I’m fully aware of how cringe-inducingly cornball the title of this post is. But seriously. I did spend Christmas in paradise.

I left off in the last post with the ferry arriving in Tubigon, where Kassie, Megan and I caught our first glimpse of Bohol. Since we knew Tagbiliran, where we were originally supposed to get off the ferry, was at least a small city, I was expecting Tubigon to be one as well.

It was not. In any way, shape or form, at least from what we could see.

We disembarked and were immediately greeted by a driver from DapDap Resort, where we were planning to spend the week. He ushered us into his little red Jeep, which was idling nearby, but I did cast a quick glance around the area before getting in and was surprised that there wasn’t really a town at all. There were a few small stores on the road away from where the ferry landed, but not many.

Within minutes, we were zipping along winding roads, marveling at the lush vegetation that covers the island. We cut directly across Bohol, so we actually got a pretty decent driving tour on our first day. Megan, Kassie and I kept exclaiming to each other about the cows and chickens tied up on the sides of the road, the enormous, gorgeous palm tress and the sight of the famed Chocolate Hills, a collection of more than 1,000 hills that look like Hershey Kisses and are a famous landmark on the island.

“I can’t believe we’re actually here right now” was probably our most commonly used phrase, that day and throughout the trip. It sounds so cliche but when you’ve never been to a tropical island before, never seen livestock roaming the roads or seen barefoot workers wading through lime green rice fields, “I can’t believe we’re actually here right now” is a pretty accurate description of what keeps going through your mind at each awe-inspiring sight.

By the time we reached DapDap, we were exhausted. Our driver turned down a narrow dirt road that was even less populated than the ones we had already been on. Realizing that we were probably in for a very quiet vacation, Kassie said, “It’s a good thing we brought all those books with us because I think we’re on our own out here.”

The main building at the DapDap Beach Resort in Anda, Bohol

DapDap is a essentially a cluster of small cottages along a stretch of white beach. There is one main building, which houses the lobby and dining room area, and is where all towels, foodstuffs, toiletries and other items guests might need are stored.

The owner, Grace, greeted us warmly. She showed us several cottages and told us we had our choice of which one we’d like to stay in. After some debate, we chose one, then had to move to another fifteen minutes later because the toilet in our chosen abode wasn’t working. The three of us agreed that DapDap was a nice place, but that it also seemed perhaps a bit more secluded than we had hoped.

We discussed the possibility of moving to another resort, but at that particular moment, we were tired, cranky and had simply run out of energy. It was naptime. Talk of moving or exploring other resorts would be left for later in the day.

That was at about 11 a.m. I don’t even remember falling asleep, but somehow, we all woke up around the same time a few hours later, around 4:30. There would be no laying in the sun on Christmas Day for us. However, we decided to make the most of the last few minutes of sunlight now that we had slept and were feeling a bit refreshed.

We may not have gotten to enjoy the beach all day, but once we got outside and saw the sunset, it didn’t even matter. Truly, it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. The colors in the sky – the hot pink, the orange, the purple, turning into blackness – were breathtaking. The girls and I stood with our feet in the water, watching the sun go down and commented on how memorable a Christmas this was turning out to be.

Palm trees and coral cliff on the beach

As it got darker, we noticed tiny flashes of light in the water. At first, we thought they were fireflies flying close to the surface of the bay. But the closer we got, we realized they were in the water. The flashes of light were coming from phosphorescent jellyfish.

We could not contain our excitement.  The three of us marveled at these fascinating creatures and how awesome it was to be witnessing them in action. I think we could have ended the night there and considered it one of our best, or at least most memorable, Christmases ever.

But the night was young. When we had had enough of the jellyfish, we headed inside to order dinner. Little did we know that all of the meat is prepared fresh when you order, so we were in for a bit of a wait, especially considering that we ordered a Filipino style Christmas feast: pork, beef and chicken barbecue, among other delicious dishes.

We also ordered a bottle of Tanduay, the local rum, and had some pre-dinner cocktails. We had a great conversation about so many things, enjoyed a delicious meal and just had an overall great Christmas celebration for ourselves.

And there was more to come. After dinner, we took what was left of the Tanduay and went back to the beach. The jellyfish were gone but there was something new to marvel at – the stars. It is extremely rare to be able to see the stars in Seoul, so even a few here and there would have been a treat. But this view was truly spectacular. Not only were they wonderfully clear, we could actually see all of Orion and the Little Dipper. I couldn’t remember having seen them like this before, and I kept thinking that I felt like a little kid, so full of awe at everything around me and feeling so full of life.

Sunset on Christmas Day (Photo by Kassie)

The water was calm and warm, and the moon was bright enough that we could see a few feet from the shore – perfect conditions for skinny dipping.  Naturally, we all stripped down and hopped into the bay. I don’t remember how long we stayed in, but it was quite awhile, talking, staring at the moon and stars and drinking Tanduay.

I think we all agreed that it was one of those moments in life that you would just never forget. Everything about the night was wonderful, relaxed, enjoyable and stimulating. I remember thinking how happy I was that it was only the first day and that we had eight left. As it would turn out, that wonderful Christmas Day was only a taste of what was to come.