Hello Hiveians!
Let me pick up from where I stopped in the previous edition of this series. In Kim's Quest #39, I chronicled our way to Siquijor Island in which the highlight was Rizal Boulevard of Dumaguete City. We were in transit that time to Siquijor and the trip felt nostalgic as it was closer to home - the place where I was born. The rest of the story can be found here:
As I've said in that post, it was summer two years ago when we decided to spend the Holy Week at our friend's house in Lazi. I would say it was one of the most chill and relaxing summer I had. If you know me, almost all of my posts are about the thrill and adventure in the mountains or the dizzying boat ride in the between the many spectacular islands here in the Philippines. This time it's different. I only had a few of this kind of vacation.
This series will not be in a chronological order as we visited them. It will purely be about the place and the stories I had with them. One thing sure is that we visited almost all of these places within the first two days we were there. The remaining three days were spent mostly chilling, eating, and hearing stories about Siquijor coming from my friend's grandmother.
I already gave you a glimpse of the first place Siquijor has to offer. Let me start with that place.
St. Francis de Assisi Church
Located in Sta. Fe St., in the Municipality of Siquijor, Siquijor, St. Francis de Assisi Church or simply called Siquijor Church is just a few meters from the local port so you wouldn't miss this historical landmark. It literally greets you as you enter the island province of Siquijor. The church was constructed in 1783, making it the oldest church in the whole island.
For the Catholics, it means that the spirituality of the people of Siquijor runs deep which is in stark contrast with what the image of Siquijor was for the outsiders. When the whole island is known to have some animistic practices that goes against the basic teachings of the church, the image of Siquijor Church made me believe that both practices are incorporated in the lives of the people.
For the people who loved history like me, the church is a living and standing testament of Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The church was strategically located in a hilly place and the bell tower served as a lookout from pirates and marauders in the past. The convent is also said to be a sanctuary and a hiding place for the people when the marauders attacked.
We wanted to explore the church, but it was closed for the preparations of the Holy Week. I'm sure we could have peeked inside, but the petite structure was enough to be marveled outside. It's both a bearer and witness of history which to me will always be fascinating.
Map Coordinates: [//]:# (!pinmapple 9.215017 lat 123.513917 long d3scr)
Paliton Beach
Located in the Municipality of San Juan, it's one of the best beaches in Siquijor. Most of the accommodations are located in the main road that's just walking distance to the beach. Those glistening white sands and towering coconut trees are just perfect for an afternoon view. Because it's located west side of the island, it boasts a spectacular sunset view.
We went there early afternoon, so the sun was still higher up in the sky. We didn't go swimming. We just wanted to explore the beach, feel the sand, and chill under those coconut trees. It was one of the moments when I just want to sit down somewhere in the shade and watch the subtle changes of the scenery as time passes by. That time, I just wanted to be immersed and be one with the place which was perfect for our much needed break.
The tourist scene in Paliton Beach made me question if I was in the Philippines that time. I barely saw a few locals and the rest were foreigners, mostly Caucasians. I had two similar situations in my travels and those were in Boracay Island and Panglao Island. Because most of the Filipinos, specially the boomers, are afraid of the notoriety of the island based on the stories handed down for generations, they are missing out the beauty in their own backyard.
Map Coordinates: [//]:# (!pinmapple 9.178047 lat 123.461568 long d3scr)
Old & Enchanted Siquijor Balete Tree
Located in Siquijor Circumferential Road in the Municipality of Lazi, that 400-year old balete tree deserves all the respect it never demanded. A balete tree is one of the many species of fig tree that grows here in the Philippines. Balete trees are also known as strangler figs because they grow beside another tree that will serve as it host and then eventually strangle it with its roots until that host tree will die. That Balete tree in Lazi is the oldest and the biggest in the province of Siquijor.
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Aside from being a silent witness of history, what makes the tree famous to tourists is because it has a spring in its base that also serves a fish spa. So the spring feeds the pool where the fishes swim and they will nibble your feet if you submerge them in the water. A few minutes after, those unwanted and dead skin cells in your feet are gone.
