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Discovering
Siquijor
Guest Traveler: Rubelyn Yap
It was dream come true, when I finally set
foot in the Mystical Island of Siquijor, after so many attempts
and this time, a real break after a stressful life courtesy
of the May polls.
I promised then, win or lose I have to treat my self and this
is it, I need to accomplish my life-long dream of touring my
country and the rest of the world before anything goes blurred.
Weeks after I finally accepted our fate, I did take a leave
and packed my things and traverse the island which is known
only to me as the island of witchcrafts and sorcerers.
I traveled via land trip to Plaridel, Misamis Occidental to
get a boat bound for Larena, Siquijor. For P350 and a 6-hour
trip, I arrived in the town of Larena at 7 p.m. Despite the
yucky smell of the boat, I still manage to enjoy my trip and
I bet the ocean is so good to me, I saw five dolphins following
us. As the dusk fill the sky, the moon which is very full, lightens
the vast sea of Sandugan Point. It was kinda romantic. As we
got nearer, I couldn’t get the excitement out of my nerve
as I will finally explore the island unchartered by many.
I was met by my host (my friend, Sandra’s sister) in the
port, who will be my tour guide for the next five days in the
island.
I retire early in bed to save my energy for the next days.
When I woke up early in the morning, I missed the sunrise (anyway,
sunrise is not that picturesque in that part of the country)
and got ready for my first-day-hop.
Day 1: Larena town; the 1889 belfry of Larena
church—the only edifice remains of the church; Siquijor
town; Blue Wave Resort- I took a dip and my God, I don’t
care if the sun burns my skin as long as I can take a plunge
in the pristine waters and fine sand beach of the resort (this
is finer than the sands in Boracay); Lazi town and Cambugahay
falls—the falls is the most enchanting falls in the island,
a three-layered falls situated in the deep forest of Lazi and
takes one to walk down more than 200 steps.
Day 2: Siquijor town; Siquijor church built
in 1759; St. Francis School built years after; Lazi church built
in 1800 with hardwood flooring; San Juan town belfry and the
public swimming pool in front of the municipal hall; Lazi convent
built on the same year and the oldest convent in the country
which was preserved by the town; Maria town church and belfry
and Salagduong beach resort—one of the finest scenery
in the island. The resort is owned by the provincial government
and whew! I just hope that all local government has that kind
of initiative and lastly, we passed through the town of Enrique
Villanueva before reaching Larena.
Day 3: Exploring Larena town and the best of
all the things I was able to do is go bargain shopping in a
flea market in the town’s center where I bought branded
apparel like Columbia, Levi’s, Espirit de Corp and Eddie
Bauer at less than P100.00 and waited ‘til afternoon for
the sunset view in barangay Cangmalalag.
Day 4: Stayed in my host’s house until
the sunset offers again another picturesque view of the sky.
Day 5: At 3:30 a.m. I bade goodbye to the island
which was the refuge of my resentments, anxiety and uncertainty
of this country and of life after the elections.
In 6-hours time I arrived in Plaridel.
As of this writing, the memory of Siquijor is still so fresh
to me and I thank my host, Manang Bebing who was kind enough
in getting me acquainted to the culture and the people in the
island province of Siquijor. You can tour the island in one
day and you’ll be amazed at how beautiful it is. But to
be able to enjoy the sight of each town, you need at least two
days to hop.
My impression of the island has totally changed. Siquijor is
not about witchcrafts and sorcerers, it is a perfect place to
commune with your Creator as it will provide you with all the
“spiritual” gears you need in your journey to the
unknown. An island worth visiting to, before commercialism will
eat it up. It’s tranquility and virginity will suffice
your idea of paradise.
Truly, Siquijor’s beauty is mystical and enchanting and
it takes a visit to be able to understand why.
With the trip, it made me realize that there is more to life
than politics…
Ruby loves to discover new sights and sounds
all across the Philippines.
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