Our long-awaited ferry from Siquijor to Bohol was full, but arrived without any issues. When we disembarked, Valery went to collect our luggage while I waited on the pier.

Practical Tip:

• Terminal fee: 14 pesos per person — have exact change
• Ticket price: OceanJet ferry Siquijor–Bohol costs 800 pesos per person at the ticket office
• Seat assignment: After passing security, go to the OceanJet counter to get your assigned seats
• Baggage note: Staff said we had to check our carry-on backpacks (50 pesos per bag), but there’s actually space at the front of the ferry for large backpacks. Keeping your bags with you can save time and money.

Getting to Anda: The Quieter Side of Bohol

Bohol Island is famous for the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River boat cruises, and the Tarsier Sanctuary. These attractions are on the “must-do” list for most visitors. Somehow, these spots didn’t appeal to us — perhaps because they’re on everyone’s list?

We wanted to explore a quieter, less touristy side of Bohol and hoped to find it in Anda, a small peninsula on the island’s eastern coast. Our accommodation was close to Anda town, which meant crossing the length of Bohol to get there.

We used a tricycle from the port to Tagbilaran Dao Integrated Bus Terminal. When we arrived, a bus to Anda was already waiting on the platform, and we boarded right away — we were lucky, as they only run once per hour.

The ride to Anda takes around three hours. Bohol buses aren’t especially comfortable for long rides and can get crowded, but that’s part of the experience. It was hot, and only the breeze from open windows offered some relief. About an hour into the journey, we crossed the wide Loboc River, where tour boats lined the banks waiting for tourists. Beyond that, we caught glimpses of everyday life: large churches in nearly every town, bustling markets, and quiet countryside rolling past until we finally reached the end of our long ride.

Practical Tip:

• Tricycle from Tagbilaran port to bus terminal: 200 pesos for two
• Bus ticket from Tagbilaran to Anda: 225 pesos per person
• Buses run once per hour; tell the conductor where to get off — he will stop the bus for you anywhere

Bacong Barangay: Everyday Village Life

We finally arrived at our stop and walked a couple of blocks to Casa Anda, our new home in Bacong, a small barangay about 2 km from Anda town. After a small room on Siquijor, this place felt spacious and luxurious, complete with an outdoor kitchen and a swimming pool in the back.

Life in Bacong was full of small scenes that kept things interesting:

• Harvested golden rice was spread out to dry right on the street, and at first we thought it was just sand used for repairs. It looked so strange — cars and motorbikes passed by, kicking up dust and dirt onto the rice. We wondered how anyone could keep chickens away. Then, sure enough, a hen and her chicks appeared, happily feasting in the rice and scattering it everywhere.
• On the main street, a small house doubled as a church, coming alive in the evenings as locals gathered and children recited religious texts through loudspeakers, their voices carrying across the village late into the night.
• Karaoke, woven into daily life — one morning we saw a man sitting alone in a café, singing loudly into a microphone, completely absorbed in the music.
• A “car cemetery,” where local jacks-of-all-trades assembled a truck from several old vehicles; the next day, a “new” truck stood in its place, proudly gleaming white and still carrying the scent of fresh paint.

After a day of lively village scenes, our accommodation was a perfect oasis of calm. Orchids bloomed in the garden, while our resident feline guru sprawled belly-up on the table in the outdoor kitchen, teaching us the art of total nirvana.

Settling In, One Meal at a Time

The first task was obvious: find a favorite place to eat. Thankfully, this was easy in Anda. The local market has three carinderias with good, budget-friendly food, and they quickly became our daily stops.

We dined there on our last two evenings, walking along the beach toward the setting sun and spotting little surprises along the way: a local family working through a large pile of sea urchins, carefully opening shells and filling glass bottles with the meat while empty shells stacked around them, or a man catching a large, transparent squid with enormous eyes — sights we’d never seen before.

Beaches Around Bacong

By contrast, Talisay Beach, a small village beach in our Bacong neighborhood tucked between the town and resort areas, became our favorite. The water was cleaner and offered deeper spots for swimming. We made a habit of daily sunrise swims there, enjoying the cool water as the soft morning light spread across the mirror-like surface.

An added bonus was its authentic fishing village feel. Watching local fishermen carry their boats into the water at dawn, and seeing their catch later in the day, allowed us to witness village life as it actually was, not staged for tourists. We were also surprised to see that they cleaned the beach every morning, raking wet sand and pushing back into the water whatever flotsam the tide had brought in.

Practical Tip:

All beaches close to Anda town require an environmental fee of 30 pesos per person. You pay once per day and can visit multiple beaches — just keep the ticket.

Walking to Bitoon Beach

On our last day in Anda, we decided to see how far we could walk from Talisay Beach during low tide. Our goal was Bitoon Beach, still some distance away. We weren’t sure we could make it all the way, but we were curious enough to try.

We started early, just as dawn was spreading across the sky, hoping to reach Bitoon before the heat set in. The first stretch was familiar — the same route we had walked the evening before toward The Old Plantation restaurant. Just past the restaurant, the best beaches began. Small and intimate, with clear water deep enough for proper swimming, they were separated by sheer cliffs and dotted with small resorts.

To get past the cliffs, we had to wade through the water — sometimes knee-deep, sometimes up to our waists. In one spot, Valery removed his backpack to keep it dry. The sun climbed steadily higher, its reflection growing brighter on the still water with every cliff we passed. Each time I spotted another wall of rock ahead, I thought we wouldn’t make it — and each time, somehow, we did.

In the end, Valery climbed up over the rocks while I kept going through the water until it became too deep. I was ready to give up when he shouted from above that we’d arrived. He helped me climb up — and there it was: Bitoon Public Beach.

White sand lay between golden-hued cliffs, and the water was clear and vividly blue in the morning light. The cliffs provided welcome shade, and the beach was scattered with shells and sea urchins, the kind of place where it’s impossible not to start looking down as you walk.

What made it especially satisfying was that the best beach we found in Anda wasn’t part of a resort, but a public one. It was a Sunday morning, and the beach was already full of life: children played in the sand and water, a young mother cooled her toddler in the shallows, and several women sat waist-deep in the sea, chatting and enjoying a break from the heat.

We took turns swimming in the clear water and combed the shore for shells — a few of which I’ll bring home for my granddaughters.

By the time we walked back from Bitoon Beach, tired but happy, it felt like we had finally exhaled. Anda gave us exactly what we needed: slow, unhurried days to rest, relax, and recharge. We walked a lot, swam every day, and let life unfold without rushing.

After the last unplanned and stressful two days in Siquijor, this quiet routine felt especially welcome.