Serene Siquijor

Siquijor is off the beaten track and the most southern island in the Philippine Visaysas.  With no flights to the island, it takes considerable effort to get here and the result is few tourists, and fewer touts - yay!  The locals are laid-back & friendly, the food is excellent and it’s quiet & clean.  Prices are even lower here than Bohol.  For example, our hut (cold shower & fan) is the equivalent of $17.50 per night.  Most meals are around $3 or $4.  These fresh mango shakes are $1.25.

There is a sign in our room with some important notices.  Among them:  “in the very likely event of a power cut, please make sure all electrical switches are turned off”.  For this eventuality, management has provided pillar candles & matches, but we haven’t had to use them yet.  The sign goes on inform us that turtles have, on occasion, laid eggs at the back of the cottages.  If we see hatchlings crawling toward the sea, we are to get the staff, who will then help them to the ocean.  (Nani, one of the staff, told us this usually happens around the full moon, so we’re unlikely to see anything.) 

Aron brought his snorkel, and I rented one.  The ocean is very calm, and you can actually walk to the coral, at which point the sea floor drops to about 10 feet deep. I would say the snorkeling is even better than what we experienced in Cuba; comparable with Mexico.  Not far from where we are is a marine sanctuary, which might explain why the reef is so pristine.  I wish we’d had an underwater camera to capture the colors and textures; the bright fish darting in and out of the coral.  

The last night in Siquijor, we were sitting at the computer, writing emails in an outdoor pavillion.  Geckos of all sizes had gathered on the roof and walls, hoping to catch moths attracted to the light overhead.  Suddenly we heard wings beating at a fairly quick tempo.  Out of the blackness, a praying mantis flew into Aron’s face and then landed on the wall to join the geckos.  It became clear that the praying mantis was the underdog among the hierarchy of geckos competing for food.  The stubborn insect held its ground, though, and we thought we saw it catch something...