
(We trailed the waters as early as 5:30 AM to catch the dolphins at their playful hour.)
One of the reasons I timed my last vacation in the Philippines in December was to grace and attend the wedding of a good friend in Bohol. Since we’ve never been there, I was joined by my family and some of my relatives sans the wedding attendance. I’ve wanted to blog about this months ago but it took time to sort the thousands of photos from this vacation (yes, I do click the shutter a lot) and other things got in. Now that summer is approaching in the Philippines (and we still enjoy winter in the Lower Gulf), it’s about time to reminisce and share this rejuvenating experience especially to those who plan to visit Bohol.

Getting up so early to be at the boat at 5:30 AM was worth it. Each day there are several tourists who chance on seeing the dolphins. It helped that our boatman-guide was a strategist, or maybe it was coincidental that the dolphins approached the tip of our boat many times. You really need to be sharp especially if you intend to take their photos. They move quickly, teasingly; hence, that perfect shot is definitely elusive. Since we were there to enjoy the experience itself, I set my mind to just take at least two decent shots of the dolphins and devote the rest of the hour of the boat ride to appreciate the playfulness of these friendly creatures. Yes, the dolphin shows are also entertaining, but they are boxed there and movements were calculated. Seeing them at their natural habitat and interacting with them, without anyone commanding them where they should show up and what they should do, is far more fascinating.

(I think that the dolphins liked us, they approached us many times and I felt like winning a lotto each time they bounced as a group. Lucky!)
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