We had another long travel day to get to Siquijor: a trike, a bus, another trike, a ferry, another trike, another ferry, and one final trike. Seven hours in total! But we finally arrived on another island, this time off the coast of Cebu. It’s bigger than Malapascua and might just be our favourite place we’ve stayed yet.
You can circle the island on its main road in about two hours, but the attractions are pretty spread out. So, after arriving in the early evening, we headed out to rent a scooter. Once that was sorted, we dropped off our laundry and grabbed a very un-local tapas dinner—then straight to bed.
The next morning, we set out to explore the island by scooter. Our first stop was Cambugahay Falls, a series of stunning turquoise waterfalls with four levels to swim in. We climbed up to the top level—it took a bit more effort, but it was far less crowded, mostly just local kids. They were very curious about us, asking where we were from, whether we were married, if we had a baby, etc.
They were especially fascinated by Grace’s snorkel, which bought us a brief moment of peace while they took turns playing with it. Then they spotted our Kindles and insisted on learning how they worked. One little girl even asked if she could read aloud to Grace—her English was excellent! She told us she was ten and that she and her cousins live in a nearby village and visit the falls on weekends. Then came the question she’d clearly been dying to ask: she pointed at Grace’s face and asked, “Why is your nose so big?” We explained that people from different places look different. Grace asked her, “Do you like it?” and the girl looked horrified and said a very blunt, “No.”
They asked for a selfie and made Grace add them on Facebook to send it over. We’re a little worried she’s now on a watchlist somewhere for adding random children on social media, but they seemed happy enough and finally let us leave!
Our next stop was an old monastery from the 1800s that had been beautifully restored. We wandered through the stone and woof buildings and peaceful gardens before heading to see the island’s oldest tree. It was pretty impressive, and you could sit with your feet in an artificial stream underneath where tiny pedicure fish nibbled at your toes.
After a late lunch, we spent the afternoon at Little Boracay Beach—another postcard-perfect white sand beach with palm trees and clear water. It was the perfect chill spot to end a busy day of exploring.
That evening, we freshened up and went out for sunset drinks and dinner at a local place with live music. A really fun way to wrap up the day.
The next morning we were up early for a boat trip to Apo Island, about an hour away. It’s designated as a marine sanctuary, so no boats are allowed near the shore and commercial fishing is banned. We were split into groups with local guides who swam with us to make sure people respected the rules: no touching wildlife and no stepping on the coral. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop some groups—especially some Korean tourists—who crowded around turtles, dove down next to them for selfies, and stepped all over the coral. It was heartbreaking to see, especially knowing how slowly coral grows.
Our guide tried his best—he shouted at the groups and even told off their guides. He later apologised to us for getting frustrated but explained that the turtles have started avoiding the area when it’s too busy, and he worries they’ll soon stop coming altogether. That would mean the locals, many of whom have lived on the island for generations, might eventually be forced to leave as their main source of income disappears. We totally agreed—it’s amazing to see the turtles, but this isn’t a theme park, and people should respect the wildlife.
Luckily, we found a few turtles away from the crowds and watched them from a respectful distance. It was just as magical, and way more peaceful.
Back at the hostel, we showered off and met a couple of Dutch guys in our room. We ended up going out for dinner and drinks with them—another not-so-local spot, this time an Italian place. But the food was incredible and it was my first pasta in weeks, so I had zero regrets. Filipino food is nice, but the variety can be a bit lacking, so we’re branching out when we spot something good.
After dinner, we went to a bar with live music and taught the Dutch guys a drinking game called “Higher or Lower Squared.” We weren’t drinking ourselves since we were driving the scooters, but they didn’t seem to mind being the only ones! It wasn’t a late night anyway—still so hot here even after dark, 30°c with no breeze, it felt like sitting in an oven. By 11 PM we were back at the hostel, grateful for the sweet relief of air conditioning.
On our last full day in Siquijor, we decided to make the most of having a moped and complete the full loop around the island.
Unfortunately, it rained for most of the morning, so our first stop ended up being a nice breakfast spot where we had bagels and cream cheese. Can you tell we’re enjoying the availability of good Western food on the island?
Once the rain cleared, we headed to a marine sanctuary to do some more snorkeling—but sadly it was closed due to poor visibility caused by the weather. We did, however, spend some time giving water to a very sunburnt-looking puppy. It’s heartbreaking how many stray dogs and puppies there are here, and how many seem to be neglected.
After that, we drove past some rice fields and into a beautiful forest. Unfortunately, I still hate being on the back of mopeds, even though we were only going about 35 km/h. I didn’t feel confident enough to get my phone out to take pictures, so you’ll just have to take my word for how lovely it was.
In the afternoon, we stopped at Salagdoong Beach and spent a few hours lounging in the shade and chatting. There wasn’t much else we wanted to see that day—and honestly, the heat and humidity in the Philippines are so intense that the only way to cope is to stay in the shade and dip in and out of cool water!
On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for some sunset drinks—which I was very happy about, because after an hour of bumping along on the back of the scooter, my backside was really starting to feel it. At least it was our last ride! We dropped off the bike and walked the rest of the way back, hot and sweaty, only to find there was a power cut… and no working showers.
That meant we had to take another classic Philippines special: the bucket shower. Not glamorous, but better than no shower at all.
After dinner, we returned to the hostel hoping the power would be back on—but no such luck. It was 32°C in the room, and without aircon, it was a pretty miserable start to the night. Thankfully, after a few hours of trying to sleep in the heat, the power kicked back in, the aircon came on, and we finally got some rest.
As beautiful as the Philippines has been, we won’t be too sad to be heading to much cooler South Korea soon! But first, one more stop: Bohol. I’ll tell you all about it soon.
Love, Alice x