Christmas in Siquijor

[Jimbo]

Hello to all,

From the hammock on the beach in late afternoon, I sit and swing, staring out to sea.  The mountains of Negros are on the far right, tall and pale.  To the left of Negros stands Apo Island, looking like a giant mouse with its nose to a mouse trap.  Straight ahead on the horizon is a ship, heading toward Zamboanga.  It looks like a ferry.  And on the far left is Mindanao, shrouded in clouds, visable yet hidden and strangely alluring.

Laying my head back I contemplate the almost-ripe looking coconuts overhead.  The breeze is gentle but I wonder if one of them would make a direct hit should it fall.  This is the biggest problem I have to deal with today, aside from the ants that have found their way onto my hammock.  The corporate world is distant and forgotten.  The sun is getting low in an angle that will put it right behind Apo Island when it closes out the day.  In an orange ball of fire and glory it will do this, I know, because it does this every day.  The Apo mouse will eclipse the sun and highlight itself as if to say a personal "Good Night" to Siquijor.

My thoughts are broken by a vision of beauty that appears before me.  It's my lovely long tall wife with a glass of mineral water on (mineral) ice.  I don't even have to move - she hands it to me on the upswing with a smile.  She is so good to me.  She lets me dive whenever I want.  In return I keep in mind that my only duty here is to keep that smile on her face.  She'll take a ride on the big banca to Apo with me when she likes.  We'll go to market together.  We'll rent the dirt bike for a day to tour the island and see waterfalls and things.

This near-perfect vacation has given me a serenity that I haven't known in eighteen months - since I last visited the RP.  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here yet, so today is all I have.  Having made a dive this morning I have taken the afternoon off, although I'll dive again tonight.  It will be my 24th and final dive (I think - we'll see what the wife says when we return to Dumaguete :O))..  Two weeks remain and we have no particular plan for those; we will figure that out as we go.

But all is not well on this Christmas at Coral Cay.  Three Dutchmen and two Filipino boatmen are missing.  One week ago on the mornng we checked in they set out for Apo Island to snorkle and never arrived.  They were on a small banca with a five man capacity.  It was not a trip arranged by Coral Cay - it was a private deal between the Dutchmen and the Filipinos next door.  Originally only four men were to go but a third man, a friend of the Dutchmen, asked to go along at the last minute.  In the lee of Siquijor the sea is as flat as a pond but the crossing to Apo is very rough.  The Filipino boatmen were experienced and they knew this but they tell me that perhaps they were too polite to refuse the fifth passenger.  Nothing has been found of them - not a boat or some gear or a body.

The Filipinos gather in great numbers when a father returns from Apo after looking for them.  There is no news.  The Philippine Navy has a boat off shore and they signal us to come along side when I'm out on a diving run.  They ask us questions and we tell what we know.  I fear that they started the search too late - they didn't get out there until the third day the men were missing.  I don't know why; Dumaguete, Apo, Coco Grove Resort, and the baranguy captain were all notified within 24 hours.

Our cottage is on the end, next to the fishing hut of the family of the missing Filipino men.  For the last three nights I can see the lone candle burning in front with a woman sitting by looking out to sea, waiting for the return of her man.  Sally gives food and money to the children playing on the beach, knowing that some of them are relatives of the men.  I can hardly bare to look at that candle.

It's nearly dark.  I need to prepare to dive.  Looking up again I see the coconuts and think that, at this time, at this place, it wouldn't be such a bad way to go.  We are all just tenents on this earth and should my time come now I wouldn't complain.  I am grateful for the time I've had.  This morning I did a personal record of 60 meters and it scared me, but I'm happy to have had the experience.  It's a guy thing I guess :O)  Tonight I'm hopeful to finally spot an octopus.  On four previous night dives I haven't seen one although I probably passed by 30 of them.  They're so hard to spot.

What day is it?  Why, it's Christmas Day!

Malipayong Pasko to all and to all a good night.

Jim and Sally

[Jimbo]

... in response to Christmas in Siquijor, posted by Jimbo on Dec 26, 2002

On the final night dive on Siquijor I saw one!  He was mostly asleep (it was early, 6:30).  He sat on a small coral head, hardly moving, and we could stroke him; he was so, so soft.  After awhile he slid off down to the sand, changed color, and slithered under the coral through a tiny crack.

