Tarsier - Tarsius Syrichta in Bohol, Philippines

Every now and again when you're traveling you come across something that's just a little out of the ordinary. In this case its a cute little animal, about the size of a mouse, but with huge eyes and that spends all day clinging timidly to branches in the rainforset undergrowth in the Philippines.

Despite its tiny size, the tarsier holds a number of records - most notably it is the mammal with the largest eyeballs relative to its body mass. Apparently it is also the worlds smallest primate.

I had no idea that tarsiers even existed before I went to see one in real life. I'm told however that the word for tarsier in Japanese is "Meganesaru (メガネザル)" meaning "glasses monkey" and is a common taunt used by Japanese school children for kids that wear glasses. Children are so mean!

Photo taken with an Olympus E-510 + 35mm Macro lens. f/3.5, 1/50sec at ISO 800. For more about post processing images see my workflow and camera settings page which also has a note about this photo!

Advice for travel in Bohol

Bohol is an island in the South of the Philippines.

What's there?

• the "chocolate hills" - an unusual hilly area in the interior of the islands with hills that look vaguely like they're made of chocolate if viewed in the right season
• the Tarsier Sactuary run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation Where the above Tarsier was photographed
• Beautiful white sand beaches at Panglao Island which also have plenty of budget accomodation

Transport

• There is an airport at Tagbilaran City with connections to Manila. Cebu Pacific is a budget carrier with cheap flights
• Its possible to catch a banana boat from Bohol to Camiguin Island, its just a matter of asking around a little bit amongst locals, and of course being prepared for a 3 hour ride on a boat that is mainly used to transport bananas (hence the name "banana boat!)
• The cheapest way to get around the island is on the local shared transport, also known as a "Jeepney" )(something that looks like a stretched jeep with bench seats in the back) or for shorter trips on a "tricycle" (think motorcycle with a carriage, suitable for up to 10 passengers). Its also easy and cheap to hire a motorcycle to drive around the island.

Budget

Bohol, like much of the rest of the Philippines is a budget-friendly destination. Backpackers should be able to get by on US$25 per day or less. There's plenty of budget accommodation, such as beach bungalows and fresh seafood abounds. If you want to spend more, there is accommodation in all price ranges.

Photo of the Day

This is photo number 2 of my photo-of-the-day series. In a shameless effort to increase the number of red markers on my travel map (top right corner) I'm updating my blog with interesting photos from places I've been in the last few years.

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