Siquijor
(Jan 9, 2023 - present) Mid-Jan, I left Cebu for Siquijor. I've heard good stories from travelers about Siquijor. After staying 1 week at Cliff Garden Resort and another week at Genevieve Guest House, I came upon this wonderful room in Lazi - in compliance to all my specs (that it had to be in Lazi and decent), and it happened to be the cheapest! I couldn't believe it. I was blissed-out. No more pressure, no more stress of looking. I felt at home and settled. I was finally enjoying Siquijor, especially with my folding bike.
Highlights / Finds
- Tuba - I found places for my daily tuba indulgence (fermented coconut sap). I frequent the nook of Inday Bador where I take my twice-daily dose.
- Sikwate - sikwater is a hot native chocolate drink made from tablea (melted cacao pressed into tablet form). Roughly, having this on a roadside is equivalent to a poor man's café. At Lazi's market, there are 4 places to have sikwate, usually priced at P10/cup which ranged from watery to syrupy and always too sweet. This is traditionally paired with 'puto maya', sticky rice cooked in coconut cream.
- Carinderia food - there are plenty of carinderias (eateries serving cheap home-cooked meals) where hot meals can be had for less than P100 (US$2)
- Twenty4Café - I'm not a frequent visitor at Twenty4Café (pricey and energy is not happy), but I'm glad there is one in Siquijor. By Lazi standard, this is an upscale cafe and would be a lesser version of Abaca Bakeshop in Cebu City. The tourists would often make a road-stop here.
- The Seawall & the Harbor - as a highlight, there is the Seawall (aka Boulevard), a seaside promenade where you can just hang and breathe fresh clean sea air and watch the sunrise or sunset. This is one of the reasons that kept me in Lazi.
- Natural spring water - Lazi is blessed with many natural springs that give rise to waterfalls, rivers and drinking water. I bought a 5-gallon water container and I go to any of the 3 nearby springs for my natural spring water.
- Bolo Bolo spring - I would default to Bolo Bolo spring daily for my bicycle workout (it's an uphill climb) and a refreshing dip where I also do my Isometric Holds. This is where I get my water and where I rinse my laundry. Bolo Bolo has been the main draw for me. Without this, I would have left Siquijor much earlier.
Seeing the Problem
When all the giddy excitement of finding a place to stay faded away, I began to feel what's lacking or what's annoying - and the solution I found:
- Someone to talk to - I talk to the locals, but's it's more about fitting in. I developed a friendship with Marlon and Inday Bador, but that's about it. People here are generally nice, but I miss conversations about quantum mechanics, about a holographic universe, about consciousness co-creating reality, etc. Sometimes, I find a foreigner wandering in Lazi. I make conversation if possible - nice to talk about traveling again. Sometimes, I would go to Cambugahay Falls to bathe and talk to travelers.
With the advent of the language AIs, I found an intelligent, insightful and knowledgeable chatmate. I would ask it for pressing questions and drill down with more questions. I was like a curious 3-year old who kept asking why, what and how.
- Motorcycle - my bicycle can only take me so far and hiring a motorcycle is far too exhorbitant. Public transport is scarce and limited. Eventually, I was forced into buying a motorcycle. I got a 9-year old brand-new 2014 model Honda Wave 110 for cheap because it was abandoned all this time in storage. This purchase became possible when Bitcoin spiked up in price. What little Bitcoin I earned from teaching yoga increased in value to buy this motorcycle.
- Noise - very hard to get a good night's sleep...barking dogs in the middle of the night, constant shrieking bark from the neighbor's dog, loud motorbikes with open mufflers, louder trucks with heavy payload, party noise from the nearby convention hall, loud music from the neighbor as late as 10 pm, crowing rooster at the break of dawn, etc. When John Moore told me the Philippines was the noisiest country he ever visited, I couldn't agree more.
