Tour Siquijor

On our first day on the island of Siquijor, we were scheduled to have an island tour. It has 6 municipalities and we visited 5 of them. A multi-cab was hired to accommodate 7 adults, 3 teenagers, and 2 kids. Our friend's uncle also followed in a motorbike.

Coco Grove

Waking up early in the morning, our very first stop is Coco Grove Beach Resort, just for a walk on the beach. We can see the marine sanctuary in the distance but did not visit it. We just sat on the beach and watch clear waters and play with the kids in the fine white sand comparable to the ones in Bora.

Sanctuary

Breakfast at our friends' house followed and packing while we wait for the cab to come.

Balete Tree

Following the Siquijor Circumferential Road, our first stop at Lazi is the Century Old Balete Tree. It is found located at the side of the road, so very easy to get to. They have a small bazaar that sells pasalubong in form of shirts, key chains, food, dream catchers and a lot more. Love potions and herbal oils are also sold here. But the attraction of the place is the sprawling Balete Tree at the side. The locals added a Fish Spa at its roots which you can use for a 10-peso fee. So you can sit at the edge of the mini-pool, gaze at the tree while your feet are cleaned off the fishes. They also have a mini-zoo of sorts. It has different kinds of animals, like the big black Boa who is curled asleep, cackling crows and native chickens, monkeys, hamsters, guinea pigs, turkeys and a pair of dogs, They also have a cage with bats and chickens, a commensalism set-up.

Fish Spa at the Balete

Our next stop is the Lazi Church, also known as San Isidro Labrador Parish. We were in despair because it is a very beautiful church and it's falling apart. The floors were creaky and some actually move when you step on them. The paint is peeling, and the air actually smells of neglect. As a National Cultural Treasure, it is not being properly taken care of.

Lazi Church

Next on the list is the Cambugahay Falls, it has 3 falls located at the bottom of a 100+ step stairs, feels that way somehow. It does not have an entrance fee, but you need to pay a parking fee depending on the vehicle you brought, So it ranges from 10-50 pesos.We went down and saw a lot of people jumping from the top of the falls to clear blue-green water below. They also provide a jump swing, where you can swing nd jump for an unlimited number of times for 20 pesos, I overheard the man said it since we did not try that one.

The 8 feet pool

The very first fall open to the public is wide and the pool below it is also big with a depth of 8 feet. The jump is short, 5 feet or so of falling. The 2nd falls does not have a large pool, so people just take a dip in it. The 3rd falls has a depth of 15 feet and a jumping point of 10 feet above the water. I actually took a deep breath before jumping on this one, but the feeling is exhilarating so I did it 3 times then did a dive on the last one, but not at the 10ft mark, but on the platform constructed 5ft above the water, which is nearer.

The 15 feet pool with platform

We then proceed to Salagdoong Beach at Maria, Siquijor for Lunch and some Cliff Jumping. The entrance fee to the beach resort is 35 pesos, all amenities included. We ate lunch first then took a dip the sea. The sand near the edge is gravelly though, but there is an area a few feet away from the beach where the sand is fine and the water deep. A nice place to lay down in the water and bask in the sun.

The beach and the cliff in the distance

After this, we decided to take a plunge from the Cliff which is the main attraction of this resort. So they have 2 jumping points, one at 5 meters above water level and the other one 10 meters above the water level. The water depth is at 15 meters on a high tide and they do not allow jumps on a low tide.
I really needed to talk myself into jumping because vertigo hits every time I wander near the edge of the diving board. I finally jumped after taking forever and it was actually a freeing experience. The hubby even jeered because he managed to jump from the 10m cliff and he does not know how to swim. He asked a friend to check if the coast is clear then did a running jump. Next time maybe if I have the guts.

view from the top of the Cliff

Going home now, we stopped at Lilibeth's Pan Bisaya located at Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, which was featured in a lot of travel & tour shows in the Philippines and bought some of their specialty bread stuffed with bukayo, or coconut. They are actually baking in a dome-shaped oven that is actually homemade and not bought on appliance centers.

Lilibeth's Pan Bisaya Oven

We also stopped by at the Talingting Boulevard, but it was a hot afternoon so we did not really stay, but I bet the sunset view from there would be awesome.

Talingting Boulevard

Then at Larena, we stopped for snacks at the Triad Coffee Shop. It was a dome-shaped building overlooking Siquijor. You can see the white beach at the distance, the depth of the water defined by its changing colors from blue-green to deep blue and the skies are clear as well. You can see Bohol, Cebu, Dumaguete even the fumes above Mount Kanlaon. The air is fresh and you can just let the wind blow your worries away.

Panoramic View of the Triad

Back at San Juan, we stopped by a place they called mini-Boracay, it's actually a beach with coconut trees at the side. The white sand stretches all the way from the palm trees to the beach. A lot of foreigners were sunbathing and walking in it. They said that it is where tourists flocks when the sun sets for the view.

