Siquijor Island

We were picked up by a taxi and taken to the port at 6:00 am. Since we hadn't bought a ticket in advance, we had to be at the counter as early as possible. We successfully obtained a ticket. The ferry departed towards Jagna, the neighboring island of Bohol, at 8:00 am on time. The journey lasted about four hours. Towards the end of the trip, several dolphins accompanied our ship. A beautiful sight.

Upon arrival in Jagna, we boarded a local bus to Tagbilaran. We paid 64 pesos (approximately 1 Swiss franc) per person for the 1.5-hour bus ride. The bus made buzzing and coughing noises - it probably won't be in service much longer. In Tagbilaran, we switched to another local bus at the bus terminal, which took us to Panglao. This trip was also very cheap (32 pesos per person). For the last stretch, we took a scooter taxi. The elderly gentleman safely brought us to our accommodation, Coco Farm. We will be staying here for two nights.

We relaxed at the nearby White Beach with local tourists. The atmosphere was lively and relaxed. The children especially enjoyed their school holidays to the fullest and happily splashed in the water. On the first evening, there was a big BBQ at Coco Farm, attended by about 50 people. We met travelers from Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Taiwan, and the USA. An exciting mix.

We traveled further to Siquijor by ferry, this time being able to book the ticket online. The crossing only took about 1.5 hours. Siquijor is slightly larger than Camiguin. The island is avoided by local tourists because they believe that witches live there. Upon arrival at the port, we decided to take a shared taxi to the accommodation with other tourists. The small delivery van was an old clunker. The eleven passengers barely fit. The driver stored the luggage on the roof. After what felt like an eternity, we finally started driving. The ride didn't even last a minute when we had to all get off again to push the car up the hill. An elderly woman, who seemed confused in the head, gestured wildly with her arms. Apparently, she was trying to tell us something, but no one understood her. It turned out later that she was trying to tell us that the car had no working brakes and we should all get off immediately, as otherwise we would die. Mathias, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, observed during the first descent that the driver fully pressed the brake pedal, but the car hardly reacted. We, sitting in the back, didn't know anything about it (fortunately). If a child had run onto the road or a car had suddenly turned the corner, our vehicle would have crashed unbraked. Fortunately, nothing like that happened and we reached our destination, Casa James, unharmed. We had a whole house with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen for ourselves for ten Swiss francs per person per night. Here we spent our last days in the Philippines.

On Siquijor, we went on various excursions. We visited several waterfalls and beaches and explored the underwater world. At one of the waterfalls, Mathias and Markus were able to jump from cliffs about ten meters high. Siquijor is a beautiful island with a lot to offer. One highlight is the healthy coral reefs. The three booked dives were beautiful. We were able to observe many different fish and even several turtles.

Unfortunately, this is the end of the travel time together with Markus and Iris. The journey continues for the two of us to Vietnam!