Kathy E. S.
Google
Amazing! I had booked a full day tour going to the chocolate Hills and this museum was on our itinerary first thing in the morning, but because we were scared, it was gonna rain, we ended up going at the end of the day. I have to say that this was the highlight of my entire tour. Such a wonderful a fantastic experience at this museum. It is located in a beautiful vibrant area of the city of Tagbiliran, across the street from the Cathedral and the Rizal Plaza. The minute we walked in we were assigned a guide who was a young man, a student and boy were we lucky to have him! He was kind, funny, articulate, spoke great English and had wonderful storytelling and presentation skills that made the whole tour, super fun and interactive. The museum had 5 galleries and this young man took us to each gallery explaining so much in detail, he brought us back to the past and thought us so much in that short hour we were there. We saw old artifacts found on the island that showed us how Boholanos ( the people of Bohol) used to live, everything from coffins made out of hollowed tree trunks to utensil, jewelry and so much more. We were explained the method behind making the famous egg-shaped salt called Asin Tibuok, an artisanal, traditional sea salt shaped like a dinausore egg which is formed by boiling brine in clay pots that break away. It has a rare, smoky-flavour and nutrient-rich. Currently they are still making in ( in Albuquerque Bohol) following the traditional methods and it’s even sold at the museum. Our tour guide explained to us the efforts that were put in in restoring the ancient churches that were destroyed by the 2013 earthquake and typhoon in Bole. It was fascinating learning about these events. We went to a gallery that was filled with displays of species found in behold such as primates and fish. There was a display about the tiny Tarsier monkeys and we saw displays of marine life. There was a Gallery that commemorated Carlos Garcias, the only Philippine president from Bohol. He was not only the 8th president of the Philippines but he was also a teacher, poet, lawyer, and an avid chess player!
All and all, I highly recommend a guided visit to this museum. It’s a must when in Bohol and such a wonderful and enriching experience! Please look out for my guide. I didn’t catch his name but he has a beautiful perfectly manicured face with perfect makeup and he looks like a model! If you see him, ask him for a tour and you won’t regret it. And please make sure to tip your guide. These wonderful intelligent students work hard to learn and share their knowledge with us. They deserve to be rewarded ☺️