An Enchanting Siquijor Weekend

An Enchanting Siquijor Weekend (December 18-19, 2010)

Siquijor is an island not for the faint of heart. Located southeast of Negros and Cebu, this tiny dot on the map welcomes travelers with open arms – those who are curious enough to brave the waves and see past the island's reputation of magic, sorcery, and all kinds of supernatural phenomena.

I’ve been to Siquijor once before, but we never really got to tour the island due to time constraints. This time, I was determined to discover Siquijor, because I knew there’s a lot more to the island that awaited our adventure-seeking hearts. Mystical and enchanting, Siquijor called. And without hesitation, we answered.

D U M A G U E T E  A R R I V A L

Dumaguete belfry

We left Cebu at 2AM, making the long 3-hour drive to the southernmost tip in Bato. Adel and I (we've done this trip countless times) took Jerah and Revalde (our balikbayan high school classmates) on this dawn roadtrip, and we got on the 5AM barge to Amlan, Negros Oriental. By approximately 6AM we were at Dumaguete, where we went to the public market for some authentic Dumaguete breakfast – puto and sikwate. From there we went to the Dumaguete belfry (our first time there, ironically), met up with Rexonni, and went to Gina’s Kabayo-an to eat a fuller breakfast. I’ve never had horse before, let alone for breakfast, but it was an interesting way to start what looked like a very interesting weekend. Thankfully, it tasted like beef.

H E L L O  S I Q U I J O R

The Siquijor Port

We boarded the 10:30AM Delta Ferry to Siquijor, and arrived on the island just in time for lunch. The Siquijor experience starts with the port, which is the cleanest I’ve seen in the Philippines. The water is so clean and blue, you can just jump right in. A long shore of white powdery sand greets you, and from there alone you can tell that Siquijor is a beautiful island with many not-so-known wonders.

Hungry and excited, we ate lunch at the nearest restaurant in Siquijor town, which had a huge sign that says “Pizza.” I don’t know if that’s the restaurant’s name, but we didn’t really see any pizza. A lot of viands were already on display so we just chose from there. Soon we checked in at Coco Grove (I’ll get back to the resort later) just to leave our things, then we proceeded to tour the island.

B I S I T A  I G L E S I A

Siquijor and its 6 municipalities

Siquijor is a province with six municipalities – Siquijor, San Juan, Maria, Lazi, Enrique Villanueva, and Larena. It’s small enough to be toured completely in just half a day, and the churches (one in each municipality) are old, historical, and sights to see themselves. 

San Juan Church

The first church we visited was San Juan Church. Erected in 1863, the belfry looks ancient enough, but they refurbished the main church so it looks modern from the outside.

Next we visited the Lazi Church and Convent. Also known as the San Isidro Labrador Church, it was erected in 1857 by Augustinian Recollects. Upon entering the church a musty smell greeted us, a smell that screamed "ancient."  The church was unique because its floor was made of wood, in a beautiful herringbone pattern. The walls were also apparently a meter thick, which is probably one of the reasons why it lasted this long. Across the street from the Church is the Lazi Convent, a huge structure which was built in 1887 and was used by the friars for rest and recreation purposes. On the second floor, we found a Siquijor Heritage Museum, which had a lot of ancient memorabilia and information.

San Isidro Labrador Church

The last church we visited was the Santa Maria Church, located in Maria. We visited this after we trekked the falls so we already quite tired. Made of stone and erected in 1880, the Santa Maria Church also has a hexagonal belfry. However, the main reason why we wanted to go inside was to see the statue of Santa Rita de Cascia, one of the mystical things Siquijor is known for. Encased in a glass box by the altar, the statue is dressed in black, with a haunting and almost-frightening expression in her eyes. 

