We had planned our Bacolod trip months before. It was going to be a fun food trip where pants would become smaller upon our return. Plane tickets had been bought, dining destinations all set, and tours and visits all over Bacolod booked. We were a group of 12 badminton friends all set to leave our cares behind in Manila.

But heaven had other plans.

Mount Canlaon was watching and decided to explode the day before our trip. All dozen of us were already on vacation mode. The flight was cancelled. But Cebu Pacific adjusted and gave us a few options on where else we could fly. Ideas went flying among us—Tokyo, Fukuoka, Boracay etc. Boracay was full and only Bohol was available to accommodate all of us. All this planning was happening while we were on the way to the airport.

When we made it to NAIA, Bohol it was. And while waiting to board our flight, we were all frantic, looking for a hotel.

We landed in Bohol just as we had finalized our booking rooms at the new Henna Hotel. It wasn’t bad. We went to the hotel and just dropped our bags since our rooms were not yet ready. I asked the reception where it was good to eat. I was told a lot of people would go to Jumbo Crab. Impressive indeed! There were live crabs of various sizes. Not cheap but exciting. We chose and we waited. They had humongous crabs that weighed a kilo and a half. I was told by a restaurant owner in Singapore that the best crabs would weigh 600 to 700 grams. So that was what we got.

Food arrived and the sauces were outstanding—black pepper and chili crab sauce. One huge observation we all had, though, was that the crab meat would stick to the shell, a sign that the crabs were not fresh. There was hardly any meat on the crabs. Even the meat in the claws was so little.

I know crabs. Each crab has eight claws and when the legs are removed, that’s where I start to dig into the crab cavities. It seemed our crabs had a total of four cavities. Sayang! We all discussed our similar experience and observations. It didn’t seem that the crabs we were eating were fresh at all. I was planning on returning for more after tasting the sauces but after this experience—never!

Along Alona Beach, there were plenty of dining places. The one I enjoyed was a German restaurant that specializes in sausages, schnitzel, cordon bleu, etc. I loved the place! Some of my companions didn’t like it though.

One that was such a discovery was Bougainvillea Spanish Restaurant and Wine Bar, which is run by two Spanish guys. Not quite the right place for someone on a no-carbs diet like me, but when you’re hungry, you’ll find every excuse to skip the diet. My reasonable excuse was, “How many times are you in Bohol anyway?” I was convinced The restaurant has three kinds of paella and each one was exceptional, all served in a traditional paellera. All was true blue Español, replete with soccorat or tutong, the crispy bottom of the paella. The carbs I stayed away from for four weeks I believe I ate on one visit at Bougainvillea. Thin and crispy and coated in sugar, the churros were to die for, dipped in thick and not-too-sweet chocolate. OMG!

We went to see the tarsiers and some landmarks like the Chocolate Hills. Beautiful! We also took a boat ride to the various islands to snorkel and see fish. I have come to another conclusion: Whenever you take a trip away from the hotel area, the food is not that good. Pwede na. But around the tourist area, thumbs up.

I was told there were six daily flights from Seoul to Bohol and they said there would be more. There were so many Koreans. How nice to see these kind and gentle neighbors enjoying our beaches! Bohol is booming. Way to go!

When God decided to cancel our Bacolod trip, he blessed us with something more wonderful. It was a most memorable trip indeed. I want to bring my kids here. There is so much to do.

Happy eating!