One last hurrah
Just when we thought that our country tour was over, we were told that there was one more destination before we head to Panglao Island to check in to our assigned hotel.
I mentioned before that I belonged to the last batch/group traveling for our incentive trip last year. I had no idea who I'd be traveling with but thankfully, I traveled with this bunch of energetic kids at heart who never ran out of energy until the very end of the trip.
We arrived at Sikatuna's Mirror of the World a few minutes before four (4) in the afternoon. On a normal day in the Philippines, it's still too hot to go out, much so wander around at 4 PM. But thankfully that day, it was a bit gloomy; one factor that allowed us to enjoy our trip to Bohol's newest tourist attraction.
To be honest, if not for this new destination I won't hear about Sikatuna. Don't get me wrong; I love Bohol and its people but there are just too many towns and some of them are just too small to leave a mark on tourists like me.
I'm ashamed to say that prior to this visit, I told myself that I will never enjoy this kind of tourist attraction. "It's too childish", I'd say. When I planned our of supposedly Bohol Christmas Escapade last year, I didn't include Sikatuna's Mirror of the World. It might be a hard pill to swallow but I take all the labels I've attached to this destination before. Now, all you have to do is keep reading and find out what made me change my mind.
Right after everyone got their tickets, we wasted no time and went inside the magical world that unfolded right before our eyes the moment we stepped inside its gated premise.
We were welcomed by this boat displaying flags of different nations, a huge globe with kids holding hands, a metal pumpkin-shaped carriage like the one in Cinderella, and a giant signage. All you have to do is decide where you want to go first. Trust me, you have to if you want to make the most of your time here.
EIFFEL TOWER | PARIS, FRANCE
Just behind the mega signage is a replica of the world-renowned Eiffel Tower. Of course, it's not as tall and as massive as the real Eiffel Tower in Paris but it's tall enough to make you feel like you're indeed in Eiffel Tower.
It took me some time to grasp what Sikatuna's Mirror of the World was trying to achieve. While everyone was already taking photos and hopping from one replica to another, I was stuck in the Eiffel Tower convincing myself that what was right before my eyes is just too childish to enjoy.
Much to my surprise, I started to enjoy every minute of our stay here and the more I wander, checking this and that, I finally gave in and told myself: Alright, looks like there's more to this place! I'm going to check everything out!
So I did! What else? I'll show you around in a couple of minutes.
Going back, the Eiffel Tower was surrounded by a well-organized and highly-maintained botanical garden.
I spotted two or three gardeners that afternoon taking care of the plants and doing minor landscape maintenance. I could only imagine the work they had to put into building everything from scratch and the maintenance that's done day in and day out. The work is endless but looking at the photos below, it's definitely worth it!
LEANING TOWER | PISA, ITALY
There's no time for boredom here!
A few meters from the replica of the Eiffel Tower is another world-famous icon. If you listened in your history class in highschool, you're probably familiar with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Guess what? You don't need to travel to Italy to see it, or at least, experience it. There's one in Mirror of the World, too!
My workmates and I posed right next to it and acted as if it's falling down on us.
STATUE OF LIBERTY | USA
Now that we've had enough of Europe, why don't we hop into another continent? How about America?
This next icon has been shown in a lot of movies usually in the beginning/opening scene because why not? It's eye-catching and of historical importance. Yup, the Statue of Liberty in Bohol! Sounds crazy? I know!!!
Take note tho that they didn't steal the original one and smuggled it to Bohol. Again, this is just a replica. But if you'll scrutinize the photos below it looks so real you'd probably feel like dreaming and wanting not to wake up from that dream.
MERLION | SINGAPORE
Europe, America, how about our very own, Asia?
We have our entry, too! The famous Merlion of Singapore sits right next to the Statue of Liberty.
I haven't been to Singapore and honestly, it's not on my list. As you know, my goal is to travel the rest of the Philippines; traveling outside the country isn't a priority at the moment.
Well, I have to ask my boyfriend later. I'm actually in the airport right now waiting for him! Ssssshhhhhhh, it's supposed to be a surprise! 😁
He's traveling from Singapore to Cebu. I'm gonna ask him if there are kois in the real Merlion. I bet there's none but in this replica of the Mirror of the World, there are plenty of koi that are bright and huge. You can feed them for a minimal fee. I just took pictures to give you a better visual experience.
Oooops, that's it for now!
So far, we've been to four world-renowned destinations in just less than an hour: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the Merlion in Singapore.
Tell you what, this is just the beginning of an epic adventure. If you want to check out what else you can expect from Sikatuna's Mirror of the World stay tuned for Part 2. Hope you all had fun!
Gotta go, I might miss my boyfriend going out of the Arrivals exit gate! 🤣
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