Then later, on a night dive off Sibulan house reef (near Cebu) I saw another one.  He was red, also asleep, and never changed color.  But he moved around a bit as we gently caressed him.  It was fantastic!

Jim

[Humabdos]

... in response to Finally encountered the elusive octopus!, posted by Jimbo on Dec 29, 2002

Blue ribbon eels? I counted six one day about a mile up the beach to the right of the Coral Cay.

Humabdos & Sallie

[Jimbo]

... in response to Did you see any, posted by Humabdos on Dec 30, 2002

Tons of moray eels though.  At Masaplod Marine Sanctuary in Dauin I saw my biggest turtle - over 5 feet long, he was huge!  Also saw 2 big barracudas, over 4 feet long.  One of these was just hovering with me, parallel to me, off about 7 meters.  I faced him and started forward slowly.  He slowly turned toward me and then inched forward, real slow.  I turned and got out of there :O)

Other things:  a blue spotted stingray; 3 real big cuttlefish, 2 foot plus; a big school of barracuda, 20 inches or so; striped sea snakes; big groupers; big trigger fish; and 2 big Napoleon fish, maybe almost 4 feet long.  There was a nice big banca wreck in Dauin too with about 40 lion fish in it.  I can't remember all the stuff unless I look in my log book.

Jim

[DanAndChed]

... in response to Christmas in Siquijor, posted by Jimbo on Dec 26, 2002

Sounds nice.  However, my wife who is from Negros, says there are too many witches.  So I guess we'll never get to go.  Did you see any?

Dan and Mares

[Jimbo]

... in response to What about the Witches of Siquijor, posted by DanAndChed on Dec 28, 2002

Hello Dan and Mares,

Hapy New Year!

Nope, I did not see any witches in Siquijor but I have met one sorcerer in Coral cay she's from Toledo, Cebu.  She told me that she knows everything any kind of sorcerer.   Hmm..That's pretty scary. )

I have asked one of the of residence in Siquijor about the witches and he just laughed at me.  He said that was long time ago the Siquijor Island was well known of witches, but now just a legend.  Siquijor was part of Negros before and they became free from Negros in 1972.

Actually my plan was I wanted to bring my family in Siquijor but they refused because they were afraid of the  witches! )  At least they join us in El Dorado beach resort, Dauin (near Dumaguete) for a week.

Sally

[Stephen]

... in response to Re: Witches of Siquijor............ Sall..., posted by Jimbo on Dec 29, 2002

Hi Sally,

Nice to know you had great time. Nakakainggit ka naman.
By the way, thanks for the Christmas card. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Tess & Stephen

[Jimbo]

... in response to Christmas in Siquijor, posted by Jimbo on Dec 26, 2002

It's been ten days.  People are saying that the boat, at least, should have washed ashore somewhere down around Dipolog by now.  A similar trip was made in '98 where two men ended up down there in a swamped boat, alive.

They could have been kidnapped but I think the probability of that is low since nobody is asking for ransom.  My guess is that the boat is going farther out and will be found in Sulu or even Sabah.  It's a real mystery right now.

Jim

[Ray]

... in response to Still no news on the five missing on the..., posted by Jimbo on Dec 27, 2002

Jimbo,

I was just reading this news story in the Sun Star on the missing Norwegians. You'd expect that someone would have seen them by now. The story said that the boat probably capsized in strong winds & currents. Have you ever heard of a pumpboat capsizing? I don’t think so!

Wishing I were there with you…

Ray (Honest Abe)

-----
Saturday, December 28, 2002
Search still on for 3 missing tourists
By Neil C. Rio

DUMAGUETE -- Search and rescue operations were continuing until Monday for three Norwegian tourists and their two Filipino guides who disappeared on their way to Apo Island from Siquijor aboard a motorized pumpboat since December 18.

Councilman Damian Baguio of Barangay Salongon in the municipality of San Juan in Siquijor confirmed this Saturday as rescuers continued to scour the seas for any of the survivor.

As of Monday, no word has been received on the fate of the five travelers whose boat was believed to have capsized because of strong sea current and strong winds past noon.

