I have been intrigued by Siquijor for as long as I can remember. Only
an hour from Dumaguete City, this tiny island province is very close in
proximity to Negros, Cebu, and Bohol. Siquijor is known for many things
– from witches to magic potions to shamans to voodoo dolls to of course
mangkukulams. Or so the superstitions say. Originally, we weren’t
going to stay overnight, partly because of all the superstitions, but
the Siquijor fiesta messed up our schedule (all the trips were
fully-booked). Before we knew what we were doing, we were booking a
random resort at the very last minute. We were also in a state of panic because most of the resorts
were fully-booked by that time. A spontaneous overnight stay in the
mysterious, mystical island of Siquijor? Why not?
S I Q U I J O R S U N S E T
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| Chasing the Siquijor sunset |
We
arrived in Siquijor via Delta Shipping Lines just before sunset. We
were met at the port by a vehicle from our resort, yes, the one we
booked at the last minute without so much as checking reviews. After a
ten-minute drive to Larena, we arrived at the Casa de la Playa resort. We couldn't believe how lucky we were, because the resort was amazing. It was pretty
without being too commercialized, and everything in it was so quirky and
artsy. The reception area and restaurant is on top of a hill, so to go
to our room we had to descend the long flight of stone steps down to
the shoreline.
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| Painted stones around the resort |
Along the way we passed by many trees, painted stones,
and various artsy things that were placed in the walkway. The “room” we
booked turned out to be a two-storey cottage, with enough space for 20
people. Our little cottage even had a veranda with a rocking chair and a
hammock. We also had a front yard and a back yard, with even more
hammocks. If that’s not enough, the cottage was beach front, and the
sunset view we were welcomed with was nothing short of spectacular.
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| Sunset view at Casa de la Playa |
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| The colors of the setting sun |
It
was low tide when we arrived, so the water was shallow enough for a
walk further into the sea. The two trees that were stuck in the middle made our view even more spectacular. As the sun began to set, the
play of colors that can be seen in the vast sky was breathtaking. We even
saw the sun’s orange rays, two extending towards the east and another
two to the west, as the sun slowly disappeared into the horizon. From
our beach front we could also see the nearby islands, and the atmosphere
was just peaceful and idyllic.
S T A R S A N D B R O W N O U T S
By
twilight, we took turns taking a bath because we practically came
straight from Mabinay and we wanted to freshen up for the evening. By
the time we went out of our cottage to go up to the restaurant for
dinner, it was already night time. The night sky that greeted us
though, was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It was literally covered
with stars. I have NEVER, in my 22 years of living, seen so many stars
light up the night sky like that. Maybe in a planetarium or in a
picture, but not for real. Until that night. The sky must’ve been so
clear, because everywhere I looked there was a tiny speck of twinkling
light, so even if it was dark the night sky glowed like never before.
Our cameras couldn’t capture it, but that starry starry night will
forever be etched in my memory.
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| The quirky tip box |
In the middle of our sumptuous
dinner, the electricity died. Our Siquijor experience wouldn’t be complete without a brownout, so a brownout it is. We finished our dinner by
candlelight, with the eerie silence enveloping us, broken by a dog howling every now and then. It didn’t help that the reading material
available in the resort contained trivia about all the superstitious
beliefs and rituals that can be found in the island, as well as
information on the shamans, potions, and everything that made Siquijor
infamous. So it was actually quite an interesting night, one that ended
with the electricity coming back. But before that, we had to brave the
long descent to our cottage in candlelight. What an experience.
T H E D E A D P E D D I C A B
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| A beautiful Siquijor morning |
When
we woke up the next morning, we had a few minutes to explore the beach before breakfast. After breakfast we were supposed to tour the other parts
of the island. However, our peddicab died, so our itinerary was wacked
up. We had to cancel the Siquijor tour, otherwise we wouldn’t make it
in time for our trip back to Dumaguete. This was already on a Monday so
we couldn’t afford any more delays. We still had to make our way back
to Cebu from Dumaguete. We decided to just go back to Siquijor some
other time, preferably for an entire weekend, so we could discover
everything this mystical island has to offer. Siquijor is beautiful,
and because it has cast this bewitching spell upon all of us, we are
DEFINITELY coming back.
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| Bidding Siquijor goodbye for now |
G O I N G H O M E
Leaving
Negros was bittersweet, because it really was an AMAZING long weekend
and we accomplished so many things. Like all great vacations, the worst
part is when the vacation ends. The only downside in visiting a
beautiful place is eventually having to leave it. But the places we
visit in our lifetime, like the people we meet, always leave their mark
on us somehow. The key though is to enjoy life as it is unfolding at present. It was a wonderful and much-needed vacation in the most
breathtaking of places, with the most amazing and adventurous friends
anyone can ask for. I am indeed blessed. Thank you Lord.
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