Saturday, January 18, 2025

 Siquijor to Cebu, The Philippines 

I was awake at my usual 3:30!  I started watching the movie Emilia Perez last night and finished it this morning.  How very tragic.  I predict it will win the Oscar for best picture and Zoe will win best actress.  The trans woman was pretty good too.  I left the shithole hostel at 7 and was sitting in the ferry terminal with an hour to spare.  I was having a great time people watching and the lineup for “coffee” just kept getting longer and longer.  Finally we were called to board and at the gate I was told I needed a seat, hence the “coffee” lineup.  I was also told they wouldn’t leave without me but there were still 5 people in the line behind me so I knew I was ok.  No anxiety at all!  I’m enjoying that.


It was a 4.5 hour ferry ride-



with a stop in Bohol, another island.  The Ocean Jet ferry-



probably moves close to twice as fast as the MonteNegro I came over on from Dumaguete.  I felt like a sardine as the seats are quite cramped-

This cannot be comfortable-



Once we arrived I walked over to Pier 3 to check on boats to Tubigon.  I may as well have booked then but didn’t.  I have a hotel reservation for three nights here in Cebu but I think I will be ready to leave a day early because that will give me 3 nights on the island of Bohol.


It was smoking hot and I didn’t think my hotel was that far away but the distance wasn’t the problem.  It is Sinulog which is one of the largest cultural and religious festivals in the Philippines.  It attracts between 1 and 1.5 million people and I saw and  touched them all!  It is a festival honouring Señor Santo Niño or Baby Jesus-



To me it’s like the Philippines version of the Rio Carnival although it’s celebrated the third Sunday in January.  It’s why I’m here.  A worker at Sask Hospital told me about it.  I do have to say though that coming from quiet Siquijor to this is quite a shock and I much prefer that to this.

It took me forever to get to my hotel.  Roads were blocked and so were sidewalks and streets which were filled with people-






There are all kinds of souvenirs for sale from masks-


to Señor Santa Niño statues which people carry around like they’re babies-



Feather headpieces-


and t-shirts-




There are lots of food booths too.  Fish-


Lechon which is roast pig-


Intestines, liver and other mystery meat to be grilled-


They love their chicken-


Grapes-


and corn-


After a rest, I ventured out again and met some boys already in costume (I hope it’s their costumes), ready to dance tomorrow-



Random dancers in the street-


The crowds were better until I got close to the church.  In the streets are speakers everywhere broadcasting mass or playing music. They had a screen of the actual service-


(It’s 5 am as I write this and religious music is already playing in competition with the crowing roosters).  Once close to the church, I couldn’t move in the crowd.  They are used to that but it makes me a bit nervous.  I got away from there as soon as I could-





Tomorrow will be just as crazy as I have a ticket in the stadium for the parade which runs .  from 8 am to 8 pm.  I wonder how long I will last?  






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