The Mystical "Isla del Fuego" : Siquijor

The Welcome Greeting upon arrival in Siquijor Port. :)

I had so much to share about this wonderful, indeed enchanting, small island province of Siquijor..but before that..let me share some "interesting" facts first about the province, things I had known prior our trip:

1. According to Google, Siquijor was actually part of Negros Oriental, and later became an independent province in 1971. Currently, it is the third smallest province in the country.
2. Located in Central Visayas, it has 6 towns. And the capital is Siquijor. Yeah, Siquijor, Siquijor!
3. It was previously called "Island of Fire" or "Isla del Fuego" during the Spanish times. The time of its discovery by the Spaniards, the island was seen to be glowing. But that was because of the many fireflies that harbored the island.
4. Siquijor has a reputation as the place of shamans, primitive healing rituals, witchcraft..hmmmm :|
5. The province is an hour or more away from Dumaguete, through ferry boats.
6. It's natural wonders, it's white sand beaches, waterfalls, diving sites, aquamarine waters are among the reasons why people are becoming interested to uncover the island's secret.

Well, you see, I obviously did some research (truth was, a lot actually..haha) about the province, perhaps due to curiosity from the "mystic" stories I heard from here, there and then. And I had to some sort of ready myself also on what to expect. You know, things to see and avoid. ^.^

For travelers coming from Manila, like us, we flew to Dumaguete then took a ferry going to Siquijor, through motor boat from GL Shipping. It only cost us 120Php. To be honest we were uneasy and uncomfortable the whole time we were sea travelling. Aside from the humps and bumps we met along the way (big waves), the chairs of our motorboat were leaning to the side of the window. So our butts were sitting unevenly. I had to readjust my sitting from time to time..urrgh.

After an hour and a half, yes we were there finally! Arriving at the Port of Siquijor, we were greeted by the warm ocean breeze from the port and its aquamarine waters. If only was stupid not to be aware that the water is deep, I think, I would't be able to resist the urge to jump..haha. The water is blue, clear and clean! I am not exaggerating, indeed the port was awesomely clean, blue and clear (paulit ulit lang? haha) I was really amazed, never saw such kind of port!

Port of Siquijor.

STILL along the port area.

So much of my amusement on the port, we proceed to the tour. Yes, first thing we did upon arrival is to go on tour. We made contact with our tour guide, Kuya Dodong, beforehand. He was waiting for us at the port entrance. And our service..tada! Motorcycle, is the primary mode of transportation there, and you can actually circle the whole island in 2 hours.

Here's our itinerary, we began the tour at around 1:30PM and finished at 5PM:

**St. Francis of Assisi Church of Siquijor, Siquijor - the first thing to greet you right outside Siquijor Port.

St. Francis of Assisi Church in Siquijor

**Guiwanon Spring Park Resort - Mangrove Sanctuary. One thing you'll notice in the island is the abundance of mangrove trees from most of its shores.

**Stopover at Ate Lilibeth's Bocayo store - Saw this in Byahe ni Drew show in GMA, so we asked Kuya Dodong for a stopover. The bocayo bread is tasty! We loved the freshly baked bread, and even had take outs :)

**Salagdoong Beach in Maria - Spent our lunch there, before we went swimming. The famous activity there was cliff jumping, buuuut it wasn't an activity for me.. fear of heights creeped in the moment I laid my feet on the board..haha.

**Cambugahay Falls in Lazi - I was completely amazed, again, but this time by the waters of this enchanting falls. I even stupidly thought it was salt water..haha. What a breathtaking and picturesque view! The trail going here though was tiring, nevertheless at the end - all worth it!

**San Isidro Labrador Church of Lazi, Siqujior

** The old enchanting Balete Tree - we arrived here near evening, so I wasn't able to take a good picture. This tree added enchantment to the whole island. Our tour guide said it's quadri-centennial old. Woah! As old as UST!. Beneath the tree is a cold spring, where small fishes live. We tried fish spa-ing there..haha

** Capilay's Spring Park - it is among the well known natural spring park in Siquijor, located in the heart of San Juan town.

***End of Tour**

We spent the night at Lorna's Beach Rooms (End of the World). I know, weird name. But the place is good for budget travellers like me. Each room costs 500Php per night, and has kitchen (complete with stove and ref) inside. You can prepare your own meals there, just like we did for our dinner and breakfast the next morning.

Breakfast by the beach..

Along the beach of Lorna's End of the World Beach Rooms in San Juan

Pasalubong Center

Bye Siquijor!

Our stay is too short, yet enough to experience and be captivated by its natural beauty. Siquijor is a small island, yet a charming paradise. It's natural wonders add enchantment to it as a whole. True, that in the mountains of this province, resides many "manggagamots" as per Kuya Dodong. Still, I fell in love with its natural wonders (albeit steroetyped as a "mystical" place). And I promised to say something good about this province, regardless whether people will believe me or not. :)

Till next time!

On our way back to Dumaguete, we opted to ride Ocean Jet, a little expensive though, but much "much" comfortable. 200Php is worth the comfort. And wait there's more, it's air-conditioned and took us only short an hour to Dumaguete. Recommended! :)

Contacts:

For a motorcycle tour - Kuya Dodong - 09262860947 - cost of our tour is Php1,000

For budget place to stay - Ate Lorna's - 09273816377 - Php500 per room per night