Day 5 - 1 February (Long Read)
It was drizzling a bit when we made our way to Sunset Restaurant where
we decided to have breakfast. The ocean looked angry and it definitely looked
like there was a typhoon hitting the island. So we thought it’s very possible
that we might have to stay overnight again at the resort. At this point we were
very happy to be stranded there. We didn’t want to worry about our expneses
piling up as long as we’re enjoying. Better to be stranded in that beautiful
island than in Dumaguete where we have to stay inside our hotel room and do
nothing. At least in Siquijor, we can do nothing in front of the ocean.
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| Dark skies and big waves |
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| It was super windy and cold we had to wear our sweaters |
After breakfast, we explored the cove near the restaurant which is the
other side of the beach.
And then we swam at the Olympic Size pool again. We passed by the front
desk on the way to the pool and they told us that there’s still no advise from
the coast guard regarding the ferries. There might be an advise by lunch time.
It was almost lunch time when we stopped swimming. And so I asked a
resort staff if they could check if the coast guard has already given its
clearance for the ferry but we were advised that no ferries yet. We were all
still full from breakfast so we decided to hang around in the hammocks by the
beach. It was here where a resort staff approached us that we can now leave the
island.
We hurriedly bathed, dressed up and packed our things. We didn’t even
have time to have lunch because the jeep going to the port was to leave around
1pm. We will just have enough time in Dumaguete to make it to our 4:45pm flight
to Manila. The resort’s ariconditioned jeep took us to a different port (From
the one we arrived at in Siquijor). I was a bit worried on the type of boat we
will ride because when we arrived there was a small motor boat that can
probably fit around 10-12 people. There were more people than that inside the
jeep plus all our luggages so we definitely won’t fit. I was worried they might
do it in batches and we won’t arrive in Dumaguete in time. Good thing there was
a bigger boat – the one that the resort uses for their tour to Apo Island.
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| I got this photo from the resort's website |
Apparently, the smaller motor boat will be used to transfer us from the
port to the boat. And the port looks like a slab of cement road sticking out
into the ocean. And they didn’t have those wooden kind of like ladder that you
can walk on from the port to the boat. We had to go down from the port a few
inches there’s a very small step about half a foot and then you jump to the
small boat. I was scared out of my shit. I was so worried about Miya, she was
asleep then while Joema was carrying her. When I got down to that half a foot
slab of cement, I kept telling the manongs who helped us to take care of my
baby while going down. I think Joema carried Miya all thoughout but the manongs
were on guard.
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| This was at the port while waiting for the small boat to get us |
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| Scared pero nagpapicture pa |
To transfer from the small boat to the bigger boat was again an
adventure. They didn’t even tie a rope to tie the two boats together. The
manongs were just holding the railing of the bigger boat while they’re on the
small boat. Some manongs on the bigger boat were hodling the railing of the
smaller boat. My gosh!
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| Finally on board the boat that took us to Dumaguete |
The resort’s customer service was top notch. They had
cold water for us when we arrived at the big boat. And then they told us that
vans will be waiting for us at the Dumaguete port to take us to the airport
while some will be taken to their sister hotel in Dumaguete. Another couple was
dropped off in our Dumaguete hotel – Hotel Essencia - even. I think one of the passengers of the boat,
who I earlier thought was just a guest like us, is the owner or manager of the
resort because when we got to Dumaguete he helped with the luggages and
everyone was calling him sir. The boat ride was uneventful aside from the old
foreigner who got his finger cut when the door of the boat hit his hand. Good
thing one of the guests who was with his family had a complete first aid kid
and the old man’s wife was a nurse so she was able to apply first aid to his
cut. But she mentioned they need to go to the hospital to have it stitched. Ouchie!
We finally got to Dumaguete Port maybe around 3:00. The resort’s van
took us to the airport. We were dropped off together with a French couple. When
we tried to check-in and showed the Cebu Pacific ground crew our certificate
from the coast guard, they told us that all flights to Manila were fully booked
and the next flight was Tuesday, 4 February. Patay! And on the way there Joema
was asking me what our worst case scenario was, I told him that CebuPac will
charge us with expensive booking charges. He told me what if there were no more
flights, I told him that’s not possible. Well, how wrong was I! I asked the
ground crew that we need to leave for Manila that day (We both had work on
Monday). She told us we can go via Cebu. I said okay and asked for the flight
times. I said the 9pm flight is okay with us, but she said that we might not
have enough time. The ferry ride going to Cebu is only 30minutes but we needed
to take a bus around 6 hour long to get to the airport. I’m like what?!?!? I
remembered that the Cebu pier is in Cebu City which is only a few minutes from
Mactan airport. We went there the last time we went to Cebu and took a ferry to
Bohol. It turned out this pier near Dumaguete is in Oslob, Cebu! Ohmygosh! I
asked regarding the buses, she mentioned that there are buses waiting at the
port to bring passengers to the airport. We told her we’ll get the 12:30am
flight instead. Around this time the French couple were also with us talking to
the ground crew. They were more adamant in leaving for Manila because their
flight to France was the next morning! After we picked our flight time, the
ground crew rebooked our flight and gave us our new tickets – free of charge.
