Smitten by Siquijor (Part 1)
Ask anyone who hasn’t
been to Siquijor if he’s willing to go on a 3D/2N vacay in this mystical island
in Central Visayas and, chances are, his reaction would be any of the
following: one, give you a puzzled look; two, utter a derisive mouthful; three,
laugh out loud mockingly; four, tell you you’re nuts; or five, balk flatly at the
idea. Try doing it when there’s a full moon with the sound of howling dogs at
the background and I bet he’d do all of the above. LOL!
Can’t blame the
fellow if he turns a blind eye on Siquijor. He’s probably imagining a spooky
place inhabited by witches practicing black magic, performing strange rituals, producing
mind-altering potions and other creepy crap. To most people, this little-known paradise
island conjures up in the head those horror images glorified in today’s slew of
Pinoy scare movies. Given that, who would dare sit back in a scary island like
that? Well, count this adventure junkie in to take the dare!
 |
| Salagdoong Beach |
Siquijor is probably one
of those places where even the brave dare not go. “Brave” isn’t exactly the kind
of adjective that best describes me so I dared to go there—again. It’s almost a
decade since my first visit in the island which had me smitten for a few days back
in 2004. So, a second coming isn’t such a bad thing. But this time, I ended up
going solo since all my supposed travel buddies changed their minds! Perhaps
out of fear? Geez, they’ve missed a lot for chickening out! LOL!
 |
| Coco Grove Beach Resort |
So, is Siquijor
really that scary? Or is it a victim of a horror hype? Part of the island’s mystic
probably comes from being tagged as the legendary realm of voodoo, known in the
vernacular as barang. The
much-talked-about image conditions people into thinking that the island is a God-forsaken
hinterland where angels fear to tread. Blown out of proportion, strange tales
about witchcraft and witchdoctors known as mambabarangs
have put Siquijor under suspicion.
Blessed with a
largely uncharted beauty that’s wild and windswept, the island could have been
a prime tourism magnet. Alas, its spine-chilling reputation precedes it. Out of
unfounded fear, visitors shun Siquijor, opting to spend their vacay in nearby
islands. If only people were more discerning about what they’ve read or heard
from the grapevine, they’d discover there’s more to the island than all the
much-ballyhooed voodoo stuff.
Because of the
“scary” repute, Siquijor’s eye-popping sensations have remained largely
unknown—bewitching stretches of immaculate beaches, wondrous waterfalls,
centuries-old landmarks and picture perfect sceneries—all waiting to leave any
first-time visitor awestruck. But foreigners who aren’t intimated by the island
have been coming back in droves in recent years, thus, helping boost local
tourism.
 |
| A glimpse of Siquijor |
Take it from Governor
Orlando Fua, Jr., whose reassuring statements are enshrined in one of the huge
billboards found at the capital town’s port: “Siquijor is just perfect for
relaxing and recuperating. Sorcery and black magic do not exist in the island.”
Still not convinced? Then take it from this adventure junkie who’s been there
twice already. The nasty things some people accuse Siquijor of—black magic, occultism,
demonic possessions and what have you—are nothing but hoaxes!
Those tales about the
island being the sorcerers’ lair are nothing but figments of the wild
imagination probably based on tall tales of yore. In recent years, many road warriors, both
local and international, have started to discover the real Siquijor and
couldn’t believe what they saw there. In 2012 alone, the island scored the
second highest growth rate in tourist arrivals among the four island provinces belonging
to Central Visayas at 17.7 percent!
Lying midway between
the Visayas and Mindanao, Siquijor is said to be the third smallest island province in
the country next to Batanes and Camiguin, if I’m not mistaken. Truly a gem not
to be missed, it is made up of six towns: Enrique Villanueva, Larena, Lazi,
Maria, San Juan and Siquijor, the provincial capital. Farmers and fisher folks
from Cebu, Bohol, Negros and other neighboring islands were said to be its
first inhabitants. As of the last census, Siquijodnons number about 90,000.
How does one reach this
spellbinding destination? The quickest way to get to Siquijor would be through
any of the commercial flights bound for either Cebu or Dumaguete. Boarding on a
Cebu-bound plane, I arrived at the international airport in Mactan in less than
an hour and immediately proceeded to Pier 1 in downtown Cebu where fast ferries
plying the Cebu-Siquijor route are docked.
