Singapore at night

The skyline of Singapore seen at night is quite something. Growing up in a sleepy little town with few lights and tall buildings, I found it quite wonderful. The reflections they made on the water was one of the things I loved about it most.

On Vacation

Siquijor Budget Trip: Cambugahay Falls

After dropping by the Lazi Convent and Lazi Church, next stop was Cambugahay Falls, also in the town of Lazi. Upon arriving at the highway, you'll see a stone pathway that leads down to the waterfalls. There are about hundred steps or so. Going down was a bit of exhausting but that was nothing compared to going back up. Going back up was three times as tiresome and considering the fact that lack the exercise, each time i took a step, it felt like lifting a heavy block of something. Anyways, that was fine, i was still thankful for the entire experience. I like a bit of action from time to time.

Here were photos I took while i was there.

It was quite exhausting going up down and back up these steps. There are about a hundred or so.

 

Siquijor Budget Trip: Bandilaan Nature Camp

After more than an hour of driving, we finally got to the Bandilaan Nature Camp. Honestly, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was really just a small area of trees, a small part with swings and see saws and some three to four towers where you could go and chill out for a few minutes. Nothing as great as the view we had while on the way there. Yeah, well, nevertheless, here are photos.

the entrance to the nature park

On the way to the terminal, we ran low on gas so we found a sari-sari store version of a gas station (haha, i made that up). They sold liters of gas, literally in liters of coke bottles. I admit that amused me and made me admire Filipino resourcefulness. Even in areas where you wouldn't expect to find any shop to buy food or drinks or gas, somewhere along the way, a "convenience" store is there.

liters of gasoline sold along the roads nearby

It was time to go back home. After about thirty minutes or so, we arrive at the Siquijor Terminal and took the 12:30 trip headed for Dumaguete. It was an hour-long trip, less bumpy than our previous ride.

All in all, it was an adventurous trip, a lot of memorable things and wonderful scenery to remember. Although the beach experience wasn't at all how i pictured it to be, i was very happy that the road trips made up for my disappointments there. I was glad to see more of Siquijor, not just the beaches. It is indeed an island you can still call virgin, pristine, untouched. There are noticeably quite a number of beautiful trees that would look very nice on photographs. The mangroves are also wonderfully photogenic. I would have stopped by if i had more time to explore. But we had only approximately 24 hours and the sights around the island aren't exactly situated close to each other.

So, maybe next time. I'm sure i'll be seeing Isla de Fuego again, soon.

This post is part of a series:

• Siquijor On A Budget Overnight Trip
• St. Isidore Labrador Church & Convent, Lazi, Siquijor
• Cambugahay Falls, Lazi, Siquijor
• Salagdoong Beach and Molave Forest, Salagdoong Siquijor
• Bandilaan National Park, Cantabon, Siquijor

Pulangbato Falls, Valencia

Siquijor Budget Trip: Sunrise in Salagdoong Beach and Molave Forest

Day 2 (Sunday) - Salagdoong Beach Sunrise

I got up at 5:30 am but to my disappointment, sunrise wasn't clearly visible on that part of the island. I was expecting a lot of orange and bright sky but there was nothing but some of the sun's rays peaking from a far part of the horizon. I took pictures anyway until early hours of the morning.

what a beautiful sunrise

the shore at early morning; people are still sleeping inside those tents

some children having an sunrise dip

empty bottles from the night before

cottage homes at Salagdoong beach

zzzzzz....

Siquijor On A Budget Overnight Trip - Getting There and Budget Summary

I took another opportunity to visit the island of Siquijor for the weekend, two days and one night. I had a good friend as my company, Eli, who thankfully brought a big enough tent, which saved us from accommodation expenses. There were four of use who originally planned on going but two ended up not coming so I decided to go as planned and not let others ruin my chance to go out and see the outside world.

My first time in Siquijor was December of 2008, about three years ago, and it was to attend a wedding of a good friend of mine from high school, Maricor. She was generous enough to book the entire hotel at Salagduong beach, Hotel Agripino, for her guests to stay overnight. So during that time, my only expense was only for round trip fare and some meals before and after the wedding buffet.

In this second trip, a few things were expected,  traveling from Siquijor port to the Salagduong Beach, basking in the sun, eating, relaxing and forget all the problems for a day or two. But there were other things too that i didn't expect i would get to see. I'll share them in parts and i'll try my best to recall and document what we went through on our way there.

Getting There

Siquijor Island is pretty much near Dumaguete. There are a number of boat or ferry rides you can take to cross to the island. In our case, we chose Delta Ferry since it only takes 45 minutes to an hour to get us there.

If you're wondering where Siquijor is located relative to Dumaguete, here's a map:

We paid Php160.00 plus Php15.00 terminal fee. Tickets can be purchased directly at Dumaguete Port. Ferries leave about every other two hours so there's always a chance to catch one.

Departure (11:48 am)

Dumaguete Port Terminal boarding area

I'm always anxious riding the Delta because it's usually a really wavy one-hour ride. It's really a small vessel about the size of a bus or two combined. Boarding the ferry looks pretty nerve-racking seeing it going up and down along the waves while on dock. It leaves right away as soon as it's full and that's when you try and adjust your senses. The center of the boat is the best place to sit as it's the part where movement isn't as bad as being seated at the sides, thus minimizing the feeling of sea sickness. While the ferry is moving, they have this guy who walks around distributing small plastic bags to use when you get sea sick. I asked for one just in case because i started to feel my head spin.

 

A "bumpy" ride and a snapshot of Delta Ferry

Thankfully, the ride was over after an hour and I was fine.

Singapore 2007

Salagdoong Beach, Siquijor

Siquijor Budget Trip: Lazi Church and Lazi Convent

After our little joy ride, we arrived in the town of Lazi, we first stopped by the San Isidore Labrador Church and Convent just located on the other side of the road fronting it. I had been to this church before, as a guest at my friend's wedding. I remember it was a really old church and it is indeed old because it was constructed over a century ago, in the 1890's. This church is so old you can see the flooring is made of wood and some parts even creak when you step on them.

I adore these trees. They look so perfect arranged in that perfect line. It goes all the way to the back.

 

Sights of Lazi, Siquijor