There is no shortage of islands in the Philippines. There are over seven thousand to choose from. After our stay in Manila with its crowded chaos, relentless noise, fumes and poverty, we were eager for fresh air, forests, deserted beaches – basically anywhere that was ‘far from the madding crowd.’ But with a population of 120 million and lots of tourists, maybe we were looking for the unattainable? Siquijor, an island in the Central Visayas appealed to us mainly because our guide book told us it was small and quiet. On a sunny Monday morning, we left our hostel in Dumaguete(we had flown here from Manila), bleary-eyed from lack of sleep,  to catch the 7.10 ferry. The noise of the ceiling fan combined with the swirling heat and the motor bike traffic outside our bedroom window had made for a disturbed night…even for me who could sleep on the floor with a pipe band marching around me.  We had bought our ferry  tickets the day before thinking that all we had to do was turn up. We were wrong. The ferry port was thronged with people and motorbikes still whizzing everywhere.  We had to queue to be assigned seat numbers and queue again to pay a port tax (about 20 cents) and then queue to actually get on the ferry which was crowded (room for at least 500 passengers).

The volume of people on the ferry to a small quiet island surprised us …and alarmed us a little. There were passengers of every age, size and ethnic hue on the boat, some locals but many visiting. This part of the world has had a long Covid lockdown( much longer than Europe) and more people are on the move than ever.  When we arrived on Siquijor (both the island and main town have the same name), there was that frantic flurry of activity that happens when a ferry docks, with people and goods disembarking, lots of shouting,  the calling of taxis, tricycle rickshaws and motorbikes.  But within ten minutes, somnolent peace was restored, the waves from the ferry backwash ceased to crash on the shore, the island absorbed the new arrivals and made them disappear, the touts returned to the shade, the dogs took up their positions sleeping in the middle of the road and relative silence surged in. We would have left too except that we had no money to pay a tricycle rickshaw to take us to our accommodation which we had booked the day before and which was on the other side of the island. Despite a plethora of bank cards, we had virtually no pesos between us and ‘cash is king’ in the Philippines. We had planned to get money out at the port in Dumaguete but the ATMs there were broken. We trudged up the street looking for a functioning ATM. The first three had ‘no money’ or ‘no power’ or  ‘broken’. There was just one more to try…..our last hope. The whirring sound of cash dispensing in the ATM was never more welcome. After all that trauma, we needed breakfast – a big plate noodles, hard boiled eggs and spring rolls filled the spot. Delicious

The best and only way to travel around the island is by motorbike or scooter which were very cheap to hire – about six or seven euros a day. The roads were reasonably good especially the one that circumnavigates the island, about 75 kms in total. There were roadworks and road upgrades on many sections but few hold-ups and traffic was light.  Plants had started to sprout on some of the heaps of sand and rocks for road works at the side of the road so the upgrade looked like a long project. The freedom of the motorbike to explore was fantastic.   We sped past the gleaming green of the rice paddies, more emerald than any vegetation at home, past white cattle with their loose-skinned necks and skeletal pale-coloured dogs that all seemed to originate from the same ancestors. We found small coves framed by coconut palms, one idyllic one where swimming was not ‘operational’ (there was a fine for swimming, we didn’t know why) where we met a Chinese man, a devout Christian, who was moving to the Philippines with his family for religious freedom.  In another, a bald effeminate salesman was trying to sell a foot-spa to the elderly owner of a guesthouse which was almost on the beach. He welcomed us with such friendliness, we thought he lived there while the owner soaked her feet in a pink foot-spa. There was the smell of smoke and a soft haze among the trees from the ubiquitous burning of rubbish and vegetation.  And everywhere, we saw an incredible number of schools and groups of children in dazzling white shirts coming from or going to be educated. Education is incredibly important to most Filipinos but many  told us that their children were being educated for export,  people are the greatest export of the Philippines. We were intrigued by the fields of roosters which were tied to a perch and allowed about a square metre of territory each. These seem to be raised for cock fighting but we haven’t seen any cock fights…..yet.

Of course, the roosters might also have a part to play with the other claim to fame of Siquijor. This mystical island is known to have magic potions, shamans, witches and sorcerers and many Filipinos would not wander around after dark on the island. We didn’t witness any spooky going-ons  although when we went in search of the Enchanted River, we couldn’t find it but we could hear the sound of water flowing over small stones. Very strange.  Undoubtedly, there are healers using herbal medicine in the hills of the interior, using local plants and knowledge handed down through the generations and people travel to them in search of healing.

The sunsets were certainly spellbinding, a riot of colour every evening until the sun fell into the sea shortly after 6pm, perfect with a cold beer…especially good from the Republika Beach Bar in San Juan, a place that we kept returning to for the shade and balmy breezes, sea views, friendly dogs and  jazzy music.  We walked along the pale-sand beaches and swam in the clear waters of the many coves, the water was shallow off the coast unless the tide was high. It can be a little rocky so a pair of water shoes is good protection against the rocks, broken coral and  sea urchins. There were several waterfalls and swimming holes if you wanted a change from the sea. The best beach on the island fronted the luxury Coco Grove Resort but as its part of a marine reserve, anyone can visit and snorkel directly from the beach for a small fee (about €1.50)

The first place we stayed on the island- Zosimo’s Inn in Lazi – was quiet except for the roosters crowing and the dogs barking…all night. The second place, Mystical Inn, in San Juan was more a home-stay but we had a huge room with a fan and a balcony. It was much quieter at night but day began early  with hordes of fishermen congregating to chat and trade in the sandy laneway outside our accommodation which was only a few metres from the little beach lined with small fishing boats. The busiest time outside was between 6am and 7am when the throngs would rival Grafton St on a Saturday afternoon.  We had a bird’s eye view from our balcony where swallows and swifts flew past with dizzying speed and barefoot men stood around chatting.

My little green backpack was feeling the pressure of trying to squeeze too much into it or maybe it was falling apart with age. But it was certainly coming apart at the seams. There was a tearing sound when I hefted it onto my back and one of the straps was left dangling, making it impossible to carry. A small tear in the front pocket was yawning into a big hole. I mentioned the problem to Annie, our lovely landlady and suddenly, there was no problem. She got a man on the street to mend it for little more than a euro and so far, so good. The culture of mending things is alive and well here, as are pawnshops. Every little village has one or two and we never saw an empty one.

It’s always hot in the Philippines – about 30C by day and 24C at night – but it has been quite cloudy with intermittent sun and cloud. We have had quite a bit of rain, which is quite welcome as it cools things a little bit. But those warm tropical evenings are gorgeous, when the cicadas are chirping and the smells of the flowers is intense.

Leaving the island of Siquijor was hard – the longer we stayed, the more we liked it but there was another seven thousands islands calling. Out next hop was to Bohol, a two hour ferry ride from Siquijor and again the ferry was full. We are staying in the south western area call Panglao, really another island but connected to Bohol by two bridges. For something completely different, we are staying in a resort with a pool and a large air-conditioned apartment for a week. Luxury indeed at €210  for the week.

Living it up and relaxing. Isn’t retirement great!!!!!!😍