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Drums thundered, firecrackers exploded and 14,000 performers poured through the Bird’s Nest stadium in a dazzling extravaganza that offered up a vision of global harmony echoing the Games’ motto "One World One Dream."

Around 80 world leaders watched the show which celebrated the achievements of imperial China, totally ignoring the fraught 20th century, when civil war, the Japanese invasion and hardline Communist rule left the nation mired in poverty.

"Friends have come from afar, how happy we are," an army of 2,008 drummers chanted, quoting the celebrated sage Confucius.

Friday’s ceremony caps seven years of work that has reshaped Beijing and sets the seal on an industrial boom that has turned the country into the world’s fourth largest economy.

However, the Olympic spotlight has also cast a harsh glare on the vast Asian nation, bringing the unrest in its Tibetan region to a wide audience and showing that China’s leadership is not ready to brook any internal dissent.

Pounding drums launched Friday’s ceremony on a hot and humid evening before giant fireworks in the form of footsteps blasted above the heart of the capital, crossing Tiananmen Square as they progressed to the steel-latticed Bird’s Nest.

The authorities opened the vast square, scene of a doomed student uprising in 1989, to let people watch the pyrotechnics, prompting thousands of delighted Beijing residents to rush into the esplanade screaming "Go China!."

Record cost

The Games carry a $43 billion price tag, dwarfing the $15 billion splashed out by Athens in 2004, and run until August 24, with 10,500 athletes from a record 204 nations chasing 302 gold medals in 28 sports.

Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the Games open.

Befittingly for the world’s most populous nation, Friday’s show unleashed wave upon wave of humanity into the arena, reveling in past glories, like the invention of gunpowder, but also more modern triumphs, like putting astronauts into space.

The careful choreography of the ceremony extended well beyond the stadium and 100,000 police fanned out to prevent attacks and protests, while dissidents have been kept out of sight.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued an appeal at the ceremony calling on warring nations to honor a traditional truce during the Games, but his message went unheeded with fierce fighting in Georgia during the day involving Russian forces.

Further denting the Olympic ideal of harmony, the two Koreas failed to agree to march at the opening as a unified team even though they managed that in 2004 and 2000.

The 91,000-strong crowd saved its largest roar of the evening for the entry of the Chinese team, which is confidently expected to top the medals table for the first time and was headed onto the field by basketball player Yao Ming.

Yao was accompanied by a young boy who survived an earthquake in the southwest of the country in May which killed some 70,000.

"For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world’s athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games," Jacques Rogge, head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said. "Tonight that dream comes true. Congratulations, Beijing!"

1. The Tarsier - I saw it perched on a tree along the Loboc River made even more famous by Cesar Montano, one of Bohol’s pride, in his movie Panaghoy sa Suba. I looked at it eyeball-to-eyeball and that’s how I noticed lonely its eyes were, so huge that, for a while, I felt that those eyes would kill me with gentleness.

2. The Chocolate Hills -One of Da King FPJ’s favorite settings of his blockbusters, the hills are alive with the whatever sound you can imagine, all those 1,268 mounds (count ‘em!). If you have the stamina, try climbing the 200-plus steps up one of them and, from the peak, be mesmerized by a panoramic view of the province. Breath-taking! How did the hills got the name? Give the credit to the Americans who, many years ago, stood transfixed by the natural wonder that reminded them of Chocolate Kisses. Thus, Chocolate Hills.

3. The Amarela (in Panglao) - Touted on its flyer as "…not just a beautiful beach resort but also a showcase of Bohol’s rich cultural and artistic heritage…", Amarela is Spanish for yellow. Said its owner-manager Doy Nunag, "We called it Amarela by accident. Three years ago when we were on a family vacation in Portugal, we noticed that the subway lines were identified by color, one of them the Amarela Line. We were looking for a name for the resort and we thought that Amarela was perfect for it." Most of the rooms face the sea. Watch the sun rise and set from your window, and you will sing the famous Sunrise, Sunset song from Fiddler on the Roof with new lyrics coming spontaneously from your heart. I heard that Bea Zobel stays at Amarela when she’s in Bohol, which is often. (Note: For inquiries, call 038-5029497 to 98 or cell phone 0906-5884145.)

