Enchanted Siquijor

This was my third visit to the island they also call "Isla de fuego" or simply Siquijor as most people call it. It's a place known to be enchanted, scary, bewitched, home to witches and "mangkululam". I myself have also wondered if all these are true about the island but one thing i know for sure is that it is a treasure of a place, one which deserves to remain untouched so that its natural beauty is preserved.

Siquijor is a small island which you can navigate in 3-4 hours riding a pedicab or motorcycle, maybe even less if you don't count stop-overs.

I went with a friend, Karla. We felt we had to go out for at least one summer destination. I was a little tight on budget because i'm saving up for an upcoming trip in June, so we just stayed overnight. We booked an economy room at Coral Cay Resort for 900 bucks (2 pax), hired and haggled a pedicab ride for 900 to tour us around the island. It was a pretty enjoyable and adventurous ride, four and a half hours to be exact, because we stopped and took photos and all.

The most interesting things I saw during this visit were the mangrove trees. They are like these amazing still creatures watching over the sea. I don't think there's a bad angle if you decide to take a photo. If i ever get to go back, i am going to stop and take pictures every time i see some.

Another thing worth seeing is the four-hundred year old balete tree. It's the biggest one in the island and boy, is it huge... and creepy. I stared at it for a few seconds and i always imagine seeing two eyes on the trunk. Good thing there was a small pond with blue water on it's foot. That made it look a bit touristy. But still, it's like the biggest-hugest-widest tree i have ever seen in my life.

So far, nothing scary happened but i still think there's a reason why it is known to be scary and enchanted. It's still best to pay respect to the people you meet and the things you do, 'cause you really never know.

All in all, it was short but i saw some new things i've never seen in my previous visits. And best of all, fare is cheap and it takes only 45 minutes to get there from Dumaguete. There will always be a next time.