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Many artists have been to the resort.
A few have even enjoyed free room
and board in exchange for artworks
made during their stay. Painter Vincent
Padilla has been here, as have visual
artist Camille dela Rosa (daughter of
Ibarra dela Rosa) and Bohol artist Guy
Custodio, whose specialty is the
urna
or small wooden house for saints.
“Bohol is known for religious art,” says
Doy, who started with eight of these
little altars. The resort now boasts
a museum to house his growing art
collection, which guests are free to visit.
Indeed, Doy’s vision for Amarela is
crystal clear. “I want the resort to be
representative of this place, so that
when you come here, you’ll know
you’re in Bohol.”
On the contrary, Vicky Wallace had
no vision about what lay ahead for her
when she arrived in Bohol in 1995. A
native of Calape, the nurse had been
working at a retirement home in Hawaii
when she felt the inner call to come
home with her small kids. She returned
to a 1.2-hectare property she bought in
1991 for only PHP5 per square meter
“because nobody wanted it.” While her
children lived and studied in Tagbilaran
City, the young widow camped in a
tree house furnished with just a foam
mattress, and meditated on what to do
next. “I didn’t start with an idea to have
a business,” she recalls. What she did
have was a fascination for insects. “I
learned to respect an ant line, and
watched ant trails.”
Heeding nature’s lead, she followed
her own ant trail by doing what she
loved. She planted
pechay
(bok choy),
ampalaya
(bitter melon) and squash,
and sold her crops to the parents of
her kids’ classmates. “When you have
a passion for natural planting, you
meet more people who share your
passion.” Her new friendships exposed
her to bee culture and pollination. After
attending a few classes, she purchased
four colonies — and the Bohol Bee
Farm was born (
Dao, Dauis, Panglao
Island; tel: +63 (38) 510 1822, www.
boholbeefarm.com
).
Amarela now boasts a museum to
house its growing art collection,
which guests are free to visit
Left: Amarela’s
wall carvings have
become a hit in
Manila, where
they sell at the
annual Art in the
Park in Makati’s
Salcedo Park every
February; the steps
will lead you to
the beach
PHOTOS
JOREM CATILO