It was summer two years ago, after the successful Steem Summit, that we decided to spend Holy Week in Siquijor Island. I can still remember the feeling of euphoria, relief, and a bunch of mixed emotions that finally the event that I orgnized together with @legendarryll and @thegaillery was a huge success. I needed a break, we needed a break.
Spending five days on an island of witchcraft and mysticism would be a perfect summer getaway. Now don't get me wrong about that witchcraft and mysticism part. Siquijor is one of the best islands in the Philippines I've visited. It's true that the island is shrouded in mystery and darkness in the past. What's amazing is that the people of Siquijor turned that dark past into a capital for tourism. Siquijor Island is feared by outsiders before, but it has been included in the bucket list of millennials in the recent years.
So what changed? Well, that would be worthy of a separate post. I'll tell the story about how Siquijor changed from a "dark island" into a premier tourist destination in the Visayas that's coming from the book written by the grandmother of our friend. For anyone's interest, I asked permission to write about it two years ago, but I was not able to push it through. Also, we stayed in their house for 5 days for free and she told us a lot of stories about Siquijor. She had a PhD in Education and her dissertation is all about the island. If I remember correctly, she had written 3 books, all about Siquijor. Anyway, I'll tell more in a separate post. For now, let me relive what happened on our way to Siquijor.
I can still remember that I had no sleep because we had to travel at night in order to catch the first boat in Dumaguete that's going to Siquijor. I can barely remember my preparations, but I'm sure I always pack at the last minute and I always bug my mother to help me find my things.
South Bus Terminal to Dumaguete City
We arrived at Cebu South Bus Terminal at 10 PM and we were shocked to find a meandering line of people that were waiting for the buses going south. We really didn't realize that it would be a long holiday that's why people were going to the provinces. We patiently fall in line and waited for our turn to ride the bus going to Liloan, Santander, the southern tip of Cebu. It was already 1:30 AM that we were able to finally board the bus.
For some reason I didn't feel sleepy or exhausted at all. I was awake the whole time and we were just talking about anything we could think of. We arrived at Liloan Port at around 4 AM, just in time for the first ferry trip to Sibulan Port in Negros Oriental. From Sibulan Port, we rode a van to Dumaguete City.
We were dropped near Quezon Park and found ourselves briskly walking towards Rizal Boulevard. As we were nearing the boulevard, I had this sense of comfort as the place was familiar to me.
The morning sun shined through the towering acacia trees which is a familiar landmark of Dumaguete City. I grew up in Amlan, Negros Oriental and it's just a few towns away from Dumaguete, but I explored more in Cebu than in the place where I was born. I had this nostalgic feeling while walking in that boulevard.
Rizal Boulevard
I remember it was under in one of the acacia trees where we had a team building activity when I was in first year high school. I was still living and studying in Amlan that time. It was a leadership training where I was chosen to be the participant of our school as a representative for the first years. It was my first exposure to the outside world in some way. It was my first awareness about some issues that Dumaguete was facing as we were taught to be aware of our surroundings. I could say it has a big part why I always speak up and take a stand on the causes I believe in. It seems I'm veering away from the main topic here, so let's go back.
Rizal Boulevard is famous for a lot of reasons. If you love history, this place should definitely be on your list. The boulevard is named after Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. More than historical reasons, the boulevard is lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs which will certainly pique your attention if you love the night life.
If you love some morning sun, you can simply sit on its benches while watching the sunrise and hear the sound of the waves. At any time of the day, you can have picnic under those acacia trees with your family. During holidays and festivals, the place is very lively with live bands, barbecue, and parades.
Silliman Hall of Silliman University
We were walking fast as we wanted to be on the first trip going to Siquijor. As we were going to Dumaguete Port, we passed by Silliman University. It was another familiar place as it was one of the venues of the amazing race during our leadership training. My mother said that if we didn't transfer here in Cebu and if I didn't study in USC (University of San Carlos), I would have studied in Silliman University.
The only photo I took with my phone during that time happened to be Silliman Hall, the oldest standing American structure in the Philippines. It is now the university's Anthropology Museum and it's a Stick type of architecture, which for me is very iconic.
Dumaguete Port to Siquijor Island
At Dumaguete Port, we found another very long line of people that are buying tickets for Siquijor. The island is very famous to tourists during Holy Week as they wanted to see some voodoo and traditional healing practices. Again, we didn't factor that in our schedule.
We were able to board the boat at around 8 AM and we finally arrived in Siquijor Island at around 10 AM. The first landmark that greeted us in Siquijor was St. Francis of Assisi Parish. It's just a few walks away from the port and the church has also some historical significance.
I would have to stop here. The next would be our Siquijor tour and some hidden spots I bet you didn't know about Siquijor. Stay tuned, folks!
I know promised to post about Cambais Falls or Mt. Lanaya, but I am still sorting the photos out. I'll be posting them as soon as I can. Also, the coordinates that I choose to be pinned in pinmapple for this post is Rizal Boulevard. I hope to see you in my next post, whatever it may be.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.
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