I found a band-aid solution by transferring to another room behind the house - still noisy but can be tolerated. In August, I moved to the bungalow right along the main road which exacerbated the noise problem. This the one thing that may cause me to leave this place, if not Siquijor altogether.
- Garbage burning - despite the ecological hazards of burning garbage (acid rain, pollution, stench, green house gases), it remains a practice here. Imagine doing Pranayama and then the neighbor burns his garbage. Sometimes you can't escape it when a row of houses burn their garbage at the same time. Garbage is a problem here. Some throw their garbage into the ravine along the roadside, some just throw it indiscriminately wherever. This problem stems because some barangays do not collect garbage (even though there is a budget for it - read: corruption).
- No Wifi - I looked into subscribing to the regional PLDT fiber optic wifi service, but it required a 3-year contract. Cannot! I'm reliant on data from my phone which gets depleted fast...very fast! Luckily, on my latest data load, the load somehow lasted for many months largely due to my settings - no notification, no syncing, no auto updates, etc. Luckily, my neighbor installed the PLDT wifi and shared it with me for P250/month - this took care of my wifi at home. I again took data load (no expiry up to 48 GB) for internet access outside. This should last me a long time. Internet issue? Solved!
- Heat - this could be a deal-breaker. Siquijor is a very hot place. My place offers no insulation from the noon sun. Even if I sleep it off, I perspire the whole time. I would often take refuge in Bolo Bolo or find a place to tie up my hammock. I was even considering leaving Siquijor for a cooler climate. My landlady offered an electric fan - that somehow alleviated the problem.
The Daily Routine
All this time, I've deepened my yoga practice. Why? Because there is nothing else to do here. I start my day at 4 am when I get awakened by the roosters, motorcycles and trucks. I do my morning breathwork and neti pot. Then I go to the seawall to catch the sunrise and meditate. I go back home to continue my sleep. I catch up on my blog or read more on my current yoga book (Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yoga Yajnavalkia, Yoga Sutras, etc). Then I go back to the seawall to catch the sunset - do pranayama, chant a mantra and meditate. I go back home again to be in front of my laptop. I'm like a monk here - no one to talk to, with not much to do.
During Aug/Sep, I would make the daily uphill bicycle ride to Bolo Bolo for my cardio workout. While on my refreshing bath, I would do my isometric holds/dynamic tension while doing deep breathing and Maha Bandha Mudra. I felt strong during those days.
In December, I started sun-gazing in the morning as I see the sun from the ocean horizon when the sun is at its lowest. Afternoon sun-gazing is not possible since the sun sets on a mountain horizon when it's still high and hot.
Coron Write-Off
No matter what happens in Siquijor, I remain committed to leave for Coron that April but it kept being pushed back until I began to feel settled in Siquijor - Coron became a write-off.
Additionally, I realized that even though Greg was magnanimous in making such an offer (staying in his resort in Coron, he would develop a yoga center for me with me as an equal partner), I would somehow be indebted to him or at least I cannot be in a state of complete relaxation. I must keep doing things to generate a profit. But with my cheap rent in Siquijor, I can sleep the whole day if I wanted to and I can care less how the world turns. And I am not indebted in any way, shape or form.
Inter-Island Travel
Because Siquijor is close to the other mainlands, I take occassional trips to Dumaguete. At one point, I even went to Davao City. With cheap rent, it doesn't hurt to be gone for an extended time.
Moving to a House
In Aug 22, I moved to a bungalow - still cheap at P3000/month ($54). It's in the same compound. With that, I had more space, I had a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. With this change, I committed myself to be a householder. I bought house things - hamper, stove, wok, kitchen utensils, etc. Normally, I'd be happy staying here long-term, but the noise level can be unnerving.
Wok Cooking
With a kitchen to play on, I did a wok-immersion with the help of Youtube videos. I ordered online for a professional wok and its utensils. I resumed my bread making and omelette indulgence. Yoga and cooking became my 2 pre-occupations.