Santa Rita of Cascia

On her right hand is a skull. “According to local legend, the skull belongs to the woman’s husband whom she killed for reasons nobody in the island seems to know.” (‘Island of Faith and Mystique,’ Lawrence D. Casiraya, BusinessWorld Online) On her left hand is a crucifix, and legend says it used to be inverted. Legend also says that the statue walks at nighttime, so that’s enough of a hair-raiser. However, legends are mostly false, and the other side of the story is that “Santa Rita de Cascia was born in Roccaporena, Italy in 1381. She spent 18 years of her life living with a defiant husband who was later on killed in a vendetta. Within that year, her two sons died. Rita became a nun and received the wound of Christ on her forehead in 1441, as though she had been wearing a crown of thorns. Santa Rita de Cascia is known as the patroness of impossible causes, battered wife, difficult marriages, sickness, widows, wounds.” (excerpt from http://www.pueblophilippines.com/santa-maria-church-siquijor) Legend or no legend, the statue really is haunting.


C A M B U G A H A Y  F A L L S

A portion of Cambugahay falls

Aside from the churches, Siquijor is also known for its beautiful natural resources. One of those is the Cambugahay Falls, located in Lazi. The waterfalls I’m used to are the ones that have tall and spectacular drops, but the Cambugahay falls are unique in that they are multi-tiered, and we had to go up three levels to see its entirety. Regardless, the waterfalls were beautiful. The three levels also means that there are three pools, with water so blue, cool and inviting. The trek going down is not that far, and there are stone steps to make the trip easier. However, for every step down there’s a step up, so that was enough exercise for us to earn our dinner.


C O C O  G R O V E  S U N S E T

After our Siquijor sightseeing we drove back to Coco Grove . We checked in earlier right after lunch, and we were then given welcome drinks. We enjoyed those welcome drinks while staring at the beautiful sea, which was uncharacteristically still. The waters were glistening because the sun was glaring down with all its glory.

By the time we returned from our sightseeing, the sun was already about to set. We were told that San Juan is the best place to view the Siquijor sunset, and soon we found out why. We were sitting on the long stretch of white sand sand staring at the sunset for a long time, while the waves were silently crashing in front of us. It was a breathtaking experience as we saw the sky show off its orange, yellow, purple and pink hues, all reflected in the vast sea. The clouds were participating in the grand show-off, and the horizon was barely recognizable as the hues played off each other. If only I could stare at it forever.

The Siquijor sunset as seen from Coco Grove

When the sun finally set, we made our way to the house of Rexonni’s uncle and aunt, where we had them most sumptuous dinner. We bought drinks afterwards, and had a lazy drinking-by-the-beach session while reminiscing high school memories and scaring ourselves with ghost stories and more Siquijor legends c/o our host. When it got too late and too spooky (a man with red shorts appeared and it also started drizzling), we called it a night.

B E A C H  H A P P E N I N G S

Perfectly still waters on this side of Siquijor

The following day, we enjoyed the glistening blue waters of Siquijor and went snorkeling.  We also went kayaking and swimming, and we went to the floating cottage in the middle of the sea. Having lived in an island most of my life, I've loved the water since I was a child. Needless to say, I enjoyed this part of our trip thoroughly.

Snorkeling in Siquijor

For lunch we went to Triad, a charming café/restaurant in Larena, located on top of a hill with a majestic view of the island. We ordered the fastest-cooking dishes in the menu because we had to make it in time for our 4:30PM trip back to Dumaguete. The view from the restaurant was gorgeous though, even if the clouds weren’t cooperating. We barely made it in time for our ferry, and soon we were back in Dumaguete shores.

D U M A G U E T E  C H R I S T M A S  H O U S E

Dumaguete Christmas House

We had our dinner at Hayahay, which is always a winner when it comes to food. After which we capped the night with a visit to the famous Dumaguete Christmas House. For 18 years, this house owned by Dr. Rico Absin (an anesthesiologist) has been opened to the public every Christmas, during which it is magically transformed into Christmas wonderland. I felt like a little girl again, and the magic of Christmas was definitely in the air.

L E A V I N G

After this, we made our way to Forest Camp, where we were checked in for another night of drinks and laughter, with the company of old friends and this time the sound of the murmuring brook. I left the morning after because I still had to go to work, but my memories of this trip, and more importantly, of Siquijor, will always be with me.

Siquijor is definitely not for the faint-hearted. What I realized during this trip is that the beauty and the magic of Siquijor is only available to those who are brave enough to actually seek it. Its spooky reputation is enough to keep most people away, but those who are willing to see past that will be enchanted by its beauty. I know I was.