P400/Day Motorbike Rental After getting my driver's license, I scouted around for a rental motorbike. The going daily rate was P400. I would hemorrhage money just on that. The weekly or monthly rental didn't offer a discount - that was a deal breaker. Renting a motorbike was no longer an option.
Buying a Motorbike? I looked at the option of buying. The cheapest Honda was a Wave 110 Alpha at P48,000 - that's not too bad for a brand-new Honda. The next model up was XRM at P72,000, but the Du Ek Sam dealership in Larena was offering a promo at P62,000. The gas consumption was optimum and maintenance costs were minimal. It was a green light for a purchase except for one thing - I didn't really have the money. But I wanted to have a motorbike...and I somehow obsessed with it - my clunky folding bike can only do so much and hiring a motorbike is somehow exhorbitantly expensive in Siquijor.
Honda Wave 110 Alpha
Bitcoin Spiked Up! The following day when I woke up, I checked my usual - messages, deadlines, things to do and the price of Bitcoin (I don't speculate on Bitcoin. Since I don't have a bank, I accept payment for online jobs in Bitcoin. And I didn't really have Bitcoin until Oct 2022 from a project). To my utter surprise, the little bitcoin I had spiked in price to a point where the additional increase in value equaled the cost of the Honda Wave! It felt like being given a free motorbike from thin air! I didn't do anything, I didn't do any kind of financial speculation, all I did was to wish for it, sleep and wake up with my motorbike served on a silver platter - should I decide to take it.
I knew instantly it was my benevolent universe parting the Red Sea to give me the motorbike I needed. I've experienced this manifestation too many times that I could not unsee the now-familiar telltale signature of a divine hand at play.
Hesitation I should have just converted the motorbike amount from Bitcoin to Peso and into GCASH, right there and then. But I hesitated.
My 'rational thinking' got in the way - too fast too soon, would I really want to stay in Siquijor, would I want the burden of ownership, I'm still a nomad, do I really want this added bulk as I travel, etc. I let the day pass by with me still on the fence.
The following day when I made up my mind to make the purchase, Bitcoin's price slid down and continued sliding down almost back to its pre-spike price. I was dismayed. I intentioned to buy the motorcycle immediately if the price spikes again, but the price continued sliding down. The moment was lost.
Ending Thoughts What just happened there? I desired something so bad, that my universe pulled rabbits out of a hat to manifest it. Instead of acting on it, I hesitated.
By hesitating, I actually doubted the divine process at play. I questioned it by intellectualizing. I've done the one thing I cautioned myself never to do - to get in the way of the process.
It's not only the acquisition of the motorbike - that was just the tip of the iceberg. The real gem was the opportunities and events that would unravel along the way with the acquisition of the motorbike. All that has been lost as well.
A few lessons learned here:
Commit yourself to what you wish for, because you'll get it - increasingly, I noticed that if I want something, all I have to do is desire it but still perform the due-diligence needed (the manifestation more often has nothing to do with my due-diligence, but I still have to do it anyway as my part of the 'deal'). With my yoga practice going more into Pranayama (instead of Asana) and pursuing Raja Yoga(yoga of the mind), I feel my increasing connection with reality at large and my increasing influence on it - meaning my consciousness influences how my reality unravels. This has been a recurring pattern since I left the corporate world. And patterns exist in nature - Fibonacci sequence, fractals, etc.
To those who haven't experienced this, my words will come across as 'woo-woo' talk. I perfectly understand that...it's only human nature.
When you see divinity at play, suspend critical thinking and just act on it - thinking encompasses what we know and what we experienced...which is perhaps .000001% of reality. But divine intervention encompasses all of reality...the 100%...things unseen and the things beyond our comprehension.
Critical thinking has its place. But in the face of divine intervention, it would seem like concluding that what we see with our eyes is all of reality, when what we see is only white light, a minuscule fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum, most of which we cannot see with our eyes - radio waves, ultraviolet waves, gamma rays, x-rays, microwave, etc.
When divinity gives the orders, you don't ask why? You just do it.
