Thursday, May 10, 2012

Touring Siquijor Island

Aside from the pristine white sand beach of Salagdoong and a comfy hideout at End of the World Guesthouse, Siquijor has a lot of places to offer for tourists.


Siquijor
Beautiful Siquijor

Giant Balete Tree

The first stop of our tricycle tour was the giant balete tree of Siquijor. It took us 20-25 minutes before reaching this place. A lot of creepy stories about this tree have already circulated in the mainstream media. One of the creepiest stories I've read was about a villager who heard an unusual noise in the middle of the night near the tree. He thought that there was a late night fiesta or something. When he went near the tree, he found nothing and the noise abruptly halted.


Robbie and Ate Gael!

Foot spa FTW!

But when we went there, everything was serene and peaceful... well maybe because we visited the tree in broad daylight.

We went around the tree to explore its humongous roots and vines. A lagoon surrounds the tree where freshwater fishes thrive. Our driver told us that we can dip our feet in the lagoon. The fishes would then swim and eat the dead cells of our feet. It felt ticklish. Ahihihihihi. 

Hurray for the free foot spa!


Cambugahay Falls

Like any other falls in the country, one has to trek before reaching the base. It took us more than a hundred steps before reaching the waterfalls. Although nothing beats the 300+ steps of Tinago Falls in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte.

Prior our trip to the falls, the three of us saw a photo of it taken by Mica. The water was blue but when we went there, it was all murky and brown. It wasn't THAT appealing and 'bloggable' but Ate Gael and Robbie still opted to jump off the water using the Tarzan-inspired vine.


Siquijor


Salagdoong Beach Resort

The beach is so beautiful (actually, beautiful is an understatement) that it deserves a separate blog post.


Siquijor


St. Isidore Labradore Church and the Convent of Lazi Town

Everyone knows that I am not religious. The last time I attended a mass was roughly four years ago. Despite that, I still love to visit churches not because I want to renew my faith, but I want to see and appreciate its classic architecture.


Siquijor

Siquijor
St. Isidore Labradore Church of Lazi Town

The facade of St. Isidore Labradore Church is made up of coral stones which were intricately carved. Even if it is filled with grime and wild ferns, I still find it beautiful. It seems that the church ages gracefully.

Adjacent to the church is the Lazi Convent, Asia's largest convent according to our guide. It now functions as a school and a museum. We roamed around the convent but opted not to visit the museum since camera's are not allowed.

What I really love about the convent is its architecture and ambience. I felt peace while walking within the corridors of the convent. Solace.


Siquijor
History + Culture

Siquijor
Convent


In Retrospect

Siquijor is the most beautiful province that I have visited so far. Even the most mundane thing seemed extraordinary - roads, the boulevard and the trees.


Boulevard along Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor.

When I updated my Facebook and Twitter timeline about my spontaneous trip in Siquijor, people got worried. They thought that I would end up being eaten by Corazonangunangaswang or being played by witches through black magic. The truth is, I got enchanted by the island's beauty.

The locals were very warm and accommodating. They were genuinely hospitable!

Siquijor may have a scary reputation but the province is worth visiting.


Sunset at Siquijor.

Peaceful, laid-back and clean - these words perfectly describe the province.

I'd definitely come back to Siquijor to explore more places.

30 comments:

  1. Woot nai-blog na niya! <3

    Lagi kong sinasabi pero talagang napaka-ganda ng Siquijor! Too bad the nega mediahype overshadowed its beauty. Medyo takot din ako na maging touristy sya pero

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    1. FINALLY NA BLOG KO NA TALAGA TO HAHAHA!

      DFAT, you're next! :D

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  2. Beautiful island province :) Sulit mag-Siquijor ha. The beach, the heritage, the wateerfalls and of course the waterfalls, hehe... I <3 This!

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  3. For me, Siquijor is still unexplored for I've known little things about it. Now, I'm beginning to familiar with it through you. Out of the falls, I've seen here I like the Cambugahay Falls.

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  4. Never knew that Siquijor has hidden pristine beaches, old church and Giant Balete with Free Foot Spa ( Ito and Winner).

    We'll visit this no longer eerie place!

    Sky ^_^

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  5. oh my.. the salagdoong beach is just beautiful!!! :) i love clear water beaches.. it makes you appreciate the beauty of the sea more :)

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  6. natawa ako when u said you might be eaten by aswangs. haha. when my friends and i went to siquijor way back in 2005, we had bawang, kalamansi and luya wrapped in a plastic and pinned near our stomach. pangontra daw. haha... i never got to use mine. i don't think i was cursed anyway. great photos, by the way :)

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  7. I hope people will stop associating Siquijor (or Capiz) with aswang and the likes. I've read other articles about the place and it looks pretty good. Especially that free spa. :)

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  8. Wow! Siquijor looks so beautiful! I've also heard of its scary reputation, but with waters as picturesque as that, I'd still give it a go.. :) Will definitely be saving up to visit this wonderful place!

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  9. Philippines is really a place of paradise

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  10. Like Camiguin Islands, i find this Island Province such a very MYSTICAL place... I can't wait to go there this OCTOBER. :) The photos are truly captivating renzy!

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  11. I talked to two young Canadian (hardcore) backpackers who have just finished their 4-month long backpacking in Southeast Asia and they told me that Siquijor's the best island/beach they've been to.

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  12. I talked to two young Canadian (hardcore) backpackers who have just finished their 4-month long backpacking in Southeast Asia and they told me that Siquijor's the best island/beach they've been to.

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  13. gusto pud ko muanha dihang dapita ba..

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  14. Maraming salamat sa mga comments niyo guys!

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  15. "Siquijor is the most beautiful province that I have visited so far. Even the most mundane thing seemed extraordinary - roads, the boulevard and the trees."

    I have to agree Renz. It's not because I was born there, but the island itself is just beautiful. :)

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  16. indeed so beautiful. my favorite spots are salagdoong beach, the molave forest, cambugahay falls and st. isidore church and convent.

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  17. It is beautiful. I am tempted, really tempted to visit the place.:)

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  18. I would have to say that the Balete tree, the lagoon that surrounds it, and the water-jumping using the vine looked really fun! Makes me want to visit Siquijor and follow your trail as well.. simply awesome!

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  19. i miss siquijor because of this post. truly a majestic island :)

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  20. Nice place. I hope to visit Siquijor too, in the future. :-)

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  21. Balete trees always feel creepy to me even in broad day light. Siguro dahil na rin sa sobrang dami kong napanood na horror stories before about the tree.

    Free foot spa! Now that's something you don't get everywhere. Nagbayad pa ko ng 120 sa Tibiao in Iloilo just to experience the same thing!

    I'll definitely visit Siquijor one of these days, lalo pa at naiinggit ako at lahat ata kayo nakapunta na ng Siquijor at ako na lang hindi. Inggiterang palaka lang di ba? hehehe

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  22. omg. it looks soooooo beautiful. napaka-clear ng water.

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  23. ang ganda ng place ano! I don't mind living in a peaceful place like this

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  24. You never get enough of SIQUIJOR.
    Great photos you have here and I'm sure
    you have a lot more pictures to post
    and stories to tell about the town.

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  25. My uncle was born in Siquijor, and i learned it from him how beautiful this place is. and also the creepy stories. I loved the way they made their creepy stories, para talagang totoo. they are so talented, very good and creative storytellers. how i wish to visit Siquijor soon.

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  26. we only know of the horror tales from Siquijor, but looking at tyour pics I want to travel there too...

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  27. Thanks Renz for visiting my place.....my house is just close to that Balete tree...truly there's a lot of chilling stories about that tree. try to visit Olongapo as well.

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