On Residential Lots

Bobby and I are always reluctant to obtain a loan for any purpose – even for a house. Loans just add to money that goes to other people than ourselves – of course! Our plan is to put off trying to get a loan if we can save enough money for the lot.

That plan backfired on us because the lot (691 sq m) which we planned to buy for P550,000 is now priced at P691,000 – mere months into asking for the lot price {sigh}. I guess that lot is not meant to be for us – and allow me a little sour-graping in saying that the road going to the place was very bad, anyway 😀

That same plan gave us another opportunity, though. It also allowed us to understand what Mommy Len said, “Things don’t always go as planned”. We had planned to buy that lot for so long that I was already thinking of it as our lot 😀 Still, since its price suddenyl skyrocketed, we had to think of other options. After all, we are thinking of buying a lot to build a house soon – no loans, if possible. That is when a lot in Bacong went up for sale – by Bobby’s best friend.

It is only around 402 sq m but that is already a big one, really. Plus, it is only worth P320,000 – something that we already have! Now, that must be something that was really meant for us 🙂 So, with the papes being processed and all, I’d say that we already have a lot to call our own, with no loans at that! I’m thankful for a lot of things: that Bobby and I worked hard for this piece of property that we can now proudly call our own, that a certain Uncle Dogbert aka Dieter has always encouraged – and pushed – us to make the effort entirely on our own, and that we have a family who supports us in this endeavor and promises to help clear the bamboo trees in the lot and spray the mango tree in the property.

Of course, I am thankful that Bobby’s friend put the lot on sale. Plus, the water station is located just a few meters away from the property – and the beach is about 3 minutes (by motorcycle) or 15 minutes (on foot) away! Give that as a plus to beach freaks like me and Bobby and you’ll a have a deal! Also, the property has a good right of way and just a minute away from the cemented barangay road, anyway.

So, here I am smiling at out good fortune and the blessing that came our way. Oh, my sweet naysayers can still find something to say despite this good fortune – like how little the lot is, and all – but we’re hoping that we can save enough money to start building a house by the end of the year 🙂 – pictures to come soon! Oh, some months away, anyway 😀

Bohol Adventure

I’ve been so busy with vacation and some sideline jobs these days that writing in my blog did not seem like an appealing activity. Of course, I was mentally writing what I was supposed to write about our trip to Bohol but all of those are lost in my murky brain now 😀

So, let me just pick the highlights of our Bohol trip.

Bobby and I, adventurous as we want to think we are, went to Bohol with no clear itinerary except seeing the sights and going to Panglao. With bags packed with a map, swim gear, an underwater camera bag, and day clothes, we caught the earliest fastcraft trip to Tagbilaran. We had previously decided not to join a touring group so we plotted our trip on the boat. The idea was to go to the farthest place we can think of, then work our way back to the city – take note that we did not even reserve a hotel or resort room as we wanted to sleep nearest to where we’d end up in the night.

With that in mind, we went straight to the Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen which is only about 5 minutes away from where Bobby’s buddy is currently working. Because we didn’t plan for the transportation, we were left at the mercy of the vehicles for hire at the terminal. After an hour of waiting for other passengers to arrive, the van set off for Carmen with only about 5 passengers inside – it is a good thing that they don’t wait until the van is full or else we could have waited for 3 to 4 hours! Well, so much for mild ranting – we are here for a happy vacation 🙂

The places we visited in Bohol:

@@@ Chocolate Hills at Carmen, Bohol

Chocolate Hills at Carmen - After the Rain

@@@ Butterfly Garden at Bilar.

Courting butterflies.

@@@ Man-made Forest midway between Loboc and Bilar.

Manmade forest

@@@ Hanging Bridge at Loboc.

Hanging Bamboo Bridge

@@@ Loboc River – plus tarsiers.

Loboc River

The tarsier at Loboc

@@@ Niludhan Falls at Loboc.

Niludhan Falls

@@@ Prony, the largest Phyton in Bohol (or the country?).

take note of the large stomach part where two goats are currently being digested

@@@ Baclayon Church.

Baclayon Church

@@@ Tarsier Sanctuary at Corella.

The tarsier at the sanctuary.

@@@ Mt. Carmel Hill at Balilihan.

Mt. Carmel Hill

@@@ Sagbayan Peak with its chocolate hills, butterfly dome, and tarsier sanctuary.

View from Sagbayan Peak - another set of Chocolate Hills

@@@ Kidstown at Sagbayan Peak complex.

A castle at Kidswtown

@@@ Danao Adventure Park.

Zip-lining at Danao Adventure Park

@@@ Dagohoy Memorial at Danao.

Dagohoy Memorial at Danao

@@@ Alona Beach at Panglao.

Alona Beach, Panglao

@@@ Daks and Gams Wildlife Park.

Funny Stuffed Animals Rock Band at Daks and Gams

@@@ Just a few steps away from the not-so-yummy Chocolates.

just a few steps away from the chocolate hills of Catigbian

So, those are the places that we visited in Bohol. Can someone invite me to another place and allow me to post pictures like in Travellers? 🙂