Day 2
Dumaguete to Siquijor
The next day, I got bored again and looked for something more extreme to do. Gabby, the owner of the BnB, told me that Siquijor is just 2 hours away from Dumaguete via roro, so I went straight to the port with nothing but the clothes on my back, my ever loyal slippers, and a little bit of cash.
By the time we docked, I was pretty sure someone could take me around Siquijor on a motorbike (because cities in Visayas always tend to have habal-habals), so I haggled with a habal-habal driver to tour me around and off we went.
Our first stop was Salagdoong beach, the famous cliff diving spot in Siquijor. When we arrived, I went straight to the cliff-diving platform, but there was a warning sign that we couldn’t jump because of the strong waves and low tide. I asked around and they told me that they would open in an hour when the tide was a bit higher.
I talked to my habal-habal and asked to be driven to the falls first and to just go back to Salagdoong beach after an hour or so. I told him I wouldn’t go to the other spots anymore (Balete tree and old churches) since I might miss the boat going back to Dumaguete otherwise.
He agreed and we went on to the Cambugahay Falls. At first glance, I thought IÂ was in Bolinao, since it looks exactly like Bolinao Falls, just with a rope swing added to it.
It was a good rush and I had fun riding the rope swing and doing mini cliff dives in the falls for about 30 minutes. Then we drove back to Salagdoong.
The main event, however, was Salagdoong’s cliff diving spot. When we got back after 2 hours, the signages were still there and I was told that it wouldn’t open for the day due to strong waves. Then the crazy part in me awakened. I really couldn’t resist not to jump. That was the only time I would be there and I wouldn’t miss the thrill for the world.
There are 2 platforms: the 20ft one and the 30ft one. While I am used to cliff jumping, it was my first time diving into a strong current, so I nagged the guard who was posted in cliffs and he told me that if I could do it, then he’d let me. Once he said that, I just jumped over the warning sign and jumped.
Too bad there was no one to take my picture when I did it since it all happened too fast, but all in all, it was a good rush (with all the illegality, height, and the danger of the situation). I struggled going back to the shore, but the smile painted on my face stayed throughout the day. Don’t believe the mystical stories of Siquijor. It was worth the visit. The only mystical and magical thing I saw was the beauty of the place. Definitely one for the bucket list.
I got the 4pm roro going back to Siquijor and the sunset was just pure magic in the middle of the ocean. Once I arrived, my adrenaline wore me out and I just crashed in the BnB. The next day, I headed up to Sibulan Airport and went back to Manila.
My Dumaguete-Siquijor trip was one heck of a rush but was totally worth it. By the way, I wanna thank my host in Dumaguete for being more than just a place to stay, but a friend for keeps. Gabby’s Bed n Breakfast – definitely worth checking out.
Gabby’s Bed & Breakfast
(035) 522 2203
https://www.facebook.com/Gabbysbedandbreakfast
