Siquijor Island is known as the magical and mystical island
of the Philippines. Ask any Filipino not living in Siquijor and they will tell
you the island is home to witchcraft and warn you not to go. But hearing about all
the superstitions surrounding the island of Siquijor only make it more enticing
to visit. So when Stacey proposed an impromptu trip to the island to meet up
with some other volunteer friends, it didn’t take me long to request for a
couple of vacation days and pack my bags!
The trip came at a perfect time. I was just finishing up the
Bantay Dagat (local coastguard) training that Rob and I coordinated on. We had
great attendance from our two municipalities and were able to make it an
overnight training, which not only ensured attendance for the second day, but
also gave an opportunity for community bonding and sharing of experiences as
the participants talked about starting a new reserve in their respective
villages. Coordinating with the different agencies involved in the training
gave us a rough planning start, but everything came together in the end (as it
always does) and the fisherfolk and police men participants seemed to really
enjoy the training and get a lot out of it.
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| working with the Jordan participants |
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| The newly trained Bantay Dagat fish wardens for the new marine reserves in Jordan and Buenavista |
After the training I immediately prepared for the trip
starting that following weekend. Since its rainy season the Philippines has
been battling many storms and at the time there was a typhoon to the northeast
and a monsoon coming from the southwest. I was hoping that since Siquijor is a
small island (even smaller than Guimaras) located in the central islands that
it would be protected from most of the stormy weather.
And it was J
It was a long trip involving an hour ferry boat, a 5 hour
bus ride and another hour ferry boat but we finally made it to Siquijor! As usual
we had heard of where to stay from previous volunteers. (The wealth of travel
knowledge of PCVs should never be underestimated!) The place is called JJ’s and
is located in San Juan, Siquijor. They are known for their beachside café but have
recently expanded to have two small dorm rooms to rent. However we were there
for camping! JJ’s had very recently added the option to sleep in tents on the
beach for a very low price. They set up a huge 6 person tent and provided foam
pads and other beddings to make out stay comfortable. The beach scene was
beautiful!
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| the beach at JJ's |
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| the tents we stayed in - we had to put the tents under cover for nightly rains |
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| Kris relaxing in our huge tent |
The best thing to do in Siquijor is to explore the island
(which, since it’s so small, can be done in a day or less) and to find some
native healers! Since locals are the best source of information we talked to
the owner of JJ’s to find out where we should go to find a natural healer. She
told us where we could find a bulo-bulo healer. On our way to see the bulo-bulo
we ran across a small stand selling natural remedies. We couldn’t help but to
check it out! She was selling many different mixtures of herbs and tree barks
that were mixed with coconut oil. Some of the other volunteers bought an honest
to god “love potion”… only time will tell if it’s effective!
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| the local remedy stand we ran across |
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| love potion! |
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| all of the herbal remedies being sold at this local stand |
I wanted to bring back some gifts for my co-workers since
none of them had been to Siquijor (they are too scared to go!) The woman was
also selling panagang or defense bracelets. Inside each bracelet is herbs and
coconut oil, said to ward off evil spirits. If you are wearing a bracelet and
come into contact with a witch or aswang (Filipino version of vampire) the
bracelet is said to burst, spraying the evil one with the herbs and oil and
casting them away.
So I bought 20.
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| herbal bracelets |
My co-workers LOVE them! I had no idea that this was
something common place, but many people put these bracelets on young children
to protect them from harm. And the fact that the bracelets I brought were from
Siquijor I guess made them that much more powerful! I was so happy to see my 10
peso gift bring so much happiness and wished I had bought more!
After we bought our herbal remedies, we headed off again in
the direction of the bulo-bulo healer. Bulo-bulo is a native healing method,
where the healer uses a small glass, a black stone and a bamboo straw. When we
finally found the healer she was just as you might expect her to be! We learned
she is 87 years old and one of few people left practicing the old healing
method.
First you have to tell her where your problem is. I told her
my back (true story). So I sat down and she began by blessing me with a coconut
oil mixture and praying in a dialect I don’t understand. Then she poured water
into the glass with the black stone. Using the bamboo straw, she blew bubbles
into the glass as she rubbed the glass along my back. After a short time, the
water became discolored and had floating particles in it. She examined the
glass and expelled the dark water. After refilling the glass with clean water,
she repeated the process. The second time also resulted in dark water. But the
third time the water remained clear. Dun Dun DUN! I was healed!
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| the bulo-bulo healing mu back |
Sooo my back still hurts.... but many of the locals really
believe in what the bulo-bulo healer does and will go to see her if modern
medicine fails them or if they can’t afford to be seen by a doctor. In fact
after we were “healed” by the bulo-bulo, there was a mother with her small
child waiting to be seen after us. The Bulo-bulo doesn’t charge but only
accepts donations. Even though she didn’t cure my back, we all made sure to
give appropriate donations J
Siquijor is really a magical island. We had an amazing time
there talking with the locals, experiencing the culture, exploring the island
and finding beautiful and remote beaches. Siquijor is not a main tourist stop;
there are no big attractions aside from some diving, snorkeling and the
superstitions surrounding the culture. But this means the island still has its
charm without being overdeveloped. Mainly other backpackers visit there,
wanting only to enjoy its natural beauty. One of the things I love most about
the Philippines is that you can think you know its people and culture, but only
travel to the next island over and you will be surprised again! The diversity
of the Philippines is more than just the marine life. The people and culture
are amazing and I will sorely miss it when I am gone.
Less than 4 months left! Where did the time go?
