The Philippine Diaries – Day Nine

I was up early, around 5:00AM. I considered going out to watch the sunrise over the Chocolate Hills but didn’t. I had a coffee in bed and was thinking about the day ahead. I would be making my way about an hour south to the Loboc River for a few days. I was staying at a place called the Loboc Cool River Resort.

I went upstairs for my free breakfast around 7:30AM and then went to get my bill sorted. I didn’t have many things with me so packing up took very little time. I stayed in the room until 10:00AM before making my way to the new hotel. Check in time wasn’t until 2:00PM but I was hoping a room would be ready for me when I got there.

The ride over went quick even though I took my time to enjoy the scenery. I found the hotel without any troubles and a room was ready for me upon arrival! The room was a simple hut and right on the river. There was a rack for hanging clothes to dry on the balcony outside so the first thing I did was hand wash a few of my clothes.

I went for a walk along the river. The day was ridiculously hot and no one was swimming. Perhaps only certain areas are good for swimming. Where I was staying, the water was very still.

I went back to my room, which only had a fan. It was my first hotel on this trip where there was no a/c. The fan worked perfectly and it cooled me down in no time. The room had extremely fast Wi-Fi and I was able to get my mom on FaceTime. We spoke for some time, as it was the first time I’d had a solid connection since my arrival last week.

I went to have some lunch. The hotel had a very small menu. I ordered some French fries and another appetizer that had green chili leaves with cheese wrapped very thinly into spring rolls. They were delicious. I also had a beer with my lunch! (360PHP)

After lunch, I found a hammock beside the river and finished my book ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed. It was very enjoyable and relatable and I was proud of myself for finishing it by the end of January as per my 2020 reading goal.

I wasn’t up for doing anything in the afternoon. The Wi-Fi was super fast so I spent most of the afternoon online in my room! I did sign up for an evening boat tour along the river to see some fireflies. It was 500PHP.

We left for the tour at 6:30PM. There were seven of us on the boat plus three boatmen, two of them being kids. We headed along the river before coming to a single tree that had a ton of fireflies in it. We stationed our boat in front of the tree and didn't move. Other boats of tourists came and left but we stayed. It finally got to the point where we had to ask the driver, who didn’t speak any English, if we could go. 

We got back around 8:00PM and I was starving. I ordered some Filipino noodles from the restaurant along with a cold beer for dinner. (260PHP) After dinner, I went to my room and read for a bit before heading to bed.