Dan & Olive's - International Travels (DO-IT): Philippines - Cebu & Siquijor (Jan 9

On Jan 9, we caught a flight from KL to Manila and then a connecting flight to Cebu. At the Cebu airport, we were warmly welcomed by 2 family members of a co-worker of Dan's from Calgary. This connection came about after we had started making our travel plans and Dan had mentioned it at work. One co-worker, Dario, who grew up in the Philippines, suggested that we were welcome to visit their seaside family cottage on a smaller Philippine island called Siquijor. Following communication with his family members and meeting their approval, arrangements were made for us to visit.

After an overnight stay in Cebu, we set out for the island, accompanied by Frank, Dario's brother. There were 2 options of travel: 1) a direct fast ferry that should take 4 – 5 hrs, or 2) a 4-5 hr bus ride, then a 45 minute ferry, a tricycle (rickshaw) ride to another port on the other side of this island followed by another 1 hr ferry. For a couple of reasons we opted for the second option primarily due to stormy seas and the likelihood that the fast ferry would be cancelled. It turned out to be the right decision as the faster ferry was in fact cancelled and our boat was the last one for the next couple of days. The woman on the seat behind me was praying out loud for much of the trip, it could be that she practices this on a regular basis, however her body language and loud sighs whenever the boat was heaving seemed to indicate her concern about our safety. Ultimately, the trip took a lot longer than normal and the boat was re-routed so it could dock in a calmer port.

The family property is in an amazing location where some family members live year-round while others visit as often as they are able. The property has several cottages that can accommodate family and friends. There are 2 fresh water wells only meters from the sea, the beach and ocean view are spectacular, fresh seafood is readily available and the area has an abundance of fruit trees. We have seen mango, coconut, star apple, papaya, banana, and jackfruit, (there are likely others).

The property backs onto the ocean

The cottage we stayed in

We were royally hosted! Meals were prepared for us, fresh coconuts and papaya were available daily (I was given a lesson on how to handle a machete to properly cut open a coconut) and we were provided with wheels and suggestions to explore the island.

Two step process - one to slice off a small portion to get at the juice, the second to split it in half to get at the fleshy part

Frank and his wife Lani also brought us jackfruit, star apples, dried fish and a type of sweet potato. One morning during low tide, Lani, went out in search of sea urchins and came back an hour or two later with a bucket full. She then cracked the urchin shell in two, removed any undigested seaweed and then scooped out the edible part, an orangy paste that has a slight seaweed flavour. Sound appealing?

Frank 'searchin for urchin'

Lani splitting the urchin shells

Ready to scrape out the edible part - considered a delicacy

The 'wheels' we were lent for the week to explore the island

One of several waterfalls on the island

A one hundred year old tree

Olive and I enjoyed scanning the tidal pools each time the tide went out. We saw many starfish with 5, 8 and 10 arms, sea urchins, colorful shells and small fish. We were also pleasantly surprised one night during a power outage to be able to spot fireflies. We had a great time at Siquijor spending time visiting with Dario's family and exploring the island. Particularly memorable will be a rowing trip with Frank to a secluded beach for a swim and more sea urchin gathering. Also memorable was being able to join the family in a special religious celebration called Santo Nino, in which a pig was roasted and a large feast prepared. What a privilege to have been there at this time to join in this celebration. Thanks Dario for the invitation, your family members were fabulous hosts!