It was late in the
afternoon when I went on a cruise aboard one of Ocean Jet’s fast crafts. As the boat cruised through the placid waters
of Bohol Strait, I fell asleep for the most part of the four-hour voyage,
managing to wake up just in time before the boat reached the capital town's pier. Ships and fast ferries coming from Cebu, Tagbilaran,
Dumaguete and Iligan dock at the ports found in Siquijor and Larena.
Arriving at the pier
shortly before 9 p.m., I hopped into a shuttle service courtesy of the beach
resort where I was billeted. Accommodations are scattered all over the island
but I opted for Coco Grove Beach Resort, probably the oldest among the charming
resorts lining the white-sand stretch of San Juan. Transients expecting to find
only the bare essentials in a Siquijor resort like Coco Grove would be
surprised to know that it can rival those of the more established hotels and
resorts elsewhere in the country.
Tired, I hit the sack
about an hour before midnight, waking up early the following day. Around 6
a.m., I went for a short walk along the white-sand beach just a few steps away
from my cabana. As the cold morning breeze touched my face, I felt so refreshed
and perked up to start my first day in the island. Since I haven’t had breakfast
by the beach in a long time, I had it served right by the beachfront where I
sat back and relaxed, smitten by the beauty of Siquijor’s spellbinding
seascapes. Ah, the simple pleasures of life…
There’s a coastal
road circling the island so I thought of going around for a joyride. Having
done it once, I was excited to cover anew 360 degrees of Siquijor in a day’s time.
Good thing, Coco Grove provided me a van as part of the guided tour I arranged
with them. But even without the van, I knew that moving around isn’t that
complicated given the numerous PUJs, pedicabs and motorbikes that I could find
along the highway.
 |
| Humongous banyan tree |
First stop was a
400-year old balete (banyan) tree
somewhere in the outskirts of the capital town. Because of its eerie look
created by hundreds of roots and vines hanging down, the tree is believed to be
enchanted. Other than leaving visitors awestruck, it also provides a potable
source of water for residents in the area. Gazing at it, I wondered what could be
living inside the humungous tree—lovely fairies or hideous creatures? LOL!
As we went along with
the tour, my guide shared about one of Siquijor’s best-kept secrets by the sea:
Tulapos Marine Sanctuary, the biggest among the many marine sanctuaries found
in the island. I haven’t been to this spot during my last visit so I asked him to take
me there. Found in the town of Enrique Villanueva, the 14-hectare conservation
area, which is composed of white-sand beaches, coral reefs and mangroves serves
as a haven for various marine flora and fauna.
 |
| Tulapos Marine Sanctuary |
Just a few kilometres
away from the sanctuary is another interesting oddity in Siquijor that’s become
some sort of a tourist attraction: a 200-year old house found in the fishing
village of Cang-isok. Remembering its decrepit state during my first visit, I was
amazed to see it still standing proudly, unperturbed by the vagaries of time
and clime!
While the sojourn along
Siquijor’s coastal road was a breeze, exploring its interior is another story.
It can be a daunting experience for city slickers accustomed to the creature
comforts of urban life since most of the interior roads are still largely rough.
The means of transportation there are overloaded more often than not. When PUJs
are full to the hatches, passengers must be ready to cling to any safe part of
the vehicle and hang on tight for dear life!
(to be continued)
More pics:
Ask anyone who hasn’t
been to Siquijor if he’s willing to go on a 3D/2N vacay in this mystical island
in Central Visayas and, chances are, his reaction would be any of the
following: one, give you a puzzled look; two, utter a derisive mouthful; three,
laugh out loud mockingly; four, tell you you’re nuts; or five, balk flatly at the
idea. Try doing it when there’s a full moon with the sound of howling dogs at
the background and I bet he’d do all of the above. LOL!
Can’t blame the
fellow if he turns a blind eye on Siquijor. He’s probably imagining a spooky
place inhabited by witches practicing black magic, performing strange rituals, producing
mind-altering potions and other creepy crap. To most people, this little-known paradise
island conjures up in the head those horror images glorified in today’s slew of
Pinoy scare movies. Given that, who would dare sit back in a scary island like
that? Well, count this adventure junkie in to take the dare!
Siquijor is probably one
of those places where even the brave dare not go. “Brave” isn’t exactly the kind
of adjective that best describes me so I dared to go there—again. It’s almost a
decade since my first visit in the island which had me smitten for a few days back
in 2004. So, a second coming isn’t such a bad thing. But this time, I ended up
going solo since all my supposed travel buddies changed their minds! Perhaps
out of fear? Geez, they’ve missed a lot for chickening out! LOL! 
