Second Day in Siquijor (Part 2)

There was no electricity pretty much the whole day that we spent a lot of time at the restaurant. However, when the resort staff couldn’t assure us that they will have a working generator for the rest of the day, we decided it would be better if we just spend the night in Dumaguete. And, of course, they did not let us leave right away. The manager tried to make us change our minds by giving us discounts and saying that the resort van is unavailable to take us to the ferry terminal. But we were firm on our decision that we soon found ourselves negotiating with motorcycle drivers. From this point on, we no longer have an itinerary to follow.

That's my brother on one of the 4 "habal- habals" that we hired. We paid 75 PHP each.

The resort is located in Candaping, Maria. This is about 30 minutes away from Larena. From Larena, we hired two tricycles to take us to Siquijor, which is 20 minutes away. Supposedly, the fare per head is just 20 PHP but we were overcharged. Our driver asked for 150 PHP when there were only three of us. It was definitely a rip off! 😦

The ticket counter at the Siquijor port.

We were hoping to catch the 3 PM trip but it was already fully booked. Since it was a Saturday, meaning only Delta Ferry is available, we had to wait for the next one which was at 4:30 PM.

We were starving by this time but there were no restaurants in sight. We just stayed at a cafeteria and ate some chips and biscuits and had cold drinks. After about an hour, we headed to the terminal and waited for the ferry. It was hot inside the terminal so I stayed outside where there’s shade.

The terminal fee is only 17 PHP.

Good thing the ferry was on time. Boy was I glad when we set foot in Dumaguete!

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Second Day in Siquijor (Part 1)

We woke up early the next day. I went for a stroll with my aunt while my parents went to look for some snacks. There weren’t any snacks, like biscuits and chips, available at the resort. Save for some salted nuts that cost 45 PHP per pack (which I managed to haggle down to 30 PHP)! Ridiculously expensive, I must say. Even the lady at the counter thought so too.

We saw this guy cleaning the shore very early in the morning.

We walked this whole stretch and stopped just before the lush greens at the far end.

As we were walking, we saw several fishing boats out into the sea. There were also a few families who have houses amidst the coconut trees.

Happy locals looking for sea weeds

We would have wanted to cross to the other side but the water was starting to rise, making it impossible for us to do so without getting totally wet. So, we just went back. We spent a good time sitting under a tree while our feet frolic in the water.

We sat here and talked until we got hungry.

We met my parents at the outdoor restaurant and ordered some breakfast.

Outdoor restaurant

We got complimentary breakfast for two. This is what I had.

After breakfast, I went around the resort and took some pictures. I saw a group of fishermen who delivered some fresh fish to the resort. I called to my dad to have a look and he bought some to be served for our lunch.

View from the restaurant

Some of the flowers grown at the resort

I walked some more and found a set of stairs by the pool.

Stairs near the pool that leads to the beach

I went down to the beach again and played in the sand for a little while.

Enjoying the sand on my feet

The heat started to become too much for  me that I walked back to the restaurant. On my way, I found a hammock.

To the left of this sun bed is a hammock

And I fell asleep on it. 🙂

First Day in Siquijor

We were still far from the exit when I spotted my name written on a small blackboard. The driver from Princesa Bulakna Resort came to pick us up.

First glimpse of the island of Siquijor

The drive to the resort took another 45 minutes.

Almost there...

Before the trip, I made a reservation for two standard rooms. The woman I talked to  said we would have a bay view. What I didn’t expect was the steep climb to get to the rooms from the restaurant.

Guests proceed to the restaurant upon arrival to register

We didn’t want to go up and down several times a day. So when one of the resort staff  said they have a family room available that’s very near the restaurant, we immediately took it.

The one with the window is our room.

Some of us ordered lunch as soon as we got settled. The others just ate the chicken and rice that the family brought inside the room. Guests are charged if they bring food. But I would say it was a good thing that we did. The resort may have an impressive menu, but many of the things in the list were unavailable. We even had to wait for more than an hour before our food arrived.

Our lunch. The shrimp curry (220 PHP) was not spicy as my aunt specifically requested and only had a few pieces of shrimps. The fish (170 PHP) was served cold. 😦

After the disappointing lunch, we all went to sleep. It was too hot that we would be doing ourselves a favor if we stay indoors. Besides, we needed to rest from all the traveling.

We woke up in time for dinner. Boy, was I glad the dinner was so much better. I even forgot to pictures! ;p (I think the picture of the inviting pool below makes up for it. Or is it just me? LOL)

This is one of the two swimming pools in the resort.

