Where in the world are Andrew & Christine: Siquijor, the Island of Fire

January 10-13, 2013

Monday, January 7, we decided to go to Siquijor on a whim. We contacted the Coco Grove Beach Resort by phone for reservations. Although it took a while for them to answer, once they did, everything went smoothly. The next step was to make travel arrangements. Since we didn't know any better, we decided to take the oceanjet and get our tickets from Mail n More in Ayala. Warning: don't ever get your boat tickets there! They told us that the boat only goes to Dumaguete and from there, we have to get another ticket to Siquijor. We later found out while arranging our pick-up from the resort that the boat goes straight to Siquijor from Dumaguete. So we went to Oceanjet's office in Pier 1 to fix our tickets. Not only did they lie at Mail n More, but the cost of the ticket from Cebu to Dumaguete was more than the ticket from Cebu to Siquijor! We got duped!

So we got up early Thursday morning since the boat leaves at 6am. It took a while to check-in because the place was packed and they only had 2 counters open. But we were in high spirits and on vacation mode. After about 2 hours, the boat stopped in Tagbilaran, Bohol. After another 2 hours, the boat stopped in Dumaguete. Finally after 45 minutes, we landed in Siquijor. If we had to do it over, we would fly to Dumaguete and take the boat to Siquijor from there. Another option would be to drive to Oslob in Cebu, then take the boat straight to Siquijor. The resort people met us at the pier and gave us an overview of the island on the 30-minute drive from Larena pier to the resort.

Upon arrival at the resort, they ask you to pay up front for the rooms. The place looks small from the lobby, but once you enter into the resort itself, the place is huge. Everyone was so polite and greeted the guests with smiles. In spite the number of guests there, the place was still quiet.

We had a great time just going around and checking everything out! The resort has 2 pools and 2 restaurants. The food was great but not consistent. When we found something that was good, we ordered it again the next day only to find that it didn't taste the same as it did the previous day! Breakfast was a la carte and included with the room rate.

We stayed at Frangipani 1 and 2 which were separate units beside the massage hut. They were very spacious, clean, and had its own air condition unit and a TV. The bathrooms were big, and hot water was always available. And by the way, if you really can't do without internet (like some people I know LOL!), there's an area close to the lobby where you can Facebook to your heart's content!

If you like to dive or snorkel, the resort has its own dive shop. It was definitely one of the best snorkeling experience we've ever had. The area is close to a marine sanctuary which accounts for the abundance of fish and corals.

On our last day, we did an island tour which was P3,000 on an air conditioned van. The driver took us to different places all around the island. First on the list, was a visit to Manang Conching, an 82-year old faith healer who practiced a healing craft known as bolo-bolo. Bolo-bolo is performed with the use of a drinking glass, water, stone and straw. The healer first puts a black stone into the glass, then half fills the glass with water. Air is then blown into the water through a straw as she passes the glass around the patient’s body. When the water becomes cloudy, murky, or if some objects appear in the water, that means something is wrong with the patient. The healer then repeats the process several times until the water comes out clean.

Next stop was the 400-year old Balete tree in Lazi, which is known to be the oldest and widest in the province.

Then we went to Cambugahay waterfalls, a very refreshing sight after going down 136 stone steps without handrails to hold on to. Going down was okay, going back up was another matter!