Because of the
“scary” repute, Siquijor’s eye-popping sensations have remained largely
unknown—bewitching stretches of immaculate beaches, wondrous waterfalls,
centuries-old landmarks and picture perfect sceneries—all waiting to leave any
first-time visitor awestruck. But foreigners who aren’t intimated by the island
have been coming back in droves in recent years, thus, helping boost local
tourism.
Take it from Governor
Orlando Fua, Jr., whose reassuring statements are enshrined in one of the huge
billboards found at the capital town’s port: “Siquijor is just perfect for
relaxing and recuperating. Sorcery and black magic do not exist in the island.”
Still not convinced? Then take it from this adventure junkie who’s been there
twice already. The nasty things some people accuse Siquijor of—black magic, occultism,
demonic possessions and what have you—are nothing but hoaxes! 
Those tales about the
island being the sorcerers’ lair are nothing but figments of the wild
imagination probably based on tall tales of yore. In recent years, many road warriors, both
local and international, have started to discover the real Siquijor and
couldn’t believe what they saw there. In 2012 alone, the island scored the
second highest growth rate in tourist arrivals among the four island provinces belonging
to Central Visayas at 17.7 percent! 
Lying midway between
the Visayas and Mindanao, Siquijor is said to be the third smallest island province in
the country next to Batanes and Camiguin, if I’m not mistaken. Truly a gem not
to be missed, it is made up of six towns: Enrique Villanueva, Larena, Lazi,
Maria, San Juan and Siquijor, the provincial capital. Farmers and fisher folks
from Cebu, Bohol, Negros and other neighboring islands were said to be its
first inhabitants. As of the last census, Siquijodnons number about 90,000. 
How does one reach this
spellbinding destination? The quickest way to get to Siquijor would be through
any of the commercial flights bound for either Cebu or Dumaguete. Boarding on a
Cebu-bound plane, I arrived at the international airport in Mactan in less than
an hour and immediately proceeded to Pier 1 in downtown Cebu where fast ferries
plying the Cebu-Siquijor route are docked. 
It was late in the
afternoon when I went on a cruise aboard one of Ocean Jet’s fast crafts. As the boat cruised through the placid waters
of Bohol Strait, I fell asleep for the most part of the four-hour voyage,
managing to wake up just in time before the boat reached the capital town's pier. Ships and fast ferries coming from Cebu, Tagbilaran,
Dumaguete and Iligan dock at the ports found in Siquijor and Larena.
Arriving at the pier
shortly before 9 p.m., I hopped into a shuttle service courtesy of the beach
resort where I was billeted. Accommodations are scattered all over the island
but I opted for Coco Grove Beach Resort, probably the oldest among the charming
resorts lining the white-sand stretch of San Juan. Transients expecting to find
only the bare essentials in a Siquijor resort like Coco Grove would be
surprised to know that it can rival those of the more established hotels and
resorts elsewhere in the country. 
There’s a coastal
road circling the island so I thought of going around for a joyride. Having
done it once, I was excited to cover anew 360 degrees of Siquijor in a day’s time.
Good thing, Coco Grove provided me a van as part of the guided tour I arranged
with them. But even without the van, I knew that moving around isn’t that
complicated given the numerous PUJs, pedicabs and motorbikes that I could find
along the highway. 
First stop was a
400-year old balete (banyan) tree
somewhere in the outskirts of the capital town. Because of its eerie look
created by hundreds of roots and vines hanging down, the tree is believed to be
enchanted. Other than leaving visitors awestruck, it also provides a potable
source of water for residents in the area. Gazing at it, I wondered what could be
living inside the humungous tree—lovely fairies or hideous creatures? LOL!
Just a few kilometres
away from the sanctuary is another interesting oddity in Siquijor that’s become
some sort of a tourist attraction: a 200-year old house found in the fishing
village of Cang-isok. Remembering its decrepit state during my first visit, I was
amazed to see it still standing proudly, unperturbed by the vagaries of time
and clime!
While the sojourn along
Siquijor’s coastal road was a breeze, exploring its interior is another story.
It can be a daunting experience for city slickers accustomed to the creature
comforts of urban life since most of the interior roads are still largely rough.
The means of transportation there are overloaded more often than not. When PUJs
are full to the hatches, passengers must be ready to cling to any safe part of
the vehicle and hang on tight for dear life!
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