Paradise

Our Monday morning on Siquijor greeted us with rain. There was an impending typhoon that was playing with the weather and I was worried it might not clear up. Thankfully just like the day before the sun fought it's way through the clouds and we were able to spend the morning lounging around the pool. We ate our lunch poolside and prepared for our afternoon at the waterfalls. We splashed around in the shallow pools with the kids, did some jumps and took some pictures. For the entire time that we spent playing in and around the falls we were the only ones there. It wasn't until we were leaving when the craziest thing happened. We ran into some people from the States. One of them is originally from Siquijor Island and was showing off how amazing the island was to his buddies. After a little bit of small chat with my dad he learned that we were Canadian and he asks if our last name is Beattie! He recognized our situation from this blog! I got to meet an American fan in the Philippines. How cool is that!? I guess one day he was googling Siquijor, his home island, and was checking out the most recent google entries and my blog popped up and so he checked it out. He was a really nice guy, we met his American friends who also seemed really nice. It always amazes me how small the world can be at times!!

We didn't do the whole island tour like we did the last time we were in Siquijor but we did stop off and that oldest tree on the island and of course the coral church. It was a nice drive but no matter how pretty I can make the church look, the waterfalls were still the highlight.

Rest and Relaxation

Since there were these festivals in Dumaguete and on Siquijor we arrived at Coco Grove way past bed time and we all checked in and went straight to bed. It was such a long day, especially for Ryan having been up for almost 30 hours. The kids were so bushed they even slept in an extra hour and a half which NEVER happens, especially on vacation when the beach is calling their names. So we peeled ourselves out of bed and met my dad for breakfast. One thing that's great about Coco Grove is their free breakfast. You have a great selection. I opted for the fruit platter which is a huge plate with mango's, pineapple, banana, watermelon and papaya (which they didn't have this weekend). YUM. The kids had their pancakes and the men had their bacon, eggs, mango and juice. The only bummer was the rain. Thankfully by the time breakfast was finished the rain had lighted and it looked like the clouds were beginning to thin so we took the opportunity to explore the beach and see what treasures we could find. We started at the one of the beach as far as you can go and the kids climbed up some lava type rock with their dad and took a good look around. There were a couple of small boats laying in a cove with some kids splashing around with their mom. It was so peaceful and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Our exploration got cut short because the rain started to come down pretty heavy. We just ran under the tree's while the kids played a Coco Grove version of bowling and we tried to stay dry. After a little while Ryan and Madison went in to make up for some of the lost sleep from our day of travel and the kids and I retreated to our cottage balcony for cover with the iPad. Thankfully the rain didn't last too long and before too long the sun was warming everything up and we got ourselves a couple of lounge chairs by the pool. We spent the rest of the day at the pool roasting in the sun. We also played on the beach and went for a swim in the ocean. It ended up being an amazing day and I really needed a day of just laying around reading a good book plus the lack of sun until 10am saved us all from getting too burned although I have to admit by the end of the day I could feel the burn starting.

An Alluring Beauty

Siquijor is a smaller island with a coastline of 102km so as we toured the island looking at all the different sites we drove that entire coastline and then some. It was such an amazing drive. We were in a jeepney so the breeze kept us cool and without windows we got this spectacular view. The water was this vibrant colour around the entire island laced with little white sand beaches, mangrove tree's and little towns with houses right off the ocean. I wondered for a moment if these people even realized how beautiful the view was right outside their door but I guess if it's something you've seen every day of your life you might not 'see' it. That's how a lot of things were for me in Canada. It wasn't until the last time we came home when I really saw that true beauty of the mountains, Waterton and the canola fields. One of the best parts was to watch these people in their every day lives, just enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. Some were driving, caring for their livestock, and some were sitting on their porch with their families. One site we see on every island here in the Philippines are 1L glass Coke bottles with either a red or green liquid in it. It took Ryan to explain to me that they were filled with either gasoline or diesel fuel. Genius. So even if there is only 1 gas station on the island there is never fuel too far off ... and sold by the litre! Siquijor was no different. Every once in a while on the side of the road there would be a little stall set up selling fues for those that needed a quick fill.

As we drove around getting a glimpse of the beauty of Siquijor and seeing the people going about their lives I was humbled. No big malls, no grocery store, no real restaurants except for a person cooking on the side of the road and selling that food in their shack and here I am complaining because I have no Walmart. Also something we noticed was that no matter what they were doing they seemed to love to stop and give us a big smile and wave as we passed by.

Siquijor was so clean, the waters looked inviting and the different colours of greens were breathtaking. I loved it, one of the prettiest places I've seen without a doubt.

