Siquijor

February 4, 2012.

Our jitney drove us up and out of the town turning west from Siquejor town through San Juan to the Royal Cliff Resort. We were taken with the gardens immediately. We walked down a well kept path with our belongings and found reception. We were directed to the Sea Breeze cottages numbers 1 and 2.

Each couple had a lovely lanai with table and chairs. Inside there were twin beds pushed together. Each day a new design was created with our top sheets, towels and flowers. Today it was a Valentine heart. We had an open cupboard, another table and chairs and a basic bathroom off of the main room. Surprise, surprise, there is no hot water. They had not run out – there just isn’t any. Cold water taps only. In this heat we had no problem adjusting. It is not uncommon in the Philippines. Even in Calibago, there is only a hot water geyser for the showers. All sinks have cold water only. These rooms are less than P1000 per night (about $20.00 Canadian).

During our time here we found the electricity could be out for short periods of time. We also found there was no reliable cell phone service. It seems Dumaguete can turn off Siquijor at will. They try to be as self sufficient as possible at Royal Cliff and have their own generator for emergencies. There is no air conditioning in the rooms but we found the ceiling fans to be sufficient when we were there. Quieter too!

It is the custom to leave your sandals on the step to save having sand in the house. On this first trip in with our luggage, I forgot that courtesy. It was hard to get all the coral sand out again. Though it was cleaned regularly, some grit remained right where we walked barefoot to the bathroom.

I could not wait to take the camera around and admire the grounds. It is a small resort built on the top of a limestone cliff. They have paths meandering through the gardens and down staircases to the sea. Each cottage is tucked away in its own space. As you walk you find many little seating areas. I liked the two hammocks hanging in the shade of a coconut hut.

For those who like to bake in the sun, there is a cement patio with lounge chairs. Past that there is another little hut with cushion lined benches and a souvenir cabinet. I sat there for a manicure – pedicure one afternoon. There is another little hut with table and chairs that is the perfect spot for watching the sun go down. Then you come to the dining room. You can eat under cover or out front on the edge of the cliff with only the stars above you at dinner time. If you are lucky you will see fireflies in the shrubbery.

The dining room serves only the residents so there is plenty of room for all and you can mix and mingle if you wish. We often shared our table with a young man from the Wainwright, Alberta area who is traveling alone on a holiday from his teaching job in China. Tyler is a science teacher on contract to a private English school working with the British Columbia school curriculum in a rural area outside of Cheung King. He is really enjoying it and had some interesting stories to share.

We also enjoyed two young English women who were traveling around together. The Philippines may never be the same! Their adventures had us in stitches; falling down a manhole in the dark on the way home from an evening out; a fifteen hour drive by scooter over the mountain from Puerto Princessa to El Nido, the last part down the steep mountain road in the pitch black dark. Someone told them it would take three hours and they believed it! It shouldn’t take fifteen but with two flat tires, a lost key and nightfall, it was not a straight forward journey. For now, they were terrorizing the roads of Siquejor on a motor scooter. They were the perfect catalyst to get all the young people, English, Canadian and Filipino, together for a live band at Czar’s Place. I gather that young people came from all over the island. We could hear the drums and music late into the night as we seniors lay in our beds. If my grey hair would not have been so noticeable in the crowd, I would have snuck out and joined them!

I spoke to a German couple who were interested in the snorkeling. They were disappointed by the reef here. They found Cebu to be better. I never did get all the way out to the flags making the edges of the reef so I cannot say. I was swimming alone and enjoying my underwater camera so I kept getting interrupted on my way out. The first day I was photographing a sea cucumber.

There is only a small amount of sand at the foot of the stairs. At low tide you can explore the tide pools with beach shoes. The small cave at the foot of the other stairs is fun to explore. The hole in the roof with the sunlight shining through was a “”Kodak moment”. Riza thought another rocky ledge made a perfect alligator! We spent the first afternoon, having lunch, napping and exploring the nooks and crannies of our temporary home.

We booked a car and driver for our second day. It was Walter again, this time with a Mitsubishi air conditioned van. First stop was for fuel. No gas station, just a little store, gallon jugs of diesel, a hose and a funnel.

Sequijor is the Philippine center of witchcraft and magic. Our first stop was a long drive up into the hills to meet Lola Con Ching. She is a famous healer in the area. I had expected a worldly wise person putting on a show for tourists. Instead I found a tiny elderly lady who lives with her daughter. She is very respected by her people. Dan and I did not want to make her uncomfortable so we explored outside while Leroy and Riza watched the proceedings.

They raise maize or corn in this area and her daughter was putting it out to dry, first on the cob and then as kernels. I spoke with her until everyone was ready to move on.

Next we stopped at the century old Balete tree or Banyan. There is a small stream walled in with many fish swimming in the water. Supposedly you can get in the water with the fish and have a fish “massage”. We skipped that attraction as well.

From there we went to the port of Lazi to see the Cathedral of St. Isidore the Farmer. It is a huge church built in the early 1800’s. It is a shame there is so much damage to the wood but the good news is it has been declared a national heritage site and is receiving special attention and repairs.

