Siquijor
The Island Filipinos Associate With Folk Healing And Sorcery A Living Tradition, Not A Theme, And It Keeps Domestic Visitors Away · Siquijor, Siquijor
SIQUIJOR IS A SMALL, QUIET, VERY PRETTY ISLAND AN HOUR BY FERRY FROM DUMAGUETE, AND MANY FILIPINOS WILL NOT GO THERE. The island's association with FOLK HEALING AND SORCERY is old and entirely serious - HERBALISTS AND HEALERS STILL PRACTISE, and during HOLY WEEK they gather to prepare the MINASA, a medicinal preparation made from plants and roots collected in a particular order, in a ritual that is not staged for anyone. THAT REPUTATION IS NOT A MARKETING THEME, AND TREATING IT AS ONE IS THE MISTAKE VISITORS MAKE. It is also the reason the island stayed undeveloped while its neighbours filled up. WHAT IS ACTUALLY HERE: CAMBUGAHAY FALLS with rope swings over blue water, A BALETE TREE SAID TO BE CENTURIES OLD with a spring pool full of small fish at its roots, cliff jumps at Salagdoong, and an empty coast road you can ride in a morning. It is changing faster now than at any point in its history, which is worth knowing.
Siquijor Island, Central Visayas, Siquijor, Siquijor, Philippines
SIQUIJOR IS REACHED BY FERRY, MOST OFTEN FROM DUMAGUETE IN NEGROS ORIENTAL - roughly an hour, with frequent daily sailings - and also from Bohol and Cebu. THERE IS NO AIRPORT. THERE IS NO GATE ANYWHERE; the island is circled by hired motorbike, tricycle or van in a day on a good coast road. INDIVIDUAL SITES CHARGE SMALL FEES - CAMBUGAHAY FALLS, THE OLD BALETE TREE, SALAGDOONG BEACH - and the falls involve A LONG FLIGHT OF STEPS DOWN AND BACK UP. HOLY WEEK IS WHEN THE HEALERS GATHER to prepare the minasa; this is a religious and traditional observance, NOT A PERFORMANCE, and turning up to photograph it is not welcome. FERRIES ARE CANCELLED IN ROUGH WEATHER and the typhoon season runs roughly June to November.