Anyway, here’s what we had:

Rice (100 PHP)
Chopsuey (130 PHP). This one had fresh vegetables. They were also more generous with the shrimp.
Bihon Guisado (150 PHP). I found this a little too oily.
Buttered Chicken– half (220 PHP)
Fresh catch of the day (180 PHP/kl + 100 PHP for having them cooked). We just finished our lunch when we were informed that some fishermen just brought in some fresh catch. We had a look and chose only 5 pieces of unfamiliar- looking fishes. We asked for the fishes to be grilled and served while they are still hot for dinner. They did just that. And this was the best part of the dinner. 😉

After dinner, there was really nothing that we can do. We can’t even go drinking because their stocks were running low. There was nothing much to choose from. So, we just played cards inside the room until we were ready to call it a night.

In Between Meeting the Family and the Ferry Ride

The family arrived at around 9:00 AM. We met along the boulevard and went straight to Sans Rival. It was already open by this time. We just left the rest of the family while my dad, my aunt, and I went to look for a place where we can leave the car for the weekend.

The boulevard and the monument of St. Paul's Sisters

We asked a lot of people but they seemed to not know any place where our car can be safe. Finally, we went to the hotel where we usually stay whenever we are in the city. I asked the guard and he eventually agreed.

My dad and aunt went to eat breakfast at Cafe Filomena while I fetched the rest of the family from Sans Rival.

We then took two tricycles (8 PHP/head) to take us to the ferry terminal.

The guy raising his arm (inside the red circle) sells Delta Ferry tickets. The queue behind the woman in red is for Jaylann ferries.

We paid 20 PHP each for the terminal fee. It was a good thing that the terminal had a decent air conditioning system. We did not wait for long before we were called to board the boat. It was a long walk to get to the ferry.

On our way to the ferry

Inside Delta Ferry

It took 45 minutes for us to arrive in Siquijor.

Getting to Siquijor

If you are coming from Cebu City, there are several ways to get to Dumaguete City.

Dumaguete is where you can get a ferry to take you to the island of Siquijor.

BY SEA

Oceanjet leaves from Pier 1 in Cebu (Photo from Google)

Ocean Jet travels to Dumaguete via Tagbilaran twice daily. Travel time is approximately 4 hours. One way fare is at 920 PHP including the terminal fee.

You can contact them through (032) 255-7560 to confirm their trip schedules. Currently, though, this is what they are following:

CEBU- DUMAGUETE: 6:00 AM and 3:35 PM
DUMAGUETE- CEBU: 7:25 AM and 2:20 PM

BY AIR

Direct Cebu- Dumaguete flights are not available everyday so it would be better to check their site ahead.

Cebu Pacific has a flight that leaves Cebu at 6:30 AM and arrives in Sibulan (where Dumaguete airport in located) at 7:05 AM. From Sibulan, the plane leaves at 7:25 AM and arrives in Cebu at 8:00 AM.

Sibulan is about 10 minutes away from Dumaguete City.

BY LAND + SEA

Ceres bus (Photo from google); 130 PHP for a one-way ride

You can take a Ceres Liner Bus at the South Bus Terminal to reach Lilo-an, Santander. Then, take a motorcycle to get to the Ferry Terminal for about 10- 15 PHP.

Santander Express; One-way ticket costs 62 PHP

The boat ride to Sibulan takes about 30 minutes. From Sibulan, you can take a trike to get to Dumaguete.

Once you are in Dumaguete, you can choose between Delta Ferry and Jaylann to take you to Siquijor, Siquijor. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

Above: Delta ferry @ 160 PHP; Below: Jaylann @ 100 PHP

If you are coming from Dumaguete, the terminal fee is 20 PHP. But if you are coming from Siqujor, it is just 14 PHP.

Here’s the schedule of trips of Delta Ferry:

DUMAGUETE- SIQUIJOR

9:00 AM
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
3:30 PM
4:15 PM (from Mondays- Fridays, fare for this trip is only 120 PHP)
5:30 PM

SIQUIJOR- DUMAGUETE

5:45 AM
10:15 AM
12:30 PM
3:00 PM
4:30 PM

I don’t have the schedule for Jaylann but they also have almost as many trips as the Delta Ferry. Remember, though, that Jaylann do not make any trips on Saturdays.

I Am Back

The trip did not go according to plan. But all the same, I had fun with family and friends.

As much as I want to tell you all about the trip, I still need to catch up with my sleep. Please bear with me. 😉

I’m Off To Somewhere

x

By the time you are reading this, I’m on a plane to the City of Gentle People. I will be meeting up with the family to go to an enchanting island.

My essentials

I am so excited! I will tell you about my trip when I get back. 😉

P. S. More updates to come about my Hong Kong trip next week.

Have a great weekend everyone! =)