Interesting Places to Visit in Siquijor Part 5

It's More Fun in the Philippines, No.1 for Fun!

Planning a trip? Those who love to travel know the essence of all travel is about you and your enjoyment. Travelers know that the destination is a major part of planning a trip, experiencing and delving deeper into unfamiliar places, people and culture are paramount.

Expand your horizons and set your sight to the Philippines, an off the beaten path travel site! An undiscovered paradise made of thousands of islands and white sand beaches all around! A tiny dot in the map of the world, and yet a haven for travelers, backpackers, retirees and even passersby.

It offers awesome tourist attractions, magnificent beaches, hot spring resorts, colorful festivals, hundreds of scenic spots and world-class hotels and facilities. Not to mention the tropical climate, the affordable prices as well as the friendly and hospitable, English-speaking people! You will be glad you came, and we’re sure, you WILL come back for more FUN in the Philippines!

INTERESTING PLACES IN SIQUIJOR

We traveled to the Philippines with one dream – finding the perfect beach. Palm-fringed, white sand, pristine turquoise sea. You know, the works. The Philippines were on our radar for ages, after several of our friends visited and posted pictures of stunning beaches, world class dive sites and multicolored sunsets, we simply couldn’t wait.

The day after we finally hopped on the ferry and made the journey to Siquijor. As soon as we set foot on the island we were like ‘that’s it’. This is the kind of place we were looking for. There was a cute pebble beach right next to the ferry landing, with a few houses along the shore, and hills covered in forest. If this is just the harbor, we thought, the rest of the island must be seriously stunning.

Siquijor is famous around the Philippines for being the home of spirits, mysteries and sorcerers practicing voodoo and dark arts. The island was named ‘Isla del Fuego’ (the island of fire) by the Spanish, and Siquijor retains the nickname to this day. The name was related to the eerie glow surrounding the island when the conquistadores arrived, which were in fact in swarms of fireflies blinking in the twilight.

When we got to Coral Cay, the resort where we would be staying, the ‘that’s it’ feeling got even stronger. We were staying in a bungalow barely 20 meters from the beach – which seemed to have been taken straight from my dreams. White, soft sand. Azure wavelets lapping at the shore. Palms bowing at the sea. Hammocks strung between one tree and another. Bangka, traditional Filipino boats, moored in the shallows.

When sunset came, the sky turned multicolored – and every day, the show was different. One day the sky was bright and warm, the same color of a juicy orange. Another day it was blue-purple, streaked with highlighter-pink clouds. One day it was overcast, and the colors were muted – but as the sun approached the horizon it seemed to rip through the clouds, illuminating the shore with beams of light.

Yet, Siquijor will always be a special place, because it was the first time we found the Philippines we were looking for. Over the rest of our month in the country we would fall in love again and again, but Siquijor will always be our first love. Read More: http://www.thecrowdedplanet.com/siquijor-tourist-spots/

Siquijor Butterfly Sanctuary

Photo from: https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g664445-d1549926-i30475721-Siquijor_Butterfly_Sanctuary-Siquijor_Island_Visayas.html

While roaming around Siquijor island crossing back north through the mountains from a trip to the southern side of the island something caught my attention. At the highest point just before the decline down a few locals waved their hands and pointed me in some vague direction indicating that I should go check it out. I hesitated for a while, but the two locals practically pushed my motorbike down a narrow unconstructed path facing east. One of them, it turns out, was the person in charge of the butterfly sanctuary they were pointing towards. Read More: http://www.visionsoftravel.org/siquijor-butterfly-sanctuary/

Lazi Church and Convent

Photo from: http://lexicalcrown.blogspot.com/2013/08/location-central-visayas-philippines.html

The San Isidro Labrador Parish and Convent in Lazi, Siquijor are reminiscent of the old Spanish settlement in the province. Constructed by Augustinian Recollects, the Baroque church was established in 1857. The convent, one of the oldest and biggest in the country was erected in 1887.

The church complex is among the Baroque Churches of the Philippines list submitted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to UNESCO as candidate for World Heritage Site.

The National Historical Institute declared the church and convent as national landmarks due to its religious, historical and architectural importance, not only to the province of Siquijor, but to the entire Philippines. San Isidro Labrador Parish and Convent in Lazi is half an hour away from the provincial capitol, Siquijor. Read More: https://www.lakwatsero.com/spots/san-isidro-labrador-parish-and-convent-lazi-siquijor/#sthash.1acS21o2.dpbs

Lugnason Falls

Photo from: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/599401/take-the-plunge-for-free-on-island-of-fire

The recently ‘made-over’ Lugnason Falls in the hills behind Napo (take the junction off the Government Road at Coco Grove into the hills and look for the signs or ask anyone) are beautiful. The pool was dredged in July by a dedicated group of volunteers and combined with a bit of man-made enhancement it is now a deep several metre pool, possibly 20 metres across. Locals have taking to jumping in to the main pool from 10-15m cliffs (or even the odd tall coconut tree!) and there is also an amazing rope swing that propels the brave high into the air before catapulting them into the main pool. Well worth a visit and part of the appeal is that it is a bit more off the beaten track than Cambugahay Falls and no car park etc, just a sign on the side of the road. You can get water and drink in the nearby village of Napo. Read More: http://siquijor-island.com/lugnason-falls/