An Early Start That Went Nowhere
Convinced we had just enjoyed our perfect final day on Siquijor, we arranged an early tricycle pickup for our 8:20 a.m. ferry to Bohol.
For breakfast our driver recommended a carinderia right next to the port, so while Valery waited there with our bags, I went to the ticket office.
I had bought our tickets online through 12go.asia and needed to exchange their voucher for actual tickets. That’s where the nasty surprise was waiting for me: the ferry to Bohol was cancelled due to Tropical Depression Verbena moving into the area. Bohol, Cebu, and later Negros were all placed under storm signal 1, and all ferries were cancelled.
What followed was a bit of pandemonium.
Chasing a Ferry That Didn’t Exist
We spared a short time for breakfast at the Das Traum carinderia next to the port — some fish and vegetables. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. Some of the vegetables tasted so bad that Valery couldn’t finish them, while the price was almost the same as our dinner at a restaurant the night before.
After breakfast, we cancelled our ferry tickets and jumped into a tricycle to Larena port. The ticket cashier had mentioned that a bigger boat from Larena to Bohol might still be running.
No luck. All ferries from Larena for Monday and Tuesday were cancelled, and there was no ferry scheduled at all on Wednesday. Defeated, we took another tricycle back to Siquijor town.
The Room Hunt Begins
That’s when the room hunt started — and we had a lot of competition. Running around town trying to find accommodation was exhausting and honestly pretty depressing.
Two places had nothing available, and the third one was so bad that I decided to keep looking. It was gloomy and had a strong smell of chlorine, clearly trying to mask something even less palatable.
Finally, we got lucky and found the last available room at Coombs Guest House.
After what I had just seen, the room looked great, and I ended the search right there. It was also only a 10-minute walk from the port, which was very convenient.
The host, Maria, was incredibly kind and even offered to pick up Valery and our luggage from the port in her truck.
Waiting, Walking, and Watching the Rain
We also found a nicer place to eat based on a recommendation from our host: Joel’s Lechon Manok.
It had a large, bright dining room filled with locals — always a good sign. The food was varied and tasty, and the prices were reasonable — a nice change after our breakfast fiasco.
The rest of the day followed a repetitive pattern: walking from our guesthouse to the port, confirming that ferries were still not running, going for a meal, and then returning to the room.
At least we had a place to stay. Many people arrived at the port later in the day, only to find their ferries cancelled and no accommodation left in Siquijor town.
We saw a driver settling in for the night in a hammock under a truck, sheltering from the rain.
We felt very lucky.
Heavy rain started in the late afternoon and pounded on our metal roof all night. From time to time, strong wind gusts shook the windows. Tropical Depression Verbena did not make landfall on Siquijor, but we still got a taste of it.
False Hope at the Port
The next morning, we braved the pouring rain and made our way through the wet streets toward Siquijor port, hoping for some news about the ferries.
The ticket office was firmly closed, with a crowd of frustrated passengers milling in front of locked doors.
Some people looked like they had spent the night there, sleeping on their bags. Once again, we appreciated how lucky we were to have found a decent place to stay.
After lunch, we decided to check once more — and finally got some news. Ferries to Dumaguete were still cancelled, but the 2:30 p.m. ferry to Bohol was going.
Elated, I tried to enter the ticket office to buy tickets but was turned back. Unfortunately, tickets could not be bought at the office — online only.
Booking Panic
We hurried back to the guesthouse, and I frantically tried to book tickets for the 2:30 ferry. First problem: the booking required a Philippine phone number, which I didn’t have. Maria kindly let me use hers. Then my credit card refused to work because of my VPN, so I had to pause that.
After finally getting through the booking process, I was told there were no tickets left for 2:30.
I tried again — this time for the 8:20 ferry the next morning — and hooray, I managed to book tickets.
Practical Tip: Ferry Tickets
Booking ferries through third-party websites like 12go.asia is significantly more expensive than booking directly.
- OceanJet ticket bought at the office (Siquijor–Bohol): 800 pesos
- Same ticket on the OceanJet website: 800 pesos + 80 peso online fee
- Same ticket through 12go.asia: 1,068 pesos
If your ferry is cancelled, the extra service fee from third-party sites is not refunded, making these tickets even more costly.
I recommend booking directly through the ferry company’s website. You’ll need a Philippine mobile number, but you can use your accommodation’s number. No confirmation is sent to the phone — everything comes by email.
One More Night… Or Not?
With a huge feeling of relief, I went to Maria to tell her we would be staying another night — only to learn that our room was already pre-booked. Her next guest was supposed to arrive from Dumaguete, and at that moment, there were still no ferries going there. Maria tried to contact him but got no reply.
We assumed that if ferries to Dumaguete weren’t running, we would probably be fine — until 4:30 p.m., when the first ferry to Dumaguete resumed. Suddenly, the situation changed completely.
There was still no news from Maria’s guest, but now, with ferries running again, we could not be sure he wouldn’t arrive. We loved the room and loathed the thought of hunting for accommodation again, but the stress caused by this uncertainty was getting too much.
Kindness in a Messy Situation
In the end, we decided not to gamble and started looking for another place to stay. This time, we didn’t need to be close to the port since we already had tickets for the next morning. I found a place about 2.5 km away, and once again, Maria generously drove us there in her truck. We loaded our backpacks into the open back, squeezed into the front seat with her, and soon arrived at our new home for the night.
We were incredibly grateful for Maria’s help and hospitality during these chaotic time. She made these gloomy days a bit brighter for us.
Another silver lining was that our Bohol host was very understanding and refunded the first two nights of our booking while we were stuck on Siquijor. I didn’t even ask — it was entirely his initiative. The kindness of people made this forced, prolonged stay much more bearable.
Finally, Last Night on Siquijor
Our new place, NFV Guest House, was quite nice, with a small living room, kitchenette, and bathroom downstairs, and a bedroom upstairs. It was located on the outskirts of Siquijor town, with no restaurants nearby. We had to settle for tea with some peanuts and dark, unsweetened chocolate we had bought earlier in the day.
This remote location turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A short road just past our house led to the beach, so we spent our last evening splashing through shallow water and watching sunset colors play across the sky. Our last glimpse of Siquijor was better than we expected.
Better Late Than Never
The next morning, we finally departed for Bohol. It was two days later than planned; we were tired and stressed, but very happy to finally be moving again. All’s well that ends well.
Two typhoons and one tropical depression during our three weeks in the Philippines — quite an introduction to the country for our first visit. Hopefully, no more surprises like this for the rest of our trip!
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