After having our encounter with the gentle giants, we headed back to our resort to freshen up and check-out. We needed to catch the 12:00nn ferry towards Siquijor (from Dumaguete) because another friend of Ma'am Jacq is waiting for us in Dumaguete since morning. So our route is we needed to go to Dumaguete by ferry from the Santander Port. The fare is around 64php for a non-aircon ferry.
Ferry ticket
I just want to emphasize how beautiful the shore is on the port of Santander. I hope that the goverment will be able to maintain the cleanliness in this area.
Shoreline beside the port
There goes our ferry waiting for us
Boarding time
At boarding, I presented my ticket and the person in charge tear the boarding pass. Going down the boat, we took our seats at the front part of the ferry. Thank God for the clear weather for we had a smooth sail going to Dumaguete. We arrived at Dumaguete around 11:30am, approximately 30 to 45 minutes travel time. Going to the main port of Dumaguete, we rented one jeep for 200php. It was a good thing because it was only a short ride and we are able to catch the 12nn ferry to Siquijor. Whew!
Dumaguete's main port
This port was bigger from the the one in Santander. You can buy tickets to different locations outside the departure area. Approximately, 200 to 300 passengers can fit the departure area. There are also food stalls in the departure area in case your tummy gets a hungry.
Siquijor Port
The same with the one in Santander, Siquijor's port is very clean and peaceful. After getting of the ferry, we were welcomed by Kuya Dennis from the local travel agency. He used a new black Urvan for our group. Since we are all VERY HUNGRY (we haven't eaten since morning except for bread), we stopped by a new restaurant named Baha Bar along the main road.
From the outside, Baha Bar looks like a typical house. It has tables below and also at the back. But their main dining area is upstairs. Before you go up, you have to remove your shoes and wear a pair of slippers that can be found beside the stairs.
View of the stairs from the main dining area
Baha Bar's main dining area
The Bar
If in case you get bored, you can borrow the guitars, read books, play scrabbles or even Sungka from the shelf above. Pretty cool right?
A painting of the Cang-Isok house hangs on the wall of Baha Bar
Interesting fact: Baha Bar's proprietors, Genalyn Albino and Steve Swatton, got the idea of the house's exterior and interior from the Cang-Isok House which happened to be the oldest house in the island of Siquijor. That's why the restaurant looks to homie and relaxing. It seemed like your inside a modern Bahay Kubo. The place before where Baha Bar stands was prone to floods and that's where the name came from.
In terms of food, their average meal costs around 150php good for one person. That time, we ordered their group meal specialty. One platter having seafoods and another platter for meat lovers.
Our sumptuous seafood platter
Seafood platter consists of different types of fish, tiger prawns, escabeche, and some potato chips. I was not able to take a picture of our meat platter but as the name says, the platter consists of fried chicken, pork and beef. Our total bill was 4,500php (2,000php for the seafood and 2,500 for the meat platter) so we gave 500php since were a group of 9. Not bad for the ambiance and quality of food. But what I love about Baha Bar was that their staff was very accommodating and hospitable. Kudos to their team!
Here are more photos of the Baha Bar:
Books available at the dining area
Baha Bar's Sunset Deck
Baha Bar's proprietors
Up next: One of Siquijor's best resorts, Coco Grove.
