The island of Siquijor is known to many as the mystical Island of the Philippines. It is one of the many Islands in the Visayas region that is blessed with clean white beaches, clear seas and animated marine life.
And the best part about Siquijor Island?- its PEOPLE. They are very friendly. Once you step foot here, they will welcome you with their warm smile.
Hello, Hivers! Rej here and I am back for another travel adventure. Join me as I take you to the Island of fire- Siquijor, Philippines!
I filed a vacation leave from work before I get so busy with the peak season. This travel experience is very special to me because this is my first travel outside Cebu, Philippines (my hometown) as a vlogger. For the past years, I have some travels outside Cebu when I do have an extra budget, but I was not yet a vlogger that time. Little did I know that God is preparing me to become one "someday" and that someday is NOW.
I also made a Youtube vlog of my entire travel. That's Regine Villamejor on Youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/@reginevillamejor8095/videos)
I'm finally back in fulfilling some of the things that I wrote on my vision book. For years, I put on hold some of my wants to give way for our needs. I'm pretty sure all the breadwinners that will be reached by this post can relate. I have so much respect on you, guys. I am very grateful to my parents for raising me well and for guiding me all the way. I thank God as well for all the blessings He gave me.
- At Mactan Cebu International Airport -
Meet Anne, my best friend for 10 years. She's always the type of friend who supports me with the things that I love to do and that includes travelling. She's one of my Siquijor travel buddies and the other one is Eman who lives in Dumaguete City. We will meet up with Eman in Dumaguete City and the three of us will go together to Siquijor Island.
Anne and I had our dinner first at Chowking while waiting for our flight. After eating, we still had an hour left before our flight so we go over on our Siquijor itinerary to finalize it.
- BOARDING TIME -
Since we are travelling from Cebu, Philippines, we went to Mactan Cebu International Airport to take a plane ride going to Dumaguete airport. The schedule of Cebu to Dumaguete flight usually falls in the evening. We spent Php 3,137.52 ($ 55.22) per head for our round trip ticket from Cebu to Dumaguete and from Dumaguete to Cebu. Upon arriving in Dumaguete City, Philippines, we stayed there for a night at Eman's humble home.
Touchdown, Dumaguete City! We landed safe at Dumaguete airport and after which we took a trike going to Eman's humble home and we slept there for a night.
There are a couple of ways on how to get to the Island of Siquijor. You could have a plane ride from Cebu to Dumaguete and then from Dumaguete you could ride any shipping lines available like Ocean Jet, Aleson shipping and others going to Siquijor Island.
You could also take a bus ride from Cebu South bus terminal going directly to Siquijor Island. Another option is to take any shipping lines from Cebu going directly to Siquijor Island. The fastest way that I could suggest is to take Ocean jet.
I am speaking in behalf of me travelling from Cebu City, Philippines. If you are coming from other areas, there are also tips posted online on the schedule.
- PAINITAN SA TIANGGE IN DUMAGUETE CITY -
They say that warming the tummy is good to start the day. So before heading to Siquijor Island, we dropped by here at Painitan sa Tiangge. This is very famous here in Dumaguete for their puto and sikwate (sweet sticky coconut and ginger rice with hot chocolate) and other menu. We love it so much! It is actually my third time to be here and it still feels like the first time every time I'm here.
- TICKETING OFFICE OF DUMAGUETE CITY -
After having our breakfast at Painitan sa Tiangge in Dumaguete City, we head on to the ticketing office to buy for tickets going to Siqujor Island. The ticketing office in Dumaguete City is located at Zone 1, Barangay Looc, Dumauete City.
After getting our ticket, we went straight to Dumaguete Port which is just few steps away from the ticketing office. We passed through the security personnel and went inside the port to pay for the terminal fee before we ride on to the ferry.
As we enter the Port, we went straight at their office inside to pay for the terminal fee. This is on top of the ticket that we bought. The terminal fee is at Php 15.00 ($ 0.26) per head.
- ALESON SHIPPING LINE GOING TO SIQUIJOR ISLAND-
We're done paying for the terminal fee and now let's travel to Siquijor Island via Aleson shipping lines.
This is what Aleson shipping looks like from the inside. Our travel time from Dumaguete City going to Siquijor Island via Aleson shipping would take around 2 hours.
While we're on board, Anne and I took some snaps for memories. Eman wasn't able to join for this photo because he was upstairs that time enjoying the beautiful view.
After a few minutes, I also went upstairs to check on the view and here are some of the incredible photos of the clear sea that I was able to capture while traveling from Dumaguete Port going to Siquijor Island. And guess what? Wait for the surprise because you will be amazed by the port of Siquijor Island.
- TOUCHDOWN SIQUIJOR ISLAND, PHILIPPINES-
We arrived safely in Siquijor Island and look at that port! What an incredible one. This is just the port itself and this Island has so much more to offer that would really captivate your heart. Siquijor Island is somewhat an underrated destination in the Philippines. This is also one of the reasons that I traveled here to showcase its exceptional beauty!
The Spanish called this Island "Isla del Fuego" (Island of Fire) for the glow caused by numerous fireflies at night. In addition, Siquijor Island has become popular among locals for folk healing. There are a lot of stories being told about Siquijor. Upon travelling into this place, I could attest that this is really something that should be added on someone's bucket list. I'm excited to tell you more on what this Island has in store for every tourist. Let's go!
As we arrived in Siquijor Port, we were greeted with a smile by the locals there. In Siquijor Port, there are a lot of locals offering for motorbikes and cars for rent. The three of us agreed to rent a car with DAS TRAUM ONE STOP SERVICES. We rented a Mitsubishi Mirage automatic transmission for Php 1,500.00 ($26.50) per day excluding the gasoline expenses. For the gasoline, we spent Php 1,300.00 ($ 22.96) in total and we already visited a lot of tourist attractions in Siquijor Island with this cost. Anne filled out the form and we were asked to surrender one valid I.D. and it will be given back after we return the car that we rented.
This is the car that we were able to rent. The three of us knows how to drive, but my friends really gave a me a Disney Princess treatment in this adventure. Hahaha! They wanted me to be just a passenger in this whole trip for me to enjoy my vlogging experience. They are just so sweet and supportive. I'm truly blessed to have them in my life.
- TIME FOR LUNCH -
First things first- let's grab some food. Hahaha. Food is life. It was around lunch time when we arrived in Siquijor Island. We decided to have lunch at Tawhay Resto and Café. This is located in Lala-o, San Juan, Siquijor, Philippines. They serve good coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner here. Their food was so yummy! And the price for each menu is just within the budget. I truly love the ambiance and their customer service as well. You could choose to have indoor dining or Al Fresco dining. Any of those is just perfect.
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