Vibrant Visayas

Back in 2014, I had the privilege of visiting Bellevue Resort in Doljo, Panglao, Bohol, Philippines. While it was on a business trip, I made sure to put in some leisure in the mix. While the resort rates can be eye-popping for the commoner, there are lots of ways one can enjoy the Bellevue Resort. Let me share some.

Doing a program for a client of Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network in 2014, our 2nd day schedule read: buffet breakfast between 6:30 to 10 a.m., morning snacks at 10:30 a.m., then lunch at 11:30 a.m. The breakfast buffet was huge. We intentionally missed the morning snack part and could barely eat for lunch.

Good food at Bellevue Resort Bohol

Part of a tour offered in Loay, Bohol, Philippines is a visit to an Ati tribe relocation site along the banks of the Loboc River. The tour starts near the Clarin Bridge in Loay town where guests board a floating restaurant that will take them on a cruise on the Loboc River. They make a stopover at the Ati Tribe Village halfway through the cruise. This river tour is operated by Rio Verde Floating Restaurant.

I have been on this tour for more than four times already. The Ati tribe entertain tourists in exchange for tips. Let me share to you the ways on how they do it.

As the floating restaurant nears the Ati village, tourists are welcomed by the sound of drum beating. The drums are pretty basic and made from indigenous materials. Yet the tribal beat is truly inviting.

Ati men on drums

I traveled alone. First by bus from Cebu City to get to the southern part of Cebu province where I'll hop on a boat on Bato, Santander en route to Tandayag or Tampi Wharf in Amlan, Negros Oriental. From Tampi, I again hopped on a bus headed for Dumaguete City. Upon arrival in Dumaguete City, I hailed a tricycle for the Port of Dumaguete to buy tickets for a boat that will finally take me to the mystic island of Siquijor. This trip took me a little over 12 hours, I left Cebu City at around 2 a.m. and arrived in Siquijor a little past 2 p.m. of the same day. But I'm not one to complain, specially if the first view that greets you upon arrival is the one pictured below.

View upon arrival in Siquijor

And then upon exiting the Siquijor port, a century-old church greets a history buff. How else can I complain that I am tired?

I stayed at an uncle's place in Tapon, Canal, Siquijor, Siquijor. The view from my room is refreshing, a natural forest before my eyes.

Siquijor is quite a small island and everything seems to be of easy reach. In fact, one can circumnavigate Siquijor island in about 2 hours. This was something I did on my 3rd and 4th visits. I just can't get enough.

We also have heard about the honesty store in Batanes. In Siquijor, it is common to see stores unattended. Honesty is expected and locals are keen to follow this tradition of honor. You take something from the store and leave your payment. It's as easy as that. I was amazed at what I saw.

Food was also something that highlighted my first visit to Siquijor. We cooked a lot since a family reunion is always cause for a celebration. What stood out was the freshness of the seafood in the island. We had saang (spider conch shell), kulabutan (a type of squid), and guisadong kulabutan. I ate the kulabutan raw with just salt and vinegar, what my uncle calls kinilaw Binisaya nga kulabutan.

Kinilaw Binisaya nga kulabutan in Siquijor

Guisadong kulabutan Siquijor

The saang was boiled in seawater, a common method of cooking seashells in Siquijor. Siquijodnons call this recipe saang sa alat.

We also had lechon roasted in my uncle's backyard.

Roasting a whole pig (lechon) in my uncle's backyard in Siquijor

A healthier dish was binas-oy, which was pork stew with chayote slices. Cooking was also done outdoors.

Cooking binas-oy in Siquijor

When all the food was cooked on the day of the family reunion, we then headed to a simple place of gathering between the barangays of Calalinan and Tapon in the town of Siquijor, the provincial capital of the island province of Siquijor. It was by a public beach. But you wouldn't believe how amazing the views are for a public beach in Siquijor. Check the photos that follow.

And when the above photos do not impress you still, how about the abundance of marine life in ankle-deep waters? While it is amazing to behold marine life in their natural habitat, extra care must also be done to avoid injuries when coming into contact with some marine species such as sea urchins and jellyfish.

It was an amazing first visit to the place they call island of fire. It piqued my curiosity that I would make 3 more visits to date after that initial trip. I just fell in love with the island's mystic charm, quiet and slow-paced way of life, natural beauty, and friendly people. I realized after at least 4 visits, there is still much to discover about Siquijor.