Dumaguete Day 8 | The Siquijor Experience

Day 8 is absolutely great. Nagpunta kami sa Siquijor! Yup, yup!

• Woke up later than planned. Dapat mga 5 a.m. daw kami gigising eh but when I opened my eyes at ako na lang ang nasa higaan, six a.m. na siya so speed ligo na naman ako at nagbato na lang ng gamit sa backpack. After that, we went to the pier to get our tickets for the fast craft (Delta Fast Ferry) that will leave Dumaguete at 9 a.m. then went to leave PJ at the school then walked to the market to have breakfast.

• Had breakfast at one of the stalls at the market selling puto, yung malagkit na klase na parang bico, with chocolate na parang chocolate na ginagamit sa churros. Ang sarap niya! Of course. I had my hit of morning caffeine (Coke) while Jette and H had coffee. Masarap rin yung may peanut butter.

• Went back to the pier to check in. We waited at the floating dock for a while before we could board the boat. Kung bus yung ferry, Baliwag siya at hindi Victory Liner. I sat between Jette and H na parehong tulog sa biyahe. Because it was my first time on a fast craft, I tried to stay awake for a while pero inantok din ako mga twenty minutes into the trip. After a ten minute nap, nagising na rin ako. ‘Di ko kasi ma-enjoy ng todo kasi hindi clear yung salamin. I couldn’t really make out the waves.

• Welcome to Siquijor. When we got to Siquijor, we were met by Kuya Jun who used to work for Jette. May dala silang mini-pick up that would take us around Siquijor. It’s the best way to travel. Doon kayo maupo sa cab nung pick up. Slather on sunscreen (na hindi namin ginawa) so that you won’t get toasted (which we are at the moment), then enjoy the sight. Ang ganda! May bundok one moment tapos biglang dagat yung makikita mo. And for those asking, Siquijor is not the place reputed to have aswangs. I believe that’s Capiz and Antique. Siquijor is the island reputed to have witches (mangkukulam). We didn’t ask to see one, of course, ano ba? But the people there are nice, too. Like in Dumaguete.

• Lunch at Salagdoong Beach. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw Salagdoong Beach was “Lord, you are an amazing God”. Promise! The view made me pray. The water was green and blue and purple as far as the eyes could see, and the sky… I just said “Thank you, Lord. Thank you” over and over while I walked the shoreline and took some pictures. And can you believe that when we went there, they only asked us to pay P45? We took lots of photos. It’s a place you can’t NOT take photos of every minute. Then we had lunch.

• Drove to Lazi to visit the Lazi Church and the old convent. Again, took some pics. H went inside the church before I did because I took more pics. Jette told me to make a wish when I go inside. When I went in, there was a man praying at the back of the church and a few other people walking towards the door. I sat near the middle and started praying. Of course, ang unang lumabas sa bibig ko ay “thank you”. Then I made a wish. The pews were made of wood so they were prone to creaking. But at home, when the wooded bench in our living room would creak, I’d usually see my bantay, my “guardian angel”. So I turned my head towards the sound and saw a shadow at the other end of the pew from me. So ayun nga siya. He’s with me in Siquijor. It also comforts me that he can go inside a church which means he’s not from the other side LOL I smiled, said another short prayer, then went out.

• Cambugahay Falls. Next stop on the trip was Cambugahay Falls in Lazi. You need to climb down 134 steps daw sabi ni H to get to the falls. To be honest, I’m am so not the outdoorsy type. I easily get off-balanced and squeal like hell when I do so I had to hold on to Jette or to Kuya Jun while climbing down. I also hate climbing down because I’m clumsy and feel like I’d take one wrong step and fall down and break my neck and die. Seriously. But the climb was worth it when I saw a real waterfall for the first time in my sheltered little life haha It’s not tall. Definitely not Hinulugang Taktak or Bomod-ok Falls, but it’s beautiful just the same. We weren’t planning to swim. At least, I wasn’t because I’m afraid I’d lose my contacts in the water. But after the descent, I felt hot and sticky and the water was so inviting. The next thing I know we were climbing down the rocks to take a dip. Hay, refreshing. After mga twenty minutes siguro, we decided to get out of the water and start back up. I didn’t change clothes anymore because the ride at the back of the pick up would surely dry my clothes anyway. I followed H up the steps and was alternately panting and laughing, and that’s when the problem happened. Muntik na akong himatayin LOL No joke! When we reached the top, I drank water and laughed with Kuya Jun for a few minutes before I realized I was seeing white spots and Kuya Jun had a halo behind his head. Akala ko light at the end of the tunnel na at kukunin na ‘ko ni Lord!

• The first time that happened to me, I was in high school. Physical fitness test noon in P.E. and to pass, we had to make 15 rounds of the old audi/gym. You have to run around, climb up stairs, go back down (still running) then back again. I made it to seventeen before I stopped, and before I realized that the light was too bright and there were spots dancing in front of my eyes. What I did wrong was that I held my breath while climbing, the same way that I was too preoccupied by climbing up the steps from Cambugahay Falls and didn’t realize that I was holding my breath! And we were climbing too fast for my really fit body :p

• When Jette came back, I told her I was dizzy and she told me that I was pale. They made me sit at the driver’s seat and I hugged my knees to my chest. Sabi ni Kuya Jun to sit up straight but I knew that I had to equalize the blood flow from my feet to my head. Then, from what I learned from yoga, I slowly, slowly sat up, keeping my chin to my chest so that the blood won’t rush to my head. When I lifted my chin and opened my eyes, ayun! I saw Jette handing me a towel, but I could see her instead of bright, dancing lights so ayun! I was already okay.

• Back to the pier. We went back to the pier for our trip back to Dumaguete. We caught the 4:30 p.m. trip yata yun and we sat at the top deck of the pump boat. This time the view was better. The waves were bigger too, but I enjoyed it more than the trip to Siquijor. Guess I don’t get sea sickness! Climbing sickness lang wahaha Back in Dumaguete, we picked PJ up from COSCA then went to the tempurahan (kikaim-an) and had kikiam and balut. Then we went to the grocery so I can get my Pepsi Max and some munchies before going home.

• At home, Jette cooked pasta for dinner and H washed the dishes! Yay! Senyorita ako wahaha I finished a 500ml bottle of Pepsi Max so that I can stay awake but I was too tired and too sleepy (I only slept for 2 hours the previous night) so after a shower and dinner, I fell asleep.

I absolutely love it here. I think I’ll cry on the plane on my way back to Manila