Panoramic View of mini Boracay

Our last stop is Capilay Spring Park, it is a public pool located the Poblacion of San Juan. So residents won't have an excuse of not having water in the house for bathing because a public pool is open and free for all at their disposal.Though they charge environmental fees for tourists. The pool is flowing spring water and is at 6 feet, so pretty deep. It is fresh and cold, a very nice way to rinse oneself from the sea water clinging to ones' hair. The park also had a cafe and benches for picnics. Really idyllic place amidst the bustle of the municipality's capital.A very nice way to end the tour as well.

Capilay Spring Park

After this, it's home sweet home for rinse and rest.

So that's 5 out of 6, Mount Bandilaan is located in Siquijor, that should have been 6th. But anyway, I bought pasalubong there..
So 6 out of 6, though not a very thorough one :D


Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!

Lakbay 2017: Siquijor

For the Holy Week (Lent Season), the hubby and I were invited to stay over at a friends house.

We obliged and were off the grid for a few days because Siquijor is an island province where the internet signal and cellphone signal are ghosting, meaning it comes and goes. It is also rumored as the witches lair and the voodoo capital of the country, so yeah, a pretty neat place to be when people are celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ.

But I am getting ahead of myself, first, let's talk about how to get there. You have two options. First and the most usual is riding a ferry from Dumaguete, Tagbiliran, and Iligan. The nearest and has a daily schedule is, of course, Dumaguete and they have 4 different ferries, GL Shipping Lines, Montenegro, Aleson, and OceanJet. Here's a link to schedules from the internet. The fare ranges from 100 to 300 and the travel time to 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or more. The 2nd and less popular option is to charter a small plane or helicopter and be flown over. Its' expensive too.

For us, since we are living in Iloilo, we have 2 options as well. Flying to Dumaguete or do a road trip. We took the 2nd option since doing it by plane is expensive and we were with friends.

So a ferry from Iloilo to Bacolod early in the morning (first trip), that will cost you from 250-400 pesos depending on the ferry taken and the accommodation. That took an hour or so. Breakfast at the pier to ready ourselves for the 6-hour trip. :D

We left Bacolod at 9 AM and arrived in Dumaguete at 3 PM with the bus traveling south. Do not ask me about the travel because I was asleep for most of it and is only awake for a few intervals watching the countryside roll by for awhile. Stretches of sugarcane and banana plantations that marks Negros then moved on to sea seen from a distance when we finally entered Dumaguete then the sea when we arrived at the pier for ferries to Siquijor.

Bought some tickets for a 3:50 PM trip that costs 170 pesos then proceeded to a popular cafe called Food Net for snack/lunch.

Finally, at 5:30 PM, we arrived at Siquijor and hired a tricycle to the municipality of San Juan where our friend lives. Hiring the tricycle costs 250 pesos but they also offer an island tour for 1000 pesos which will show you around the place. For us, our friends planned everything, so what we just need to do is wake up early and be prepared to be shown around. The main mode of transportation in Siquijor is the tricyle though there are motorbikes for rent and multicabs that take passenger but usually for hire or for long-distance trips like from Siquijor to Lazi.

St. Frandis de Assissi Church near Siquijor Pier

So the 1st day was spent on touring the island, I will post another article for this to highlight the many places we visited.

The 2nd day Holy Friday, we were supposed to trek to Mount Bandilaan but there was a bomb threat, so we ended up taking a dip near Coco Grove Resort at noon as our friends' family tradition and then attending mass at the San Juan Church and joining the procession.

We also visited the local shell museum Marelle's Underwater World Museum where they feature all species of sea creatures found in Siquijor and other places in the country. Crabs, urchins, shells (lots and lots of these), starfishes, and literature or backgrounds on sharks and the shells. It also has a souvenir shop where you can buy shirts, lamps, bracelets, earrings and other home decorations made entirely from shells and other local materials.

The 3rd day, Black Saturday, we spent the morning at the seashore. It was low tide and our friend's father gathered some sea urchins straight from the sea for our breakfast at the beach.There were 3 different kinds of urchins and I ended up eating one of each just to see the different in taste. the urchins tasted like crab meat to me, texture included and one urchin (inset) tasted best. Totally recommend eating it with steaming rice.

In the afternoon, we went to the municipality of Siquijor to inquire on trips and buy pasalubong. We ate snacks at M's Place where the siopao is sold for 16 pesos and the halo-halo served in a very tall glass. It tasted great too. Then next door, I forgot the name of the place for shirts and other pasalubong. And oh, they sell love potions too :D

Then Sunday, early in the morning, we left Siquijor at 5:30 AM for the trip back to Iloilo.

It was a very relaxing vacation and we promised to come back for our friend's wedding. Hopefully, it will come soon. :D



Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article every two days... :D just because!