Bohol – June 21, 2009 (Part 2)

Winding down – El Portal Inn, Island City Mall, Prawn Farm, and back to Manila!

El Portal Inn

When we got back from Virgin Island, we docked back at Alona Beach and checked out of Paragayo Beach Resort. We transferred hotels to one nearer the airport because of our 7:30am flight the next morning. Patrick O. Booked us at El Portal Inn in Tagbilaran City which we found out later was literally around 5 min away from the airport by van.

View Tagbilaran City in a larger map

It was a nice little hotel with decent rooms… and more importantly (for us). Free WiFi!

Despite our full morning of island hopping… it was only 12:00 noon which, coupled by the fact that we didn’t have a breakfast that morning… we were very hungry.

At first we went to the nearby mall which only had Jollibee and Greenwich… not exactly local Bohol fare.

Island City Mall

We quickly decided to go to Island City Mall, Tagbilaran’s main mall, a the largest air-conditioned building in Tabilaran… kinda like their SM, where there wasn’t an SM.

When we visited the now worthless “Prony” python, there was a sign for a restaurant called Prawn Farm located on the Island City Mall’s upper ground floor. So there we went…

Prawn Farm

Aaaah. Prawn Farm. “In fairness",  the placed looked Manila-ish. We walked in and quickly opted for the buffet.

The buffet is what one would expect… and more, it had quite a selection of local and Filipino dishes. While some of us were on a diet, this place demanded we invoke the “vacation mode” diet and eat as it was the last day on earth. Remember, we were famished at this stage.

There were a lot of my favorites as part of the selections

Yum… and this was just plate#1 (the other plates are not documented). We also didn’t talk to each other through most of the lunch.

Because it was Father’s Day… and I paid the check… I got a little Father’s Day token… a very nice and totally useless ballpen on a retractable string thing.

After lunch was pretty uneventful. We decided to watch a movie in the mall. We chose “Drag me to hell” which while it was supposed to be a horror movie was quite hillarious when you realize near the end of the movie that is is just one big parody of the horror movie genre.

After the movie we went back to the hotel for some much needed rest and internet surfing.

We then decided to get a massage. We surfed the net and found a decent looking placed called Le Spa Massage. Let me say this now. This was the WORST and most stressful massage I ever got. Ever! The masahistas were not good, they talked to each other while giving the massage, and some of them giggled throughout. I walked out there really annoyed.

Then we had dinner. At Jolibee. Nuff said.

Back to Manila

The next morning, we all got ready by around 5am, still behaving as if we needed to be at the airport 2 hours before as if we were in a major city. First of all, the airport was so near. Second, being early doesn’t really gain you much and we still had to wait.

Tagbilaran Airport

We had to sit in the upstairs waiting area because the lower deck was already full.

Yey… the plane arrived from Manila! Waiting to board!

Farewell Tagbilaran

All aboard!

This the first time I ever flew Econo Light. You really don’t notice it for a short flight. Just go to sleep.

And back to Manila!

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