April 2nd 2015 Journey from Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol island

Boat ride from Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol Island.

Leaving Cebu City port.

In economy class.

Arriving at the Tagbilaran boat terminal on Bohol Island.

Taxis wanted too much for one person so many of us walked into town.

The Nisa Travelers Inn in downtown Tagbilaran.

Kitty corner to the Nisa Travelers Inn is McDonalds on the left.

Well I grab a taxi to Pier 1 boat terminal in Cebu City and there is a huge line up and I ask the person behind me if this is for people getting tickets and she says it is to pay for the terminal fee so I wait in that line and pay the 25 peso fee then I put my stuff through the scanner to check my bags and then once I get out I get called over to the 2GO luggage counter as they now tell me there is a weight restriction of 15kgs for luggage and I am thinking "Weight restriction? This is a friggin ferry boat not an airline!".  Just more nickel and diming. They weigh it over 23kgs and I say there is no way I am paying extra so I pull out both laptops and it comes down to 16kg and I was about to pull out more stuff when she says "30 pesos sir" so I am thinking I will pay the extra 85 cents than take out more stuff but I will on the way back now that I know. Then I have to get into another long line up at the 2GO check in counter just to check-in and pick my seat and then head to gate 3. 

It is only a 2 hour boat ride from Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol island so I went with economy class which is outside on a covered deck with a chair and no A/C which was quite a bit more. I am already getting in a bad mood with all the nickel and diming and long line ups. In 3rd world countries you have to have a lot of patience as everything is done much slower and less efficiently and I have to admit I am running low on patience these days. A porter grabs my luggage and tells me he is bringing it on board and I don't like leaving my luggage unattended but have my valuables on me anyhow (Laptops and wallet and camera). There are always lots of porters who want to carry your luggage for a tip but I have always noticed they want way more than they are worth as I am 5 times stronger than them and my luggage has wheels. I think it is a stupid way to make a living here as I notice they always come up to me and not the local filipinos. It is just not a practical service to offer. 

So the boat ride was 2 hours long and I grab my luggage and head out to look for a cab to take me a couple kms to my hotel but the first guy wants to charge me 100 pesos and I look and say "But you have a meter. Why don't you just use the meter" and he tells me it is basically not worth it unless he has more people and there are 10 taxis behind him thinking the same thing. So I begin walking down the pier towards the town and ask a tricycle guy and he says "50 pesos including your luggage" and I am thinking that is too much for a tricycle as I have a Lonely Planet map and know exactly how far away the hotel is so I continue walking and have already basically walked 1/3 of the way already and another taxi guy asks if I want a ride for 100 pesos and I say no and keep walking and a tricycle guy drives past and offers to drive me for 50 pesos and I say no way and continue walking another 100 meters and realizing I can probably just walk the whole distance and can't believe how greedy some of these guys are because I know the local Filipinos are NOT paying the prices I am getting quotes on but another guy comes by and offers 20 pesos and I say ok. This is the first place where I see taxi drivers NOT using their meters. No meters means no taxi ride by me. The tricycle guy asked me if I wanted to rent a scooter and he has some decent prices on his list so I will definitely rent a scooter to check out Bohol like I did on Camiguin island. 

I get dropped off at the Nisa Travelers Inn as my guide book says it is the best value in town and close to everything. I am drenched just from the humidity as water is just coming off of me in buckets. I get a room for 500 pesos with a fan and the Wi-Fi connection is very good so already liking this place and not to mention that McDonalds is right across the road! McDonalds is like a sanctuary for us westerners in 3rd world countries where we can enter a first world establishment that serves good brewed coffee no matter where you go in the world. 

So far I am liking Tagbilaran on Bohol.