(Feb 26, 2023) I've only met Johnnie once, 13 years ago in his luxurious beachfront resort, The Danish Lagoon. What a character! Both remain memorable to me - Johnnie and The Danish Lagoon. Now that I'm back in Siquijor, it was time to pay him a visit...more »»
(Mar 15, 2023) Since that fateful day in Feb 18 when I hesitated and lost an opportunity to buy a motorbike, I have since monitored Bitcoin, vowing to act immediately when Bitcoin once again spike back to that level. And last night, it just did...in fact, much higher!..more »»
More on Lazi:
Lazi Local Info
Resorts - Lazi has some beach/dive resorts on its west coast - Gabayan Riviera, Lazi Beach Club, Bahura Dive Resort. However, the popular area for tourist resorts are in San Juan
Transport - Lazi is the junction where the jeeps begin their clockwise route (Lazi-San Juan-Siquijor Port) or the counter clockwise route (Lazi-Maria-Larena Port). Because the jeeps are rare with about 2 to 3 trips/day only in the morning, it's practical to just have a motorcycle here in Siquijor. With its affordability (a brand new Rusi motorbike is as low as P45k), people just buy motorcycles...especially those who live up in the mountains.
The Boulevard - Lazi's main draw is its seaside cobblestone promenade. When the sun goes down, people gather here for eats, drinks, open-air, harbor view and the sunset
Lazi Port - Lazi just recently opened up its port with Kho Shipping plying the Iligan, Tagbilaran and Cebu routes.
Lazi >> Iligan City by boat
Lazi to Iligan City route by Kho Shipping was just opened up in early April 2023. Before, going to Iligan City meant going to Siquijor Port, 30 km away. This also meant that on the way back, you have to be in Siquijor before 2pm to catch the last jeep to Lazi. With this direct route, there is no 'last trip' to catch.
Lazi Port - take Kho Shipping to Iligan City, Tu-Th-Sat, 6 hours, Lazi departure 5 am, arrival in Iligan City Port 11 am, economy P800, tourist P1100, tickets available at Lazi office 2pm-10pm M-Sat
Lazi >> Cagayan de Oro by boat
Lazi to Cagayan de Oro route by Kho Shipping was just opened up in early September 2023. Before, going to Davao meant going to Iligan first, then bus to CDO and then bus to Davao City. Now, Iligan can be completely bypassed saving about 3 hours on the trip.
Lazi Port - take Kho Shipping to Cagayan de Oro, Tu-F-Sun, 6 hours, Lazi departure 6 am, arrival in Cagayan de Oro Port 12 noon, economy P1,100.00, tourist P1,400.00, tickets available at Lazi office 2pm-10pm M-Sat
Lazi >> Dumaguete by boat
Lazi to Dumaguete route by Kho Shipping was just opened up in early September 2023. Before, going to Dumaguete meant going to Siquijor Port, 30 km away. This also meant that on the way back, you have to be in Siquijor before 2pm to catch the last jeep to Lazi. With this direct route, there is no 'last trip' to catch.
Lazi Port - take Kho Shipping to Dumaguete, M-Th-Sat, 3 hours, Lazi departure 1 am, arrival in Dumaguete Port 4 am, economy P300, tourist P500, tickets available at Lazi office 2pm-10pm M-Sat
Lazi >> CDO >> Davao City by boat/bus
Lazi to Cagayan de Oro route by Kho Shipping was just opened up in early September 2023. Before, going to Davao meant going to Iligan first, then bus to CDO and then bus to Davao City. Now, Iligan can be completely bypassed saving about 3 hours on the trip.
Lazi Port - take Kho Shipping to Cagayan de Oro, Tu-F-Sun, 6 hours, Lazi departure 6 am, arrival in Cagayan de Oro Port 12 noon, economy P1,100.00, tourist P1,400.00, tickets available at Lazi office 2pm-10pm M-Sat
Cagayan de Oro Port - arrival 12 noon. Take a jeep to East Terminal (Agora) to catch the Davao-bound bus
CDO East Terminal (Agora) - take bus going to Davao City, 8 hours, PHP 875. This terminal is open 24 hours and there is always a bus going to Davao - no need to pre-purchase tickets
Davao Bus Terminal - you'll arrive at the Davao Bus Terminal, close to SM City. From there you can take a cab ride to your hotel. There are many jeeps that will also take you to the Poblacion town center, 15 mins, PHP 12
Lazi >> Tagbilaran >> Cebu by boat
Lazi to Cebu entails a stopover at Tagbilaran - you only pay for one ticket (I've broken down the individual trips in case you're boarding from Tagbilaran). From the 5pm boat departure from Lazi, it would cost PHP 1000 (it's odd that it's cheaper to pay for the individual trips rather than paying for both...PHP 845 vs 1000) and take about 10 hours.