I have seen some places here in the Philippines where there are springs at base of balete trees. Locals find them mystical as to where the water came from and no one would dare to cut the tree as they were afraid that the spring will dry up if tree is gone. Many revered the tree as they believed it provides them clean water.
Now, Siquijor being known for witchcraft and faith healing, it made sense that the old balete tree would be featured in many travel blogs about the island. Myths surrounding that old balete tree and almost all of balete trees is that it is home to many mythical creatures like fairies, elves, and many other creatures of the night.
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Souvenir shops are lined near the tree and they sell a lot of items that showcase Siquijor's mysticism. Love potions, anitos, agimats, voodoo dolls, and many other trinkets can be bought from there.
Map Coordinates: [//]:# (!pinmapple 9.121056 lat 123.575390 long d3scr)
I guess that's all for this part. Stay tuned for another places we visited in the next part. See you, folks!
Note: Some of the photos were taken by @legendarryll.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.
If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.
I struggle to understand why Filipinos still refuse to visit Siquijor like they are really scared of the rumors or hearsays. They are truly missing out.
Now, I may be bias because I don't believe in those but my wife does and so it took me a long time to convince her to go. Like I told her, these are just rumors spread by the people living on the island to protect it from outsiders,scaring them so that they don't come 🙂
Great post again and thanks a lot for the tip on my own post yesterday. Much appreciated.
See you around.
I actually believed in some of those stories because I had some spooky experiences, but it didn't stop me from visiting the island. I was actually warned by my mother, but she couldn't stop me either. 😂
My thought was that if you are just respectful of their culture and way of life because you're the visitor, I'm sure they will welcome you with open arms. If ever what they're saying is true about the island, it means you just have to respect the island and the people more than fear it.
I started to give tips to posts I like because I felt my upvotes won't suffice. They're just small tokens. It's just random though.
Thank you and see you around!
Great post. Sorry to insert myself in the conversation :) but I do believe in all of the spooky and eerie stuff. 😂 I agree, as long as we are respectful, all will go well.
I had no particular spooky experience in Siquijor, but I just felt that when we were in Lazi port to chill, the island changes in vibe at night. As the sun sets, there's this blanket of ominous presence that surrounds the island.
When we were going home from the port, we passed by the acacia trees near the church and Lazi convent, and at that moment I told my friends to keep quiet and respect the place. 😂
It never hurts to tone down and observe than be sorry after. It's unlike my other travels when we were so loud and happy. It's more of trip to reflect inward and view the world on a different perspective.
Wow! Nagchikka nako. Anyway, thank you for stopping by.
Yes, I see what you mean. I haven't seen Lazi at night but there's something about that particular place even during the day, so I can imagine mapapa goosebumps talaga when it gets dark. 😀 I do like Siquijor and would like to return. Yes, you nailed it, reflective trip.
The church looks epic!
Yes! They really know how to preserve a historical piece. It's very petite compared to other churches that were constructed in the Spanish era, but it's well preserved.
I also read through the comment, is there a horror story about the place? what's the urban tale?
A lot of tales. One is witchcraft. They say that if you hate someone so much, just go to Siquijor with something that belongs to that person you hate and find someone there who knows witchcraft. You'll find that someone you hate dead the moment you go home.
That's the image of Siquijor throughout the whole Philippines. That's why a lot of Filipinos are afraid to go there. They said that it's really true before, but it has changed in the recent years. It's either those who practiced witchcraft are now dead due to old age or changed their practice into faith healing.
I'll tell more in the succeeding parts of this series.
One funny story though. When I was in elementary, we asked one of our classmates and his siblings who's father was from Siquijor. They're so poor, like poorer than most of us, that they just eat sweet potato for breakfast or lunch. When asked why they don't want to stay in Siquijor in their grandparents, they said they'd rather stay in our barangay in Negros Oriental and eat sweet potato than go to Siquijor. They were really afraid because they said they were there once and they couldn't sleep. We asked why. They said that they saw dried coconut leaves walking when the sun sets. We laughed so hard, but they were really serious.
ooh that's interesting! reading it creeps me out but please do share the details in next post. Also, coconut leaves walking is funny! I would laugh instead being scared but uh, folktales generally runs deep. No wonder they were really serious about it.
