The Danish Lagoon's Sunset by the Beach

I just couldn't get enough of sunsets that day as guess what I ordered when Yen and I decided to go night swimming at the Danish Lagoon's pool and chilled out by having drinks?

Yup, it's Sunset by the Beach, which according to the bartender has measurements of 4 cl Tequila, 2 cl Cointreau and Lemon Juice.  I found it a little sweet though but once the ice dissolved, it tasted great.

Dinner at Coco Grove's Sunset Restaurant

After our sunset moments at Paliton Beach, we went back to the Danish Lagoon to quickly freshen up and leave our things before going to Coco Grove for dinner.

Before dining, Yen and I first checked out Coco Grove and after finding it to our liking, paid for one night accommodation so we could transfer there the following day.

If not an in-house guest of the resort, one has to pay P200.00 entrance fee at the Front Desk, consumable.  After paying for this, we were assisted in going to  Coco Grove's by-the-beach Sunset Restaurant.  I found the location really nice as Yen and I could hear the crashing waves while dining.

For my drinks, I ordered Milk Shake at Php 85.00.  I found it to be not sweet enough.  It also does not taste like Milk Shake at all that mentally, I wished I were at Shakey's indulging in its really yummy chocolate milk shake.

For my main course, I had Chicken Cordon Bleu or breaded chicken fillet stuffed with ham and cheese.  Despite its dip, I found it bland.  At Php 295.00, it was expensive but not satisfying.

As I was unhappy with my drinks and main course, I so looked forward to having my dessert of Siquijor Special.  Priced at Php 95.00, the menu said it's Vanilla Ice Cream with fresh coconut, Siquijor peanuts and caramel sauce.  Unfortunately, I also found it not sweet enough for a dessert and the nuts were not fresh as they were no longer crunchy.  

We also ordered a takeout of Sinigang na Baboy at Php 120.00 for Noel.

Over-all, our dining experience was not really good as the food was so-so and the service was very slow (my stomach was growling as it was already 8:00 PM).  While waiting for our order, we overheard one female attendant say to a companion in the vernacular that there were only the 4 of them.  Gasp!  Four!  And the restaurant was full!  No wonder we saw patrons craning their necks as they waited for their food to be served.

I thought the above was the end of my sad dinner but a worse event came when we had the misfortune of being served by a snooty gay food attendant.  This happened when we asked for our bill and he asked for our room number.  When he saw our receipt for the entrance fee from the Front Desk, he said "Oh, not in-house" with a smirk.

Huh?!  Is it because we were the only locals (well, aside from those who were with their respective foreign companions) in a sea of Caucasian guests and he overheard us talking in the vernacular?  Stung, we replied in perfect English and said we're checking in the following day.  Hmph!

Paliton Beach at Dusk

Watching the sun set at Paliton Beach was such a laid-back, rejuvenating activity (and free!) that Yen and I did not leave until the once colorful sky became mostly gray  and dark.

Before heading home, I looked back and snapped the above and following photos of Paliton Beach at dusk.  They're so postcard perfect, don't you think?  And sans the Photoshop, I must say.

Fishermen at Paliton Beach

While watching the sun set at Paliton Beach, I was lucky that fishermen on boats passed by as they made a nice focal point against the breathtaking beauty of the setting sun.

Next time, maybe I'll rent a boat then be in the middle of the sea watching the sun paint the sky with its colors.  Te he.

Red Sun At Paliton Beach

On my last post, I posted details of my sunset-watching at Paliton Beach.  Below are three more photos of the last moments of the setting sun.  I had to make a new post as I was having difficulty posting additional photos to my Sunset at Paliton Beach post due to perhaps photo upload overload.

Sunset at Paliton Beach

Sunset-watching at Siquijor' Paliton Beach was for me one of the best parts of our tour.  This was also my first time to actually detail a sun setting and I must say it's really captivating to watch the sun gradually sinking into the sea but not  before it paints the sky with its myriad of colors.

And when the sky became shades of yellow and orange, I was dumbstruck.

From yellow to orange, the setting sun and the sky that it's painting its colors on started displaying shades of red.

And this is when everything was just so breathtaking as the setting sun was merely inches from the water and the bluish sky and the clouds added to the dramatic scene.

Paliton Beach

After visiting Siquijor's Church and its Bell Tower, we asked Noel to bring us to where we could see the sunset and so headed to Paliton Beach.  

The best thing about this Beach was its privacy.  It was such a secluded beach that there were only two couples there when we arrived.  

The sun was about to set when I laid my malong on the sand.  I tried sitting down to read a book but the inquisitive me was itching to explore my newly found secluded beach and so I decided to forego reading and instead walk by the beachfront.

As minutes passed by and the sun seemed to be taking its sweet time setting, I walked farther from where I left Yen, still taking pictures of the sea and the sun...

... and of whatever caught my interest, like these empty sea urchin shells.

These shots are taken when I reached the far right end of the beach.

After taking the above photos and knowing I was on the far right end of Paliton Beach, I took this photo of its beachfront to document how far I'd come from my starting point.

I then walked back to where Yen was and together, we watched the sunrise, alternating between chatting and taking photos.

And as I watched the sun gradually sink, I couldn't help but feel mesmerized by the beauty of Paliton Beach's sunset, the photos of which I will show in my next post.

Siquijor Church's Bell Tower

This is Siquijor's Bell Tower.  As mentioned in my previous post, contrary to its brochures portraying the bell tower to be beside the St. Francis de Assisi Church, this is actually at least a good 20 meters from the said church.

We asked Noel if we could go inside but when he checked, the main entrance was locked.  Too bad as I would have liked to check the view of Siquijor from there.

"Welcome to Siquijor"

Right in front of Siquijor's St. Francis de Assisi Church is a "Welcome to Siquijor" signage with a pool and a maiden's statue.  Sadly, the pool was empty during our visit there.

Siquijor's St. Francis de Assisi Church

St. Francis de Assisi Church and Bell Tower was our next stop after our tour of Guiwanon Spring Park Resort.  This church was built in 1783 by Secular priests.  Unfortunately, it was closed when we were there.  

Seeing the church, I couldn't help but notice that contrary to what is usually seen in most Siquijor brochures, the church and the bell tower are not beside each other as the latter is at least a good 20 meters from the former.  I thus decided to make separate entries in my blog for both.

Guiwanon Spring Park Resort

After having coffee at Larena Triad, we proceeded to Guiwanon Spring Park Resort.  At the entrance, we paid Php20.00 before being led to its wooden bridge.

I was actually wondering why it was called a resort but when we reached the tree houses built on mangroves, I realized that indeed, the place offers accommodation options (and cheap ones at that since an overnight stay here is pegged at only Php200.00!)  

I also wondered why it was called a spring park and so Noel pointed this spring to us.

Walking farther from the entrance, I was greeted by this serene view at the point where the freshwater and saltwater met.  

For me, the best part about visiting Guiwanon was seeing its restaurant that was  built on stilts.

I had fun taking these shots when we reached the restaurant.