL We pretended we were taking pictures but the truth is we were pretty breathless from climbing those steps. 😀
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bursky
never been there but would love to go! been hearing about it being a classic Karst example in college, never heard of the legends, though. 😀 i like them in their minty state better. tapos cool wind? it’s like they’re the reason why the air is cool… ahhh… sana di na lang ako nag-i-imagine. sana magkatotoo na. 😀
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marikoy
Yeah, that’s what the tour guide told us, that it’s best to view them in the summer, because then they’re really chocolate. I remember the time we went there, my classmates got aching leg muscles the next day, due to climbing those stairs. Luckily, a few days before that, I had been rehearsing for a Tinikling dance number, so my leg muscles were conditioned and did not ache after the climb. 😀
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dong ho
legends are nice though untrue. i remember trekking mt makiling and wondering if we will really see her.
the first shot is really nice. i like it a bit blurry (or let’s say mint).
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The Nomadic Pinoy
I still like to see the hills in their green color, preferably during early morning when the light is at its best. As for a future escalator going up the viewing deck, hmmm….I’m still active enough to walk up to it haha. I’m glad the local government has spruced up the area. I remember visiting this place many years ago as a student and found the main building that I see now in your picture as in an abandoned state. They must have covered that old pool there by now.
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Josiet
Beautiful chocolate hills. I love how the clouds cast a shadow on the hills and you captured it nicely on your third photo.
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Mye
wahahaha…BOHOL BOHOL…we have change of plans…we are supposed to spend our honeymoon there. Next year na lang…di naman siguro to mawawala 🙂
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docgelo
wow, awesome photos from bohol; which remind me we’ve never been there *sigh*
ps: rayuma = rheumatoid arthritis.
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thepinaysolobackpacker
beautiful captures! I’ve read about Bohol a couple of times but never been there. I have tickets to Cebu hoping to cross there last Feb pero my trip was cancelled. 😦
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