Lazi Port - take Kho Shipping to Tagbilaran, W-F-Sun, 4 hours, Lazi departure 1 am, arrival in Tagbilaran Port 5 am, economy P475, tourist P750, tickets available at Lazi office 2pm-10pm M-Sat
Tagbilaran Port - arrival 5 am, layover 1 hour, departure for Cebu 6am (5 hours), economy P370, tourist P520
Cebu Port - arrival 11 am
More on Siquijor Island:
Siquijor Island Local Info
Jeeps - there are only 2 routes for jeeps within Siquijor Island - and they are rare. Most people have their own motorcycle transport.
Siquijor Port to Lazi - last trip leaves at 3pm from station near market
Lazi to Siquijor Port - jeeps depart from the Lazi Port area. 5 jeeps, the last trip at 12:30 pm. Lazi to San Juan, P50.
Larena Port to Lazi - jeeps are unpredictable. As of this writing, there is only 1 jeep plying the Larena-Lazi route. This jeep leaves Larena for Lazi at 9:50am. After that, no more jeep. You'll have to take a tricycle to Siquijor Pob for jeeps going to Lazi
Lazi to Larena Port - 6am (daily) and 9 am (M-Th)
Food - these were suggested by a local to me
Lechon manok & liempo - roasted pork belly and chicken at Joel's in Siquijor Poblacion. I've tried this myself...yummy, even if the chicken was no longer hot
Bibingka - sweetened rice cake by Fidy's Bibingka (P30) in Sawang, Maria. I've come back for this and I buy for other people as well as 'pasalubong' - they love this
Siopao - at the Rosita store near Thrifty (P25) in Siquijor Poblacion
Peanut butter - by Rene. Just ask around in Siquijor Poblacion. It's popular
Torta - sweet cakish bread at the Thrifty story in Siquijor Poblacion
Siquijor Island Map Siquijor - Dumaguete Boat Trips(as of Jan 2023)
Montenegro Lines - at Siquijor Port, P234.00/pax, P169/bicycle, 7:30am/10:00am/2:00pm/4:30pm
Aleson Shipping - at Siquijor Port, 6 am and 6 pm daily, 1:30 pm M-Sat, Regular P200.00/pax, Aircon P250.00/pax
Siquijor - Tagbilaran - Cebu City Boat Trips(as of Jan 2023)
En route to Cebu City, the ferries usually make a stop-over to Tagbilaran (Bohol) to pick-up more passengers or unload.
Ocean Jet - 2 hours, 8:20am, at Siquijor Port
To Tagbilaran: P800/tourist & open air, P1200/business class
To Cebu: ?
Lite Ferries - at Larena Port,
To Tagbilaran: T-Th-Sun, P475/standard, 7pm, 3 hours, PHP?
To Cebu: T-Th-Sun, 7pm, 7 hours, PHP 650
Siquijor - Plaridel Boat Trips(as of Jan 2023)
Lite Ferries - at Larena Port, T-Th-Sun, 2:00 am, 5 hours, PHP?
Siquijor - Cebu (Liloan) - Cebu City BUS Trip(as of Jan 2023)
There is only one bus plying this route - Sugbo Urban. Tourist class coach, a/c, comfortable, Sun-Fri (these dates keep changing). P420 for bus, P275 for ferry to Liloan. Larena Port around 5 am, makes a clockwise roundtrip around Siquijor Island - Larena, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi (stops at Lazi market for breakfast and leaves 6:50 am), San Juan, Siquijor (arrives 8am, P50 from Lazi to Siquijor Poblacion) and catches the 1pm ferry at Larena Port (Sundays at 3 pm) for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) 10 pm.
Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because it goes around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena where it takes the ferry at 1 pm. This saves you the hassle and high transport cost of a tricycle. Besides, it's a long trip from the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.
Suggested Destinations After Siquijor Island
These are the nearest popular destinations from Siquijor by boat
Bohol - Bohol is an island northeast Siquijor. Tourist attractions are Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Monkey, Loboc River Cruise, Beaches of Panglao, whale sharks (recent offering), freediving (recent offering)
Cebu - Cebu City is the usual gateway into the Visayas. But in Cebu Island itself, there are many offerings - Whale Sharks of Oslob, sardine run at Moalboal,Thresher Shark of Malapascua
Dapitan (Zamboanga del Norte) - I haven't been there but a lot of island ferries ply this port. There must be something here.
Dumaguete - Dumaguete is a small charming progressive coastal town in Negros Oriental. Cafe and restaurants line the famous Boulevard Boardwalk. Tourist attractions include Japanese Shrine, Casaroro Falls, snorkeling along the southern coastline (Dauin, Masaplod Norte, etc), Balinsasayao Twin Lakes