Siquijor is just an hour away by boat from Dumaguete City, the capital of Negros Oriental and one of the best cities to retire according to expats. We have been to Dumaguete thrice and visited some of their tourist spots like Dumaguete Cathedral, Belfry and even went further south to Bais City to see the Dolphins but never been to Siquijor. Siquijor is an enigmatic land known for its myths ,faith healers and enchantments. We were baffled why is it called " Isla del Fuego", we later knew that the Spanish called it Isla de Fuego "Island born in fire" because of the eerie glow from the great swarm of fireflies that harbored in the numerous molave trees on the island.
Why Mystical?
As if to add the mysticism to the island, people even noted the shape of the island . Siquijor is like the hat of the nuno sa punso – an entity that looks like a dwarf and resides in a mound resembling an anthill. Residents of Siquijor believe that there are two kinds of shamans. The Mambabarang, who for a fee can inflict illness and death to enemies of their clients by casting an evil spell on them. The Mananambal on the other hand are folk healers, who are called upon to heal ailments and counter the evil spells cast on unfortunate people in a classic duel of good versus evil.
During Black Saturday ( Lent Season) in various parts of Siquijor, folk healers gathered to have their cooking sessions using different kinds of herbal plants and sea matters they have collected through seven Fridays before Good Friday.
Quite uncanny right? but most locals tend to disagree on this things and beliefs. They want to promote the island as a tourist destination and not a land of enchantments and Shamans.
Bound for Isla Del Fuego
From Harolds Mansion, we took a trike to the port of Dumaguete. There are four ferries that caters Dumaguete - Siquijor route ( Oceanjet, Gl Shipping and Delta) and each have different frequency departure times so its important to check their schedules. You can check the ferry schedules by clicking here. Fare cost around Php 160.00 and took more than hour to arrive in Siquijor port.
We book our stay at Princesa Bulakna in Maria the night before going here to avoid hassles, time and energy. It's a peaceful resort adjacent to the famous resorts in San Juan. As we arrived, we walked for few meters to the highway to avoid the transport touts approved by the provincial tourism. However, the rate offered us is way more expensive thus we opted to take the lone mini bus bound for Lazi as advised by the locals nearby.
St. Francis of Assisi Church
St. Francis of Assisi Church is a colonial-era structure, it was built in 1793 and was completed only in 1831. And as with most structures of that era, the St. Francis of Assisi church was made up mostly of coral stone. It is located just a few distance from the pier.
Wandering Around
After a quick dip in the pool we went to explore the Orchidarium and the old Banyan tree which you can access by skywalk.We also tried the fish pedicure or fish spa near the restaurant which you can try if for free when staying or visiting the resort . It started off as a tingling sensation and moments later a more larger group appeared and started to nibble my feet. Don't worry the fish have no teeth so the experience is completely pain free.
Doctor fish nibble on dead and dry skin, which helps in healthy skin growth. This nibbling is similar to exfoliation, but done in a natural way. Research has found that these fish produce an enzyme, called diathanol, in their saliva. This enzyme fastens the regeneration process of the skin.
The Kindness of Strangers
Inside the mini bus, the passengers treated us as locals. Our conversation with them ended up in laughter and smiles. We were told that once we arrived in Lazi we have to take a multicab jeepney bound for Maria. We passed by some of Siquijor's attractions like the Old Balete Tree and Capilay Spring park in San Juan.
After about 45 minutes our journey ended. We alight from the mini bus and we were approach by one of the lady passengers from the mini bus and guide us through the multicab to Maria. We hop in but we were quite skeptical because we were the only passengers inside including her kids. We later found out that it's not a public jeepney but a private one. She then instructed her husband to take us to the resort entrance which is 25 min away from Lazi. The whole ride, we convince her to accept the payment for the whole trip but she won't accept it. It was an act of kindness that was engraved in me.
When we arrived at the resort entrance, we thank the couple and bid them a fond farewell. Afterwards, we walked for 10 min to the resorts front desk.
Our Accommodation
The resort staff were warm, friendly and accommodating. They even transferred us in a big room near the resto with huge veranda facing the beach with no extra cost. Our new room has a pretty descent space inside, cable tv, hot and cold shower and free continental breakfast. The room cost per night is around Php 1,200 ($30) excluding Agoda fees.
Infinity Pool
The three tiered cascading infinity pool is nice, clean and had a great view of the ocean. Not that panoramic though, but its a great pool experience that I would highly recommend to anybody. Reminiscing my Perth Paradise Infinity Pool and Bluewater Sumilon Infinity Pool experience.
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