Bakhawan: Magrove Forest of Badiang, Anda, Bohol

(This is the first part of the Lamanoc Island Mystic Island Adventure Tour)

A place heard first by Tutubi from his French friend who went to visit him after 7 year (whom he met in India on a ferry to Elephanta Island) and acted on a tip by Lonely Planet (hmmm, Lonely Planet Philippines Travel Guide has some nice tips though many are quite dated). He mentioned something about caves, ancient burial grounds and rock paintings but not similar to the ones in Angono Petroglyphs.

To get to Lamanoc Island, you need to get past a mangrove forest via a 200 meter long wooden footbridge plus a less than a kilometer boat ride.

The Mangrove Forest of Badiang, Anda, Bohol: The Jump-off point to the Mystical Island of Lamanoc

the road-side sign and registry of Lamanoc Island. You need to pay here a minimal entrance fee plus the banca ride

the long wooden footbridge to the wharf where boatmen awaits

interesting patterns of roots of bakhawan/bakawan or mangrove in english

a parked boat on the mangroves

the boat that will take Tutubi and his friend to Lamanoc Island, the island on the upper right of this picture

What is the significance of mangroves to our lives? they provide fishes sanctuary to lay eggs and multiply, they provide shelter to birds and other creatures of the food chain, they supply communities with wood (though not recommended), they're home to quire icky but tasty woodworms called tamilok, and they protect coastal communities from dangerous waves during typhoons, even tsunamis.

Coming up: The Mystical Island of Lamanoc's Red Hematite Paintings (Rock Art) and Ancient Burial Caves