SIQUIJOR

Siquijor got its label Isla del Fuego or the "Island of Fire" during the Spanish colonial period when the Spaniards noticed how the island seemed to look blazed from afar. The “fire” was actually emitted by a large number of fireflies inhabiting the island.

The province is also believed to be inhabited by witches, sorcerers and other supernatural entities. This is why when we talk about Siquijor, some of us think about some demonic activities.

Honestly, when I went there for the first time; the island was, on the contrary… heavenly. 

HOW TO GET THERE

Well,  if your starting point is Cebu, you have a couple of options available to get to Siquijor.

You can either ride a bus going to Liloan, Santander and then board a ferry boat to Dumaguete or you can go to Cebu Port Authority and board a ship heading to Dumaguete.

Since we decided to travel right after work, we decided to board a ship via George and Peter Lines, Inc. This was convenient for us since we needed to sleep for the next day’s hectic schedule.

With a tight budget, we opted to buy economy tickets that cost Php 320.00 each plus a Terminal fee of Php 10.00 for every person.

We got into the ship at around 10:00 pm and docked in Dumaguete at around 5:00am. It was just unfortunate that it was raining at that time and it took the ship longer than usual but at least we made it alive (hehehe!) and we got a good sleep too (or so I thought!)

When we arrived in Dumaguete, we immediately headed to Jollibee for breakfast. The nearest one was just 5 minutes away from the port if you ride a tricycle.

At around 5:45 a.m., we were already aboard the ferry boat going to Siquijor and after almost 60 minutes (which actually felt like forever because of too much excitement), we finally reached the Island of Fire.

There are tricycles near the port but it’s always best if you contact someone beforehand. In our case, it was Kuya Aipee who served as our tour guide and driver for the entire day.

By the way, in case you are planning to go to Siquijor, you can contact him at 0927-263-3983. Don’t worry about the service fee though since he and the rest of the drivers all follow some tarriff rules and guidelines. He should let you see that document first before you go anywere.

I know! I should have asked for a copy of that document. My bad! But it should normally cost you Php 1,200 – Php 1,300 for six persons in a tricycle or Php 2,000 for 10 people in a Multicab. The fee can be negotiated though; just make sure you ask for a discount in a nice, polite, and professional manner.

WHAT TO VISIT

The first thing we did when we got to Siquijor was to check where to stay. There are a lot of beach resorts , pension houses and guest houses available but we decided to stay in The Sylvia in Solangon, San Juan, Siquijor.

(see http://www.siquijor.gov.ph/where%20to%20stay.pdf for a list of other options)

It’s a restobar too with large hall, balcony and stage.

The Sylvia is just a walk away from its sister beach resort The Bruce which is situated at the opposite side of the road.

The Bruce has a large pool, cozy rooms and cottages, kayaks and other amenities that will definitely make your stay fun all the more.

We were told that The Sylvia is owned by a woman named Sylvia who is the daughter of The Bruce’s owner named Bruce. I think this makes a lot of sense!!

Although, The Sylvia offers a more affordable price for backpackers; for an overnight stay of Php 300.00 each, you can already enjoy both of their facilities at no extra cost and not to mention, both resorts are free wifi zones.

After leaving some of our stuffs in the room, we all headed to our first stop for that day – Capilay’s Spring Park.

Capilay spring is natural spring converted into a swimming pool. Residents love to hangout here due to its cold water. You can swim here for free.

After swimming in Capilay’s spring, we headed to The Enchanted Balete Tree. I must say, it was a bit eerie to see a 400 year old Balete tree before me. It was a huge tree with huge roots and overhead vines hanging all over. I got the chance to talk to some people who live near the area. They all claim that there are supernatural entities called Engkantos that live and protect the tree.

If you want to relax a bit, you can stay here for a few minutes and enjoy a free fish spa.

 

Another eerie spot in the province is the Parish church of San Isidro Labrador which, according to the residents, was made out of indigenous coral stones and hardwood materials. This is also considered as one of the historical landmarks not only in the country but in Asia as well.

When we walked down the aisle, we noticed that the pews looked new but the floor, the walls and even the ladder close to the door all looked ancient and a bit creepy. But staying in the church even for five minutes would make you think how the church withstood all the natural phenomena , conquerors and other historical events through the years.

From the historical church, we went to Cambugahay Falls. I have seen the falls featured in some travel shows on TV but to witness it in person is overwhelming. It’s another place believed to be inhabited by Engkantos and Engkantadas but unlike the other tourist spots, the place is just so refreshing. It has three levels of falls with underwater caves that you can explore for free.

We stayed here a bit longer due to it’s cool water and picturesque view.

 

We were too tired and hungry to proceed to the next spot so we decided to have our lunch at Noynoy’s Eatery just beside Palawan pawnshop. They serve Filipino dishes such us Dinuguan, Ginisang Baboy, Halang Halang, Lumpia etc. at a very reasonable price.

What we ate definitely charged us up so we were ready for the last stop for that day - Salagdoong Beach Resort and Hotel Agripino.

From the market, we went back straight to the Bruce to prepare our food for dinner. And we spent the rest of the night eating sumptuous meals with the shore right before us and the stars right above.

The night was just perfect.

  

Important Reminders:

• The mobile reception in the provimce is not that good especially for Sun and Smart networks. If you have a spare phone, you may, for the time being, insert a Globe sim card since it’s the only one that works.

• It’s important that you bring flash lights and extra batteries since power is interrupted most of the time. Which is why it’s advisable to fully charge your gadgets before you get here.

• For polic assistance, you may contact the numbers below:

0905-432-2069 – OIC, San Juan Police Station

0926-324-2820 – San Juan Police Station

•  For 2 days and 1 night stay in Siquijor, it should cost you Php 1, 500 – Php 3,000.

For more details, you can also visit the following sites:

http://www.siquijor.gov.ph/getting%20here.php

http://www.pinoyadventurista.com/2012/04/siquijor-travel-guide.html