Lola (Grandma) Conching

Just a short drive off the coastal road at the top of a mountain is a traditional Filipino style house with videoke blaring and hens being followed by their chicks. The house stands alone off a dirt road and as we pulled up everyone seated in the videoke room took a nice good look at us. Our driver lead us to the side of the house where we got to meet Lola Consolacion Achay the bolo-bolo healer.
Bolo-Bolo healing is a natural healing using clear water, a bambo style straw, a smooth black stone and cup. Lola Conching rinsed out her cup and filled it with clean water then dropped a shiny smooth black stone to the bottom. She then took the glass cup to the part of the body that was in need of healing. In our case we used Cheryl's twisted ankle and Lori's sore back. Lola would then start blowing bubbles through the straw into the cup and slowly the water started to become murky with these nasty floaties in it.

After a minute Lola Conching would examine the murky water. Apparently if the area is really effected the water will become dirty, then the blowing process is repeated until the water remains clear and the problem is cleansed. So she examines the water and dumps it out, rinses her glass and then refills it with clean water and repeats the blowing process. The second time, still dirty water forms but with less floaties so again she dumps the dirty out and starts again with clear water until the water remained clean while she blew her bubbles.
After the water remains clear she then takes some oils she keeps in a flask with special ingredients and rubs it on the affected area muttering something I couldn't hear with all the kareoke singing going on and blows onto the oil completing the ritual.

SO ... does it work? I'm not too sure. Cheryl seemed to find her sprained toes and ankles were better. Not completely healed but she regained mobility! And Lori? I guess her back felt better and she wasn't being sarcastic. How are they feeling now? I have no idea but I'm sure that flight back to Canada took it's toll. Maybe I could take up Bolo-Bolo healing and have a side line for when we move back home!? What do you think?

Paliton Beach

I had asked our driver to take us to Paliton Beach because I had read that it was one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. I had just assumed we would take a dirt road to a beach, get out and take a quick swim and walk around and get back into the jeepney and continue on our journey. What I didn't know was that this dirt road was the worst, bumpiest road with huge lava rocks scraping the bottom of this guys poor jeepney. I felt so bad having asked him to take us but he didn't say anything other then the guy who owned this section of land also owned the section of land Coco Grove Resort was located on. So we drive to a dead end where there is a nice strip of white sand beach lined with fisherman's boats and get out and walk past that beach through a field. After a short walk we arrive on this other strip of white sand where this big boat is being finished and the water is smooth and this amazing colour. The water was like warm bath water and the sand was seriously like powered sugar, so soft on the feet. There were a couple of small schools of black fish skimming the surface just where the water meets the sand and this amazing piece of rock jetting out of the water at the one end of the beach bringing the rich greens out over the blue of the water. So picture perfect, other then the boat about to launch for the first time completely private and worth the bumpy ride to get there.

Cambugahay Waterfalls

By far my favorite stop of the day was Cambugahay Falls. You walk down just 135 stairs until you reach the bottom tier of the falls. It's this amazingly clear water set in this rich green jungle that after the walk down seems so inviting and the perfect way to cool down. We walked up the path to the third tier before jumping and splashing around.

I was able to ride the kids on my back to go under the falls to the back part where we hung out looking out from behind the water while peeking out from the cascading water. We even took our turns jumping off the top of the falls into the deep pools below.

It was so pretty and peaceful. At around lunch time it seemed that everyone disappeared and we had the falls to ourselves so our driver brought down our packed lunch and we had a picnic at the base of the falls. It was such a good meal, grilled chicken with lemon, some oriental noodles along with rice or potato salad. It was the perfect picnic scenery and a great way to fuel us up for the short 135 step climb back up to the road.

Coral Killing Church

So I'm pretty sure that you couldn't get away with this now a days but check out this church built in 1887! Walls and bell tower made out of corals. Yup! Coral. Someone killed a lot of coral, plants and fish to make this church

So they have this convent across the street that is claimed to be the biggest convent in all of Asia. I was seriously impressed by this until I was reminded that the Philippines is the only Christian majority country in Asia, now ... not as impressed. Also these fancy bell towers were used also as watch towers to warn the people if pirates were coming! COOL!
Inside the church is stank. It stank like it was built in 1887 and started rotting away shortly after completion. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration but it definitely smelled old and unused. The roof was rotting away with these big holes in it and the wood frames holding up the massive roof looked like they were eroding away. It was cool and big but that's about it. No offense to the building or anything and I'm sure it was just magnificent in it's glory it's just really sad that no one seems to be caring for it anymore so we went and took some shots and went on our way.

