Halloween in Siquijor

Siquijor Port

The plan was to go South Cebu and Dumaguete, but even hours before my flight, there was nothing yet in my itinerary. When I ask folks from www.pinoyexchange.com,  I was told siquijor is just an hour ferry away. I’ve also heard claims of Siquijor having great beaches, so I got so excited about getting to Siquijor.

From the port, I could see the white sand beach and the clear water of the shore. I got thrilled at how great the “actual” beaches can be.

That was already past 2pm, and step 2 is to scout some accommodation. A PEX friend recommended Czar’s place for P500/night, but I had a feeling there are cheaper options.

The uniformed tourism officials said Czar’s is the cheapest, but when I asked the desk personnel for a list of hotels/lodges around, he opened his logbook with a long list including transient dormitories – BINGO!

Most of the cheaper lodges are located in Larena, so we took the transpo to Larena and brought out the list along the way. We ended up in Luisa’s Food & Lodge at P250/night. It was a transient accommodation for agents of various merchandise, located right next to the Port.

Luisa's Food & Lodge next to the Larena Port

Since it was already late in the afternoon and there’s nowhere else to go but only around town, we sat relaxed,  chain smoked, cleaned up, and prepared for dinner and booz.

We planned to have dinner at JO's Chiken Inato but thinking of how much we'll have to spend to satisy our intestines, we thought about doing a semi dinner among the barbeque stalls in the port.

our, after all, not so cheap barbeque

After that meal, we skipped JO's for the meantime, and went for a walk to another bar past it. 

 Ironically, JO's was having a halloween gimik with it's staff dressed like zombies complete with spooky sounds on the background. The sounds could be heard within the whole town, and with the town so dark, I could tell my friend is getting paranoid. It was only then that I realized about the legend of Siquijor.

Anyway, on that bar (after JO's Inato), they served (only) COLT45 beer at P25/bottle, and with free wifi (and as bonus, copious mosquito bites). After a bottle, and enough boredom, we finally moved to JO's.

didn't quite get the name of this bar but it's after JO's

The majority of the guests are family members, whom, I am supposing were locals returning for holidays. The only thing is, the band was as old as the town, coming, perhaps not from dumaguete city, but from Second Life.. lolz.

JO's Chiken Inato, Larena Siquijor

JO's Chicken Inato, Larena, Siquijor

my close to P200 chicken bbq

After JO's, we decided to check out what the passers-by refered to as "Disco." I initially thought it was a club or at least an establishment. To my surprise, it was a community affair - "pasayaw." Nonetheless, we checked it out (though there was really nothing to do inside). 

The people would pay their entrance charges, but would just be sitting on some corners (because they charge P300 and P600 to use a table). After 2 cigarettes, we decided to go back to Luisa's and take a rest. 

It was already late the following day when we woke up; We could not get a cheap service to get us to Salagdong, so we just decided to go back to Siquijor proper and rent the motorcycle in Dos Traum.

Broommmm! Broom! Broom! I pretended like I knew how to drive an XRM motorcycle, but the truth is, I've only handled scooter, fully automatic, ped-less bikes. But since there isn't one available, and driving the XRM was the only cheap means around, I braved it. 

In San Juan, we dropped by Kagusuan Falls. There was no entrance charges whatsover to get to the falls. You'll just have to treck your way down (perhaps 10 mins to reach) from the marker.

Lugnason Falls, San Juan, Siquijor

Lugnason Falls, San Juan, Siquijor

Lugnason Falls, San Juan, Siquijor

After the falls, we tried to look for a nice beach and lodge for the night. The least expensive was Czar's but I wasn't willing to spend that considering it did not have a beach front. It's even on the opposite side of the ride away from the beach.

We've checked out another resort, which, surprisingly, the owner was a fellow kapampangan. However, it did not have a beach front either. It's beach was rocky though I must admit the place was really cool for relaxation. 

I told the owner about our preference towards a nice beachfront, and took the time to ask where in Siquijor we can get the best beach, but we were pointed back to the port. She adds that the good beaches in siquijor are normally next to the cemeteries. And since we did not have any intention of checking in, we thanked and left goodbye.

Along the way, we came next to the cemetery, and in fact, we see that there's a sand clearance next to it. We dropped by and checked it out. From there, we could see that it must indeed be the best (or perhaps next to the most expensive siquijor resort about 500m away) around the San Juan shoreline. However, the fishy smell is all over and not at all appetizing for a bath.

beach in San Juan, Siquijor

We drove further, and planned to head all the way to Salagdong. We stopped by the San Isidro Labrador church and went in the old Convent right in front of it.

San Isidro, Labrador Church, Lazi, Siquijor

San Isidro Labrador Convent

Caltex Gas Pump running on bottles

We attempted to check out Kagusuan beach but most of the people we asked around when we were at the convent were saying we won't be allowed to get in. Rumor has it that a giant snake was spotted along the trail to the beach, and has eaten several live animals including a goat. Thus, people are not allowed as the snake is still in the wild. Instead, we checked out Cambugahay Falls (which, If i counted it right, has 4 drops).

Cambugahay Falls, Lazi, Siquijor

Cambugahay Falls, Lazi, Siquijor

Cambugahay Falls, Lazi, Siquijor

Cambugahay Falls, Lazi, Siquijor

From Cambugahay Falls, we head straight to Salagdong.

There were a lot of people when we got there; The waves were also aggressive. I had the impression of Buho Rock resort in Camotes Island; the cliff, jump, and the construction itself.

Salagdong Beach, Siquijor

Salagdong Beach, Siquijor

It was almost dark when we left salagdong, and before we even reach the town proper, it was black dark; There is no street lighting; I'm glad I have lost belief of anything metamorphical as I would have faint of fear. 

along the way, just past the town of Maria, the head light completely went off; Now, i'm scared; not because of what creepy creature might show up, but becuase it's totally impossible to move, especially that it's downhill. I've tried calling Dos Traum but there was no answer; I was trying to find a way to repair, until after 20 mins of nonsense, i realized I had a flashlight in my pack; Flashlight saved the night.

And we even managed to check out the Capilay Spring Park; Had there been lights in the vicinity, I would have at least done a short dip. But it was too dark to see if it's clear at all.

Capilay Spring Park, Siquijor

For that night, we checked in at Dos Traum. It was a good choice as our P250/night had cable tv and a cozy veranda. The only thing was, it's good enough for sleep but there's nowhere to scout food, beer, etc around. We tried to snatch out at 10pm.  Their househelps probably heard us, and went out of their rooms, and I spotted rosaries in their hands (hoof!!!); 

Das Traum Guest House, Siquijor

Das Traum Guest House, Siquijor

Das Traum Guest House, Siquijor

The closest lit establishment nearby was a St Peter Funeral Home, we walked past further, and saw the swedish lodge still open; had beer and a tiny snack; Bored ourselves fairly well and gave up the night.