Siquijor: The Mystic Island

 

Okay, so that is not the best shot. But I see it as a lady greeting the tourist “Welcome to Siquijor”.

I could still remember a couple of years ago, the only time I’d have a sneak peak on the  island of Siquijor was during Halloween: on Magandang Gabi Bayan, a show used to be aired every Saturday night hosted by Noli De Castro.

Really.

Siquijor used to be the one, if not the most popular place in the Philippines when it comes to everything  and anything HORROR. It is the best place to create a scary scene for a horror movie or anything alike.

It is said to be the home of  witch doctors which the locals called mambabarang and mananambal. Correct me if I’m wrong, mambabarangs are said to be  the kind of witch doctors who would cast a curse or some sort of spell on a person –  making them feel sick, have boils on their skin or have a kind of illness that no doctors could explain. Mananambals on the other hand are said to be the kind of witch doctors who could cure the person who got cursed.

 

 

 

Then years passed and the internet made things easier for curious people like me to have a better look on things that are quite a blur in a the past.  Answering some questions and showing people things that exist on the other side of the world – or in my case, the things on a neighboring island.

I was given a chance to visit this quiet island and with no hesitation I took it. I remember, it was on a Holy Week and for some (the older ones)  they said it was not the greatest time to visit Siqujor, nor was it a good idea to visit the island.  But again, with no hesitation, we left. From Cebu I spent a night in Dumaguete before crossing the waters that separates Dumaguete to Siquijor.

The island is small. Motorcycles for rent are available  once you reach the port. You would know, there are nice people waiting around the port offering their or their friends’  motorcycle to you.

 

 

There are many sights to see around Siquijor. They have a lot of beautiful waterfalls such as the Cambugahay Falls and the Lantaw falls.

*Himantayon note:  In other Philippine provinces, one thing a keen person would notice is that there a lot of basketball courts . But we can make an exception to that for this certain island (or maybe it was just me) . In Siquijor, there are many churches and it’s not of a specific religion. There a just so many of them, chapels and churches, considering the island is small thus there are few residents. I wasn’t able to ask why, nor how many residents there are in the island. If you do know any details, facts, information – please, post it below. 🙂

Tourists in Siquijor would find themselves running  lost around the  coastal road of the island and go straight to the beaches after. There are a couple of known beach resorts and a few more that are starting to be known to Google maps.  A few of the tourists’ direct check in point are Coco Grove Beach Resort, Salagdoong Beach and Salamangka Beach Resorts.But then again, other beach resorts are around the island. If you are the adventurous type, go for somewhere that is not listed online – ask around the locals 🙂

 

Want to get more information about Siquijor? Click this thingamajig!

 

*Himantayon – Is a Cebuano terminology for people who notices things that are and/or are not very obvious to the naked eye –  does it very often  to the point that it is beyond normal. I can also say that a himantayon is just a keen observer. 😉