Siquijor is an island province in Central Visayas, Philippines. The name originated from the king's name, "Kihod" which the Spaniards mistakenly took for the name of the island. The name Sikihod was then adopted as the island's name and then later on changed Siquijor.
I do not recall where I first heard about its reputation but its urban legend on magic, sorcery/witchcraft and healing rituals is well-known to Filipinos. I am always a skeptic but I admit I was a bit hesitant and quite scared to come here because of that reputation but for the sake of adventure, I decided to dive into it.
Having gone there, I'm now pretty sure that the nasty rumors about black magic is not true but the place did its magic and cast me under its spell and has left me enchanted to its simplicity and beauty.
We came to Siquijor through an airconditioned ferry from Dumaguete. We first had lunch of tinolang native chicken and calderetang kambing in a nearby carinderia before boarding our boat. It was a quick 30-45 minute ride.
As I stepped foot on the pier and during our tricycle ride, I saw it as just a typical small and sleepy town. It was a Friday afternoon, almost after school hours. At the middle of their city, people were swimming in their cold spring...YES, clean and clear spring in the middle of their town, the busiest part of the island where people swim. Beat that! This is the Capilay Spring Park at the heart of San Juan.
After looking at several resorts, we chose to stay in a cliff resort owned by an Austrian man. We were the only guests in the resort. This is one of the perks of an off-peak travel. The rooms are on individual mini cottages. The interior was ordinary but decent and clean. There was no A/C, only a fan. Since there's not a lot of resorts and tourists in the island yet, the resorts and the rooms are spacious. None of those cramped accommodations that you will get in more popular tourists spots in the Philippines.
They have a well maintained garden with mostly indigenous plants. The edge of the resort is a cliff with an amazing view. Small fishing boats would pass by here and there.
We did a quick ocular of the other resorts. We got back just after sunset with just enough time to freshen up before dinner.
The menu mostly had international/European cuisine. We had chicken in a tomato based sauce and vegetable curry. It was nothing spectacular but it was properly cooked and it tasted alright.
There were several drinks at the bar but we were tired and we really did not feel like drinking that night.
Just before bedtime, I heard a loud sound that seemed to come from a party from a distance. I was curious and wanted to check it out but we had to sleep early. We needed an early start because we had a packed full day planned.
I woke up at around 4:00am, packed my stuff and had enough time to go out and enjoy the stillness of the morning. There were fishermen nearby trying to harvest the day's catch, birds chirping, the cool breeze and the morning sun slowly touching my face. Each time I wake up to this, I wake up with a smile.
With our backpacks in the multicab, we started our "mystical island" adventure. First stop was the Cantabon Cave, a subterranean cave. The guides in this tour are mostly highschool kids. They use their money to help support their education. I was blown away by our guide. He obviously knew every inch of the cave...every possible bump, every deep part, everything.
There is a short trek to the entrance of the cave. The facade did not look very promising. It only had a small hole and what looked like a rusty gate. Shortly after we entered, I was already knee-deep in cold water. As we walked through the dark water with the height shifting for ankle deep to waist high, I couldn't help but remember the movie Anaconda where one by one the characters were pulled into the water by the snake. YIKES!!! R knew I was scared so we constantly teased me along the way. I'd give him a piercing look everytime but he just laughed.
The formations and the color of the stalactites and stalagmites were so beautiful. To me, it can closely compete with the Sagada caves. It is not as massive as the others that I have explored but its isolated and unspoiled nature is undeniably becoming harder and harder to find in the country. Also, because it is mostly under water and there is flowing water for the most part, guests are free to touch the formations without fear of destroying the crystals.
We then proceeded to Mt. Bandilaan National Park. After our quick and easy trek, we got to the base of the viewing deck. It did not look well maintained, in fact it was quite rusty.
It used to offer a 360 degree view of the island but because the surrounding trees have grown, you could only see a little view and mostly tree tops. Time for a new and higher viewing deck maybe?
Next stop was the Cambugahay Falls. They told us that we can go swimming but I'd probably prefer to just have lunch or snacks there.
Next was the St.Isidro Church and Covent. It is one of the biggest and among the oldest in the country. It has been declared a historical landmark by the Philippine Historical Commission.
Our last stop after lunch and just before heading to the port back to Dumaguete was their white sand beach. It is a public beach where locals come to bathe and have picnics and family gatherings. We paid only Php10.00 per head and Php30.00 for the parking fee. We happened to be there on a Sunday midday so there was A LOT of locals there. Their shower rooms are very basic and could use a little cleaning and improvement.
The sand was not too fine but it was really white. We saw a bunch of local boys cliff jumping, showing off their individual diving styles. R gave it a try and it looked fun! If only I could swim, I would have jumped right in! Super inggit!
I don't know when I will be back, or if I will ever be back but the simplicity that the island and its people offered has put a permanent mark on me. It is not as grand as the other destinations that I've been too, not as developed as the more famous tourist spots and the people, not as comfortable with tourists as the other places but I believe in the island's potential. Give it a few years and I'm sure a lot more people will be interested to come. I just hope that if that happens, the people of Siquijor will stick to their "small town" values while opening up to the promise of prosperity.
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