Hallelujah! The French couple on the other hand didn’t have the certificate from the coast guard. The husband
had to go to the pier to get one. Okay there are two piers in Dumaguete, one is
Dumaguete port the other one is Sibulan port. The husband first went to Sibulan
port but didn’t get one there. Maybe because Siquijor is via Dumaguete port, so
the husband had to go to Dumaguete port to get one.
By this time, we left the French woman on her own to wait for her
husband. We were trying if we could reach Sibulan port by 4:00pm because based
on the flyers that the French woman had, the ferry times were 4:00 and 6pm.
Well, it turned out that the ferries leave the port every 30minutes. We got
there before 4pm but we bought the tickets for 4:30pm boat because that was the
bigger motor boat. Joema didn’t want us to ride the pumpboat. We had time to
relax a bit and eat lunch at a roadside carinderia. We were famished! I ordered
two orders of fried chicken and three rice. Miya was so hungry, she ate one
full cup of rice. I ordered that extra rice for me hahaha! And then we bought
donuts and those mini-donuts from Mister Donut. She finished one donut and two
mini-donuts even before we set foot on the ferry. On the ferry she ate another
donut.
When we got to Cebu, there was the bus! Apparently, every time a ferry
arrives a new bus is there to take the passengers. But when we got on the bus,
the passengers kept on asking me about my seat number. I’m like what?!?!? I
don’t have a seat number. It turned out, when we got our ferry tickets, we
should have been issued a seat number for the bus ride which is written at the
back of the ticket. Oh my! WE had to change seats three times because people
kept telling us to vacate their seats. I had to go down twice to ask the
conductor if we need to pay for our seats and ask about the seat number. He
told me there might be extra seats. Might be?!?! What if there were no extra
seats? How will we go home??? Well, for our last seat transfer I chose the last
seats at the back before the 6seats. Thankfully, no one bothered us anymore.
When the conductor started handing out tickets, we asked him how long the ride
is going to the airport. He told us around 3 hours but we still need to ride a
taxi from the bus terminal going to the airport. He said it might take another
1 hour for the taxi ride. It was like Amazing Race, I tell ya!
I slept so deeply during the bus ride, Joema had to take Miya from me
because she might fell off my lap. I didn’t care if my mouth was hanging open
because I was so exhausted! Thankfully, when we got to the bus terminal there
was a line for taxis. We experienced haggling with taxi drivers in Cebu before
so even before we got in I told the driver we need to use his meter. Though, he
still requested for an additional P50 but that was okay. I agreed after he told
me that the ride will only take around 15minutes. Our taxi ride was only around
P200++ anyway. I think the bus terminal is already in Cebu City, we passed by
the port I thought we will land on, SM Ayala, the bridge connecting Cebu City
to Mactan and then we were finally at the airport.
Thank God Cebu’s airport is very clean and very efficient. We checked in
using the CebuPac kiosks inside the terminal. It was very easy to use, we just
chose our seats and then it printed out our boarding passes. And then I lined
up to have our luggage checked in. All the while, Miya and her Dad finished off
the remaining donuts we bought. Joema bought me a cup noodle before we
proceeded to the gate. When we entered the boarding area, there was a Zubochon
lechon! Hurrah! We ate a decent meal there and got to buy a kilo of lechon for
take home to Manila. That was our light at the end of the tunnel! We met up
with the French at the boarding gate and they asked us why they didn’t see us
at the ferry going to Cebu. I told them we stopped to eat and there we were
eating again while talking to them hahaha! And I saw them eating just cup
noodles too at the aiport. Oh well!
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| Selfie at Mactan Airport while waiting for Daddy to buy cup noodles |
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| The light at the end of the tunnel - Cebu lechon! I posted this on my IG. After I took the photo, Joema irritatingly asked, "Pwede na ba kumain?" Ahahaha! |
Since Miya got to sleep at the bus ride, she was wide
awake at the airport. Joema was able to sleep while waiting for boarding while
cranky-sleepy-me had to take care of Miya. It’s hard to be a parent to a three
year old hahaha! We finally got home in the wee hours of the morning of 2
February. This trip was definitely one for the books!