4. The old churches - Raoul and I visited 14 churches the first time I was in Bohol, completing the Visita Iglesia even if it was the Lenten Season. We lingered a bit in the vicinity of Baclayon Church in Baclayon town, several meters away from it stands the lighthouse where Cesar Montano proposed to Sunshine Cruz at sunset, to the enchanting music of the Loboc Children’s Choir. Romantic!

5. The Bohol Bee Farm - Owned and managed by Vicky Wallace, the Farm serves all-organic food, including - would you believe! - Bougainvilla Salad ("Anything that the bees eat is edible," assured Vicky, a retired nurse who worked in the States, now the widow of an American husband) and Camote Bread. To digest an "organic" meal, you can stroll around place and have a close look at the bees of various species, coming from different parts of the country (and Australia).

6. The Peanut Kisses, Ube Jam and Torta - Don’t just bring home beautiful memories from Bohol, complete with album-fuls of pictures. Remember to drop by any of the groceries in department stores (BQ Mall - BQ for Bohol Quality - one of them, owned and managed by Raymond Ong who also owns and manages Metro Center which has a cozy hotel at the heart of Tagbilaran City) and stuff your back-pack with as many packs of Peanut Kisses and Torta and Ube Jam as you can. Family and friends back home will love those pasalubongs. Yummy!

7. Payag Restaurant - Your weekend in Tagbilaran will not be complete if you don’t take lunch or dinner at Payag (#18 CPG East Avenue). My favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Barbecue, served with fresh achara and cold buko juice (or any juice of your choice). When Floy Quintos brought balikbayan international model Anna Bayle to Bohol, they went to Payag for dinner. "They occupied that table in the corner," Raoul pointed out. "Anna looked as delicious as the chicken inasal, holding a bottle of ice-cold Beer Light." Burp before you leave the place. (Note: For reservations, call 038-4112527 or 038-5019447.)

8. The Loboc River Night Cruise - For a touch of romance, take this tour with a loved one (lover or friend) - or even alone (you can "romance" yourself, can’t you? By day, the cruise comes with buffet lunch. At night, you first take dinner at a floating restaurant and then you transfer to a boat that sails oh-so-slowly along the river between tall trees on both banks, adorned with lights that turn from red to orange to pink to violet to green to blue and then to light blue-green. Those lights were donated by Carlos Chan (Benchan’s brother) to the tune of… P12 million!?!… including the Children’s Palace where the Loboc Youth Band caps the cruise with an hour of soothing music. But first, enjoy a homegrown group composed of children and adults, waiting on a raft at the far end of the Loboc River to serenade the "cruisers" during the brief stopover. (Don’t forget to donate a few bucks to the singing group; they need it.) Cruise prices are very affordable. (Note: For inquiries, call the Loboc Tourism Port Office at 038-5379292 or mobile phones 0928-5077627 and 0920-9623550.)

9. The Panglao Island Nature Resort - Owned and managed by Raymond Ong, this resort is another haven for weary souls from the big city. If you’re looking for a place so quiet and so serene that you can feel your heart gently beating and yourself thinking, with only the sound of the wind rustling among the trees, this is the place for you. Your muscles grown tired? Walk to The Spa nearby. Or take a swim or do a lap or two at the Olympic-size pool. Or run to the beach just beyond your cottage. The resort’s new feature is the just-opened Verdant Pavilion which is a perfect venue for concerts (Sitti was the first to hold one there; and, if negotiations push through, Martin Nievera just might do a Valentine concert there in February next year, keep your fingers crossed!). For inquiries, call (63-38) 411-5875 or 502-2451.

10. The Beautiful Boholanos - Bohol has produced a lot of stars, including Cesar Montano (of course, who is rumored to be running for governor or congressman), Luke Mejares, retired actress and now US-based Rebecca del Rio, Giselle Sanchez, the late Yoyoy Villame, StarStruck finalist Rich Asuncion, Star in a Million Champion Jerome Sala (now managing the family’s hollow blocks business and, on the side, driving the family-owned passenger jeepney), Rebecca Lusterio, Hot Babe Sheree, Lutgardo Labad, 2006 Bb. Pilipinas-World Mariz Igpit and "adopted son" Maryo J. delos Reyes (who has a house in Tagbilaran.