Siquijor's Banyan Tree

Siquijor is famously known around the Philippines as the Island of witch craft and black magic. Apparently the island used to come alive at night with fire flies glowing and flying around. The rumour is that the Spanish first spotted Siquijor off the shore at night because the island lit up in the evening! Now I guess they still live in the trees but you have to go up into the mountains to find them. While we were out one evening at Coco Grove there were a few spotted in the trees flickering on and off but nothing like the stories I've read about. Along with these mystical legends of fire flies lighting up childrens cheeks and black magic healers there is the Banyan or “Balete” tree which holds the title as the oldest tree on Siquijor Island.
A Banyan tree starts off as a seed that finds it's way into a small snug spot like a crevice of another tree trunk and as it grows it's roots shoot out in every direction with a small trunk also starting to grow. Soon the roots take over and outgrow the trunk and continue taking over trees in the near area and also having it's own roots start forming it's own new Banyan trees. They can grow around in a circle leaving a small hollow center with these tree roots as it's walls where these natural healers will go and set up a special place to work their potions and rituals, oooOOooo.
Anyway this tree is apparently over 800 years old according to our guide!? I believe him, it was pretty huge and he referred to it as being just like the tree from Avatar. Looks about right to me, now we just need to find a bunch of wierd looking blue people and we got ourselves Pandora.

A Day of Rest and Relaxation

Saturday morning we woke up to amazing sunshine! It was so hot and the water was so clear, really the perfect day for laying around the beach. The kids made a sand castle with grandma, went snorkeling and we swam in the pretty sea. The colours were so vibrant with the white sand and corals underneath and the warm sun intensifying the greens and blues. It didn't take long to warm up and dry off in the sun after a swim! That's how we spent the first part of morning, playing in the sand and suntanning on the beach. Ryan and I went out for a snorkel and found some really nice coral and big rainbow fish. We saw long sword looking fish and a pufferfish swimming through these little ravines made in the corals. It was so pretty, I loved it.

After some time on the beach we were well roasted and so we made our way to the swimming pool which offered both sunshine and shade. The kids swam some more while I was able to relax a bit and enjoy the beautiful view everywhere I looked.

After our lunch we decided to go for a walk to the end of the beach where Grandma had found some cool lava type rock formations and caves! We walked along the beach passing the marine sanctuary, the diving school and the main restaurant which are all apart of the resort. We made it to the rocks and walked through the water to explore them and climbed up a few to see what was on the other side. Ryan thought about jumping but decided the water wasn't deep enough for a safe landing so instead we just had this amazing view!

It was such a great day. We fed the kids first and put them to bed and then us adults went out for a really yummy dinner later while we again watched the sunset from our dinner table outside on the beach. The breeze kept us cool enough to enjoy our meal and the sound of the waves was so peaceful. The only downer was the Tom Jones wanna be that started singing not so great and drowned out the sound of the waves. But whatever, not even he could ruin our perfect day! Especially with adventure and exploration on our horizons for the next day!

Welcome to Coco Grove, Siquijor Island

A few years ago we took a weekend trip to a little island named Siquijor. We didn't really do too much there, the place we stayed was on a beach but nothing super special and the 5 hour travel time to get there never seemed worth it to go back. Around the time Ryan's mom arrived we were trying to brainstorm of where we could go and I got a message from a friend suggesting Coco Grove Beach Resort on Siquijor Island. She said it was their best beach experience to date in the Philippines and since we really trusted her judgement we booked ourselves for a long weekend getaway at Siquijor's Coco Grove.
Off we went for the 4 hour drive through Negros Island from Bacolod City to the Dumeguete Port where we boarded our ferry to take us to Siquijor town. It was one rough ride. I'm sure that there were a few people on that boat running for the bathrooms as soon as we docked for a good old spew into the toilet! But for us this is what welcomed us right off the pier:

It was such rewarding site. Along with the green waters, white sandy beach and hot sun shinning on us was a guy holding a sign "Welcome Meghan and Family." We had arranged to be picked up at the pier so we wouldn't have to fight to find a decent priced taxi and it paid off. We were greeted with a big smile and lead to our own private bus which took right to Coco Grove. It was so hassle free and the staff at the front desk was waiting for us and had everything ready for us! It was one of the easiest check in's we've had in the Philippines. We were given a map of the resort and an explanation of where everything was before we were lead to our cottage. Our room had a nice loft where the kids slept and it was right off the pool and a short 1 minute walk to the beach. We checked out the pretty beach before splashing in the pool while Ryan took a nap. The kids burned off the energy they stored up sitting in the car/boat for the better part of the day and then we settled down for some grub. We took this table right on the beach so the kids played in the sand and swayed in the hammocks until our meals came, which were really yummy.

It was just so nice to be somewhere beautiful, with staff who knew how to make you feel amazing and to sit on the beach eating a great meal while watching the sun set!