Of course, I will. It's really amazing how they slowly changed the image of Siquijor to tourists. I heard from my friend's grandmother that they made a special council before to plan on how to reverse the image of Siquijor and I say it worked. It worked well to their advantage. Tourists would flock the island during Holy Week to witness the healing ritual and other stuff. I have some photos of the ritual. We witnessed them in one the highest mountain of the island - Mt. Bandilaan.
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Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 36/45)
Thank you so much!
You are welcome!
Great post, just as expected from you :)
Thanks for sharing!
Wow! I have so much expectations to live by, but it keeps me going. Thank you again!
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What a beautiful place with spooky speculations. As long as you are respectful and does not offended their locals I guess you can't be harmed.
Yes! Respect whatever it is in their culture. True or not, it's their beliefs and identity as a community. When you're a visitor, you don't impose your own agenda to the place you're visiting. As long as you remain respectful, the locals will always treat you right. They even say thank you to us for visiting their place.
Yeah, everywhere we go respect is a must. Nobody will harm you if you are respectful enough. Locals must be happy for having visitors it also helps their tourist spot to be known.
woow this place like dream!
Indeed! You should visit the Philippines to make it a reality. Haha
Yahh this is good and you are right my friend. One day I'll come right there
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Thank you Liz! Very much appreciated.
I love palm trees! They look beautiful.
Yes! They're picturesque in Paliton Beach so they added glam to the whole beach scene.
That place is so colourful! Love seeing all the freedom and wilderness of nature :)
Yes! More colorful photos and stories coming! 😂
By the way, how are you doing? I bet you're busy hiking and traveling to different places.
I wish I was! Maybe after the pandemic is not dangerous anymore, but for that, I need to wait one or two months more. I'm just trying to focus more on my passions this period and enjoy each day of my life :) Hope you are fine too!
I'm working and surviving. We have the highest cases here and it seems life is still going on after 2 months of quarantine.
I'm excited for your passions! I hope you'll share them here one day.
We've been in quarantine for 3 months and it seems like we are about to enter in lockdown again because of the big number of new cases! That's crazy!
As for the passions - I did share them here for a few times. Maybe I will, again, in the future!
Hola @ybanezkim26… He elegido tu post para mi iniciativa diaria de reblogear. Este es mi aporte para Hive…
Sigamos trabajando y aportando ideas para crecer en Hive!...
Hello @ybanezkim26... I have chosen your post for my daily reblogging initiative. This is my contribution to Hive...
Let's keep working and giving ideas to grow in Hive!
Thank you! Very much appreciated. 😊
The place is really beautiful, especially the beach! I'll add this to my bucket list (number 1 is still Batanes haha) but dammnnn I love how it's not crowded too. Did you try putting your feet in the spring? I think I'll get tickled if I do 😂 Also I would buy some souvenirs there especially the voodoo dolls. I'm not planning to use it hahaha but they look so cute!!!
(Late comment kay nalimtan 😂)
Yes! Batanes is still the first! You plan. Let's have a Hive outing there. Let's invite anyone who wants to go. Haha
Okay. Story time. When we went to Balinsasayao Twin Lake in Negros Oriental, just before I wanted to plunge myself into the deep lake, I was told of a story that one man caught a rare disease from a bacteria that's endemic to a certain lake. It's not Lake Balinsasayao, but it triggered a jerk reaction which prevented me from diving the lake. I'm paranoid.
Now, as the fishes in the pool? I didn't dip a single toe. I just took a lot of photos. Why? Because I heard of the story about someone who became HIV positive because of a fish spa. It's not in that Balete tree, but I always avoid any fish spa. I never even tried to have a fish spa in Calawag Mountain Resort in Antique. That's how paranoid I am. I know that chances are slim, but a 0.0001% chance is still much higher than no chance at all.
End of chikka. 😂
Gusto nako ako lang isa sa Batanes para soul searching haha charot! Peaceful man gud sya na place, so I don't think angay ang party2 na Hive meetup hahah. We can do somewhere at the beach or hiking instead! :D
Wow, you've heard too many stories that just discouraged you forever lol why do people even say that. Yeah, it's highly unlikely but I understand why you got paranoid. Even I would be!
Batanes is fair enough. It's really for the soul.