Stores, Malls or Markets in Province of Bohol

Island City Mall is one of the biggest shopping malls in Tagbilaran City. In their supermarket portion, there is this one portion wherein all food products made from BOhol are being sold

What to buy: the famous peanut kisses, kalamay, torta ( mamon), cheese pie, ube pie, among others . the price is just the same with the other supermarkets in tagbilaran

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These are by far the best broas (ladyfingers) I've ever had. They are super crisp and light, almost feathery, melt-in-your-mouth heaven! I was thrilled to no end that you could watch them make the broas right there. There were only four women at work in the small bakery. I watched as the mixture was piped onto sheets of tin, baked by charcoal in a clay oven, and then scraped off the sheets and turned over on a grill to crisp and cool before being packed into brown paper bags. A very uncomplicated process using conventional baking equipment and methods. The entire place of course smelled of butter and sugar and all that bakey aroma I wanted to bottle up. I bought as much as I could manage to hand-carry in the plane (you don't want to crush these delicate things in your check-in luggage!). They were still warm from the oven when they were handed to me and I handled the bag like a first-time mother would a frail newborn baby.

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Bohol has it's share of culinary delights. One of my most memorable meals aside from the seafood dinner in Alona beach were the turo-turo (literally point-point) style lunch we had in a carinderia (eatery) outside the Loboc church. I can't remember what everything was called but it was all delicious. We sampled and took home local delicacies such as calamay hati- a sticky sweet concoction made with coconut milk, sugar, and ground sticky rice sold in smooth coconut shells; peanut kisses - very addicting cookies (shaped like Hershey's kisses hence the name) made with peanut and eggwhite; Bohol torta - a sweet cake; ube kinampay (purple yam) - which I found to be lumpier, and not as sweet or creamy as Baguio's Good Shepherd ube which I have a fierce love for but it was pretty good, the puto-maya is not unique to Bohol but it was special because it was sold to me by these adorable kids outside the Albuquerque church, puto-maya is sticky rice boiled with sugar and coconut.

Visiting the famous spots in Bohol, I observed souvenir shops are automatically always present. Having a 3 or 4 competing shops in a place means reasonable prices. Haggling is still the name of the game.

What to buy: These are our great-buys in the following locations. Blood Compact Monument - the never-to-miss Chocolate Kisses. Baclayon Church - lifesize tarsier stuffed toys (my children are very happy having them clinging around their arms/legs). Loboc River - native delicacies and printed t-shirts for pasalubong. Chocolate Hills - better quality souvenir shirts and local crafts.

What to pay: T-shirts at P120 per. The good quality ones at P250+ per.

Bohol Quality is a popular department store in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. But you can get the Peanut Kisses at any major grocery store.

What to buy: Peanut Kisses is Bohol's famous delicacy. They're shaped like Hershey's Kisses, but of course made of peanuts.

What to buy: ok....i'm not talking about the real tarsiers but a toy tarsier......... you can choose if you want a home decor or a keychain or cellphone holder..... but it doesn't come cheap Php70 each....