Siquijor - How To Get There

For those who want to read from the start, check the followingSiquijor travelogues I’ve already posted. 

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It’s always been a fantasy of mine to visit Siquijor and experience for myself how creepy and mystical the island really is with all its local witches, healers and supernatural stories. I thought I was going to chicken out when I told my friends about it a week before we were slated to go. All of them were giving us warnings of all sorts. They told us  not to buy and eat food from any  of their public vendors for this would make us sick which will make us go to their local healers for relief and who knows what kinds of healing they will do to us?! They told us not to look at anyone in the eye because this will allow them to have hypnotic power over us. They also said that if someone pats or touches us we should pat or touch them in return to counter whatever bad vibes they may be casting on us. Basically they were just very worried and they wanted us to be very careful and cautious. Let me tell you, all their advice did freak me out a bit and I was already thinking of getting refunds for our Cebu Pacific tickets. However, on the day before our departure, I made up my mind to just get it over with. I’ve already cast all my protection spells and I believe with Peter’s horde, we will be protected from all the  bad elements and spirits the island had to offer.

 

I wonder what Siquijor has in store for us…

Is this gloomy weather a foreboding of some sort…?

The flights were already paid for  and our accommodations were already booked. From Manila, we were to go to Dumaguete first and from there, take a Fastcraft (Delta  Fast Ferry) all the way to Siquijor Port. From the port, we can just take any tricycle and let the driver take us to our resort. We planned to stay at Coral Cay as suggested by one of my fellow bloggers, Tien. They stayed there last Holy Week and her reviews of the place was fantastic. So it was all set…

Finally, after a “bumpy” flight, we arrived in Dumaguete, safe & sound.

 

We arrived in Dumaguete Airport at around  8:30am.  After we claimed our baggage, we walked out of the compound hoping to find a cheap multicab ride (only Php8.00 each going to the city then another Php8.00 each going to the port).  Van drivers offered to bring us to the port for Php150 but we declined. Finally, since we really didn’t know where to hitch a ride and in what direction we were supposed to go, we took a tricycle ride who offered to bring us to the port for Php50.00. I guess that’s fair enough.

We got to the port at around 9am and immediately bought our tickets. The boat tickets we got were for 1:30 pm. Sigh… what a long wait this was going to be.

Thank God for Peter, he signed us up on a waiting list for chance passengers. With a lot of prayer and a bit of luck, we were able to ride the 10:30am boat, with good front seats! Yay!

Arriving in Siquijor, at last!!! I was thinking, “Will I follow my friends’ advice? How can I talk to tricycle drivers if I don’t look at them in the eye? Oh, what the hell…!” Then my worries disapperaed the moment I saw how beautiful their beach was… the water was so pristine.

Even the beach near the port was awesome. If it was here in Manila, it’d already be full of toxic waste.

 

I can’t wait to swim!!! 

The moment we stepped out of the port’s gates, local tricycle drivers were crowding around us. I guess we were the only people who looked like we were tourists. I forgot how I chose which driver to get.  I think the moment I saw the kind face of Kuya Romeo, I agreed to ride with him. And according to Peter, his aura is pure and charming which we have proven to be so in the course of our vacation (or  maybe we were already under his spell?!). For those who want to avail of his service, you may contact him at 09067962205. He was so kind and helpful that he even suggested we stay at a different beach resort because apparently, even though he is an agent for Coral Cay, the beach there is not good for swimming and sunbathing because the sand is grey, the water is full of seagrass and it is actually a resort for scuba divers.

 The beach at Coral Cay seems great on this picture. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that the sand is really greyish and the seagrass is already protruding on the surface of the water…

So he brought us to Agripino Resort instead where the sand is white, the rooms much cheaper and the water free from seagrass. It even has a cliff that we can climb to get a breathtaking view of the sea…

 

Our first tricycle ride in Siquijor. We couldn’t wait to check-in!