A faxed message from the police in Siquijor identified the missing persons as Marcel Wilderom, Yajoo Wilderom, Nicklass Bisschop and their guides Alejandro Manengo, who owns the chartered craft, and Leoncio Capistrano.

The group left the island province on board a hired private pump boat named Santo Niño at 11:30 past noon on December 18.

Baguio said the five travelers did not reach Apo Island and that their boat might have capsized because of that day's strong wind and heavy sea current.

The three foreigners stayed at the Coral Cay Beach Resort. The Wilderoms checked in on December 16 while Bisschop had been on the resort since December 12.

The San Juan police are now coordinating with the managements of the beach resort, Coco Groove Beach Resort, and its sister company in Apo Island for search and rescue operations along with the Philippine Coast Guard.

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re: Still no news on the five missing on..., posted by Ray on Dec 28, 2002

Five years ago I left Siquijor on a dive trip to Apo with Splash dive shop which is next to Coco Grove Beach resort. about a 1/4 mile from Apo our boat came very very close to fliping in large waves. I put on my fins, mask and snorklel ready to swim! but some how we made it. It scared the he!! out of me!!!  This was a large a very sea worthy boat. It can and does happend.

Humabdos

[Zebson]

... in response to pumpboat capsizing? , posted by Humabdos on Dec 28, 2002

Back in 1989, I took a pumpboat over to Apo for a day trip of snorkeling out of Zamboanguita and on the way back we also encountered large waves that would break over the top of the boat. I was sitting in the front area and everything, and I mean everything on this boat was at times it seems submerged in white water. I was concerned for my life also. But we made it completely soaked to shore and everyone had taken turns bailing water out too. So I know that if the waves were big enough and hit hard enough it could put one under or break it up, but parts of it would still float even after repeated waves, so not having the wreckage not come up is indeed unsual.

[Ray]

... in response to pumpboat capsizing? , posted by Humabdos on Dec 28, 2002

That's scary. I guess under the right conditions a pumpboat could flip over end-to-end, but I was thinking of capsizing in the traditional sense, as in a canoe rolling over, which couldn't happen in a pumpboat with outriggers.

I've been in some hairy weather before in smaller pumpboats and they can swamp fairly easily. If the engine dies, those things could drift for a long time and who knows where they might turn up. I see that they still haven’t found the missing boat from Coral Cay yet. I think the mangkukulams got ‘em… :-)

Ray

[Jimbo]

... in response to Re:  pumpboat capsizing? , posted by Ray on Dec 29, 2002

Yesterday there was a story in a Dumaguete newspaper saying that the boat was 12 feet long with a 3 man capacity (instead of the previously reported 5 man capacity).  Either way I guess that boat could swamp in typical Apo seas in December.

Dave from Coral Cay is not happy about it.  If he had known they were going out like that he wouldn't have allowed it.

Jim

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re:  pumpboat capsizing? , posted by Jimbo on Dec 29, 2002

n/t

[Dave H]

... in response to Christmas in Siquijor, posted by Jimbo on Dec 26, 2002

Hi Jim,

It's great to hear that you and Sally are having a good time. 60 meters...what did you drop??? ;o))) This is what things were like around my house on Noche Buena. My wife was working and my sons were out of town.

"How I spent Noche Buena."

From the hammock in the back yard in late afternoon, I sit and swing, smelling the pigs roast off in the distance. I sip egg nog and look up at my palm trees swaying in the breeze. I close my eyes and think this must be paradise. I should have known better...music suddenly blasts from the outdoor speakers at a nearby house. I know that this means war! Colombians, Cubans, and Peruvians to the East...Puerto Ricans, Argentineans and Ecuadorians to the West. Not to be outdone, one by one the other nationalities follow suit.  The music of their fellow countryman blasting for all to hear. The resulting turbulent swirl of chaotic noise sounded worse than pigs being slaughtered.  Giving up, I quietly went inside, closed the door and watched "The Grinch" on TV. I can really relate to that guy! ~ On Christmas Day all was quiet. My neighbors' guests had gone home and they sleeping off well deserved hangovers. The temperature was in the 50's. It reminded me of my youth and Chrismas in Michigan. I turned on the stereo and blasted Nugent, Seger, and Grand Funk to keep me in the mood. )))

Dave H.