Are you a chocolate lover? Then you would also probably get in love with the 1,268 chocolate hills as you witness them from the 214 step-observation hill at Carmen, Bohol, Philippines during a dry and sunny season.
The Chocolate Hills look like brown humps during sunny days which turn into a lush green grassland during the wet season. Some claim that they also look like scattered moles and even women’s breasts with about the same size ranging from 30 to 50 meters high. This almost perfect and spectacular tourist spot has been thought to be intentionally made by human. Later on scientists figured out that these hills were eroded formations of a type of marine limestone that is above the hardened clay. Geologists said that these were all due to the weather during millions of years. Beliefs on legends also arose. People perceived that the chocolate hills were accidentally formed by two giants who fought and started messing up the island by throwing soils to each other but they do end up being friends. The other was when a giant named Arogo cried heavily when the mortal woman, Aloya, he fell in love with died thus his huge teardrops created the lumps.
The Chocolate Hills were considered as one of the major economic and tourism booster not only in Bohol but the whole country as well. Its majestic scenery has captured the hearts of many Filipinos and foreigners. It has been included in the Philippine Tourism Authority’s list of tourist destinations and has been declared as the 3rd National Geological Monument in the Philippines. A proposition is being done in order to include the chocolate hills to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The local government of Carmen, Bohol is also doing actions to maintain the beauty of the area by disallowing mining and quarrying around the vicinity. Yet, no matter how overwhelmed people get from the easy income generating method through tourism in the country, people should never took it for granted. Instead people should develop ways to further protect it make it last for another million year.