The old school across the street is also an imposing building. I tiptoed past the principal’s office to take a picture of the grand staircase. What really caught my attention was the newer nursery school building. The children there were saying their lessons in unison. They obviously had learned them well and were shouting with happy abandon. It was lovely to hear them!

The road past the church leads to Cambugahay Falls. It was already getting warm for the walk down the 135 steps to the falls - even warmer coming up. We did buy bottles of water from the sellers at the top. The stairs are well built and well maintained. It was not a difficult descent. The pools and falls at the bottom were lovely. There was a couple swimming in the highest pool. They said it was better than the best spa they had been to – the temperature was perfect. Good plan to wear your bathing suit touring here. I didn’t think of that! You do have to keep your belongings within easy reach. It is possible the children playing here are not just playing. The security guard patrols for a reason. I made it back up the stairs more slowly than some but with no difficulty. That came later when my muscles let me know I had overworked them – for days!

We stopped for lunch at Salagdoong Beach Resort. It is a lovely public beach resort. You pay to get in and you can use the facilities for the day. The restaurant is not highly recommended. We ordered a light snack, a cold drink and lunch for our driver. Good enough. I got a Siquijor T-shirt - more for the map than the shirt but I will use it to save my back from sunburn when snorkeling. I climbed the stairs to the top of the waterslides and found two cement diving boards as well. Maybe I would not jump there. You better be sure of your tides!

We carried on around the island. We saw the Firefly Cove Beach Resort where we would have liked to stay. They were booked solid until later in the month. We met a couple on the ferry who had successfully booked the last available room. No regrets – we are enjoying Royal Cliff.

Our next stop was the Larena Triad Coffee Shop. It is a steep drive up hill just after the town of Larena. There is a huge gazebo on top with a beautiful polished stone floor. They must use it for big, catered events. The view out over the harbour of Larena was spectacular. I could see the ferry leaving port, probably for Cebu. We ordered two banana splits – with two cherries on top please. They didn’t have any cherries. Moments later one of the servers hopped on her motor scooter and headed downhill. Just as we finished the ice cream she returned and they served us four very warm maraschino cherries in a small bowl. That is service!

Walter drove us into Siquejor city on the way home. We needed to book passage back to Dumaguete Saturday. That saved us an extra trip. We saw some nice baskets in a shop by the Delta office. We will have to look at them while we are killing time waiting for the ferry.

Our last stop was the Cocogrove Beach Resort. It certainly is very upscale and we would have liked to explore. We had not paid our 50P entrance fee so we were ushered back to reception. Instead of seeing the restaurant all we saw was a menu. Riza was not impressed. It had many of the same dishes we were being served at much inflated prices. We clearly stated we wanted to see the restaurant and make reservations but that was not good enough. We did not bother returning.

We got back to the Royal Cliff Resort in time for a wonderful afternoon swim. This time I saw a beautiful underwater “flower”. Tyler tells me it is probably one step up from a sponge. They are a much more complex organism.

By the time I had finished it was time to shower and change for dinner. Once more we enjoyed a spectacular sunset from the seating area of our choice. By now we had met a number of people and the dinner conversation was lively.

Leroy has not been feeling well all day. By evening he was truly sick. I heard him frequently through the night. Our last day was spent quietly enjoying our resort. By late afternoon he was feeling well enough to go for a walk. There were other restaurants to try further down the beach – about a kilometer. We found the restaurant more like 5 km down the way. We have learned that “1 kilometer” is used for any random unknown distance. Everyone we asked told us 1 kilometer for everything! When we tired, we hailed a tricycle and explored a few places further on but none appeared better than our own. We had the tricycle driver turn around and take us home.

Saturday morning we got up early and were first for breakfast. Walter would bring the jitney at 8:30 to take us to the port. This time he had a lime green jitney, colourfully painted with mirrors lining both the driver and passenger doors. We had a very noticeable departure!

We got our tickets with no difficulty. It is 160P one way with a 14P port tax. That comes to about $4.00 CDN. Now we had time to wait – but the basket store was closed! Never fear, Walter to the rescue! He drove us back to the edge of town and the large basket store. Riza found what she was looking for and we had a good time looking around. Walter delivered us all the way through the gate directly to the waiting room at the end of the pier.

We did not have long to wait. The ferry arrived. The seas were rougher today. The ferry was bouncing! Dan asked me to take a picture of the hull. It was in pretty rough shape. I wondered if I was going to have a difficult crossing! Some did but I was fine. Still, it was good to be ashore back in Dumaguete.

The tricycle drivers mobbed us as we came out of the terminal. It could be quite intimidating. It just made Riza mad and she would not deal with any of them. They were asking for 100 pesos to take us to the hotel. She walked out of the gate and yelled, “We need two tricycles - 30 pesos to Obdulia’s” Lots put up their hands and she picked those who had not hassled us. What a girl!

We thanked the hotel for looking after the car and left a tip for the day and night security guards. Then we were off, out of the city and back on the road to Kabankalan.