Thursday, July 10, 2008 Les Collines de Chocolat By Jinggoy Salvador
On an island, two giants were at war
Hurling rocks and sand at each other
Day in and day out
For how long, no one knows
Finally, it came to an end
Tired and weary they were
The titans abandoned the battle and made peace
Then they left the island
Leaving the rubbles of their conflict.
Then there was tale of Arogo, a titan
Who is said to be mighty and strong.
And was enamored by a girl by the name of Aloya.
Alas, mortals are unlike gods
They age and pass on
With Aloya gone, the giant Arago shed his tears.
These tears turned into hills,
As a lasting proof of his grief.
THIS is the legend of the Bohol's most famous tourist attraction, the Chocolate Hills.
Giant molehills, a kids sketch, or even women's breasts, these are some of the descriptions the hills are given. But from photos alone, a good number of people will not believe that these wonders are natural formations. And if these are, can you just imagine all the effort and manpower needed to transport limestone and clay and mold the pieces into uniform hills. Best is that they see the picturesque landscape for themselves.
The perfectly cone-shaped chocolate hills consist of no less than 1268 hills, said to be the exact number, spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometers. Unbelievable that it may seem, the hills are very uniform in shape and with heights rising mostly between 100 and 500 meters (above see level-got you didn't I?).
These are covered with grass and will look like unadulterated mountain ranges and just after the dry summer season, the hue turns to chocolate brown, thus the name.
Up to this day even geologists have not reached consensus on how they where formed. The most accepted theory is that they are the weathered formations of marine limestone on a layer of hardened clay. And these descriptions can be read along the walking tour up the 214 steps towards the observation deck atop one of the hill.
Getting to the Chocolate Hills is never a problem, with or without a tourist guide. Jeep, bus, taxi, habal-habal or hitch a ride (this is what I did, a friend was going that direction of Carmen, and saved myself a 4k walk from the main road to the complex). I ended up seeing the place with about -- mmmm, I have the place all to myself. It was not tourist season.
The Chocolate Hills Complex sits on two hills with the viewing deck, 210 feet high is on the highest hill on the lot and the panoramic 360-degree view of more than a thousand hills around you will put you in awe. A night or two amid the legendary hills is very tempting and to catch the sunrise and the sunset must be a fantastic experience!
Or you can opt to see these wonders in another town where the "Sagbayan Peak" is. This is a mountain resort in Sagbayan town about 75 kilometers northwest of Tagbilaran City. Here you can have your unobstructed vista of the famous hills and a bonus view of the sea off Cebu City from a deck on an elevated ridge.
Whichever spot you choose, it is a must that you visit the "les collines de chocolat" when you are in Bohol, along with its other tourist spots.
If you must know, this site and sight is in the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations in the Philippines, declared as the country's 3rd National Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage List.
