Philippine Travel Notes

We were finally herded by a lady (member of their livelihood association) to the house of their ex-barangay captain Cheeryl Ducentes (I spelled that name correctly hehe) who is now municipal councilor care of the just concluded national elections. She is Business Manager of the Arado Sweet Delicacies Producers’ Association . Note from the pic we were still some 3kms to center of Burauen. We were to meet her to learn and see the hows/whys of this thing called bukayo (bukhayo in their products). Alas, she was not there (since the original schedule set by DTI was Friday, and today was only Wednesday). Where was she anyway? Well, out in the city (Tacloban and environs) to do a scheduled delivery of their products to various places including stores at the airport. Quite a dedicated woman to her craft! Anyway, it was not as if we didn’t learn anything on this sudden visit of Barangay Arado. Some of the women in the association including the councilor’s mother did regale us with their product...

Burauen finally, and we could not really pinpoint where we were going hahaha! But we did find Barangay Arado as it is along the highway. I was the first to holler we were there when I saw an elementary school named Arado Elementary School so we started asking around. The first guy we asked was over-eager to make a sale. He did not listen well when our driver asked for the name Cheeryl, he just got really interested with the word “bukhayo” and asked us how many did we want to buy hehe. But the DTI officer got off and asked a lady who told us we were past the house, though she knew Cheeryl was not yet there. Learning about our purpose, she told us she might as well show us around one of the neighborhoods where a recent delicacy production was in progress, though not really bukayo, telling us Cheeryl might already arrive by the time we’re done here. We excitedly went for it, of course, so we followed her through the sides of some 5 or 6 houses to reach an open yard – backyard of one, fron...

That is pronounced “Boo-ruh-wen”. It’s a town in the heart of Leyte Island. I say heart, because it is somewhere in the middle! Yep, a non-coastal town (there are just a few) some 40+ kilometers from Palo. This was one of our destinations on/for Friday’s itinerary. But the friend and her companions decided to omit some of the other livelihood destinations within Tacloban City and other nearby areas, especially those that had nothing to do with the wonder tree – coconut! So, we decided we might as well go for this town after Palo, then proceed to spend the night in Baybay City. Whoa, adventure! It was my first to visit this town known in the province as ‘where many delicacies are produced’. And our purpose: to see and learn from live production of this delectable thing thy call “bukhayo” or “bukayo”. The trip from Palo was wonderful, even as the sun have started playing hide-and-seek with us through the lush forest thickets in many areas. Good roads, and we only slowed down at one p...

We’re still on the Tuba topic, and from Vino De Coco compound, we proceeded to this little house in Palo where many reputed personalities in the region buy their tuba by ‘containerfuls’ when they have celebrations or just about anything in their lives that require them to drink and serve tuba – which is actually ‘just about anytime, right?! But even the way going there was exciting enough for me. Look at the map and zoom it , this is the government center area with touristic sights. We passed by the Philippine Science High School (Eastern Visayas Campus), veering left amidst national government offices, on to the famous MacArthur Park and turned right towards The Oriental Hotel (previously The MacArthur Park Beach Resort). Then… we asked around as to where is Barangay San Fernando, only to be told were were already in it hehe. But we easily found EF Winery as they are very well-known in this neighborhood. They were also expecting us! Yep, the DTI has previously arranged all our visits....

Here goes the start of our exciting ‘Livelihood Tour’! First drop was at this winery in Marasbaras, Tacloban, not far from Robinson’s Place actually – right side of the Maharlika Highway if you were going towards Palo. But let me qualify this ‘Livelihood Tour’ for those who might be getting interested. This was not just a so-so field trip. It was organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) just for my friend, her son and 2 of her trusted officers. How? She previously talked to DTI seeking help about learning those various livelihood opportunities – especially the many by-products of the coconut tree. All were pre-arranged by DTI with matching itinerary schedules per day (in a total of 3 days), descriptions of the products, a DTI officer and the persons to see! Whew! Am not sure what they call this activity since I did not look in those sheets of paper they had, so in my mind, I decided to call this a ‘Livelihood Tour’. Anyway and so… Enter us at the Vino De Coco compound. T...

Yeah folks, a restaurant! So we thought that name was only all about pawnshops or money transfers, right? Well not anymore. This one here is proof! Happily alighting from that free Ormoc-Tacloban JD Bus shuttle of 2GO, (yes happy I was finally at my destination hehe), I crossed the street to Robinsons Place as friend and I already agreed an hour ago that they’d pick me up at this mall. It was already open, but am not fond of going around malls when I have got nothing to do! So I looked for a place to hang around and puff a smoke until they come pick me up. Found a restaurant along the front row of establishments, and it had nice faux wicker tables and chairs al fresco with big umbrella-like canopies. Almost like the outside tables of those popular coffee shops. But looking inside and at their signage, I smiled to realize that indeed this was not a pawnshop but a Chinese Restaurant named “M. Lhuillier Dimsum & Tea House”. Cute! Ah, I was not on a ‘shooting mood’ this morning, so I d...

If you have the “onion-skin”, that is! Yes, there is a complimentary bus ride from the 2GO port in Ormoc all the way to Tacloban or Naval. It’s on a bus named JD. I have seen this bus a number of times before, but I never ever bothered to check it out. I heard it takes a bit longer than the usual V-Hires (vans for hire), that’s why. Call it loyalty to my readers or something else weird, but this time, I rode on this JD Bus! Not that it was anything to call home about, but, at least I did so, and can now tell how (the hell) it goes hahaha! How did this happen? Well, while I was half-asleep and half-awake silently seated on my supercat seat, the friend called asking where I already was, and I said I was on the supercat in the middle of the sea. (yes folks, many people still call it “supercat” even if they have renamed it to “2Go”). And the friend revealed the bad news that initial meeting for the ‘livelihood tour’ will be in Tacloban. And that they left Calbayog City about an hour ago, j...

That is the “ Supercat ”, now called “2GO Travel”, and this ‘ first trip ’ from Cebu to Ormoc leaves at an unholy hour of 5:30AM . Argh! But I was too damn excited for my Livelihood Tour of Leyte, so 5:30AM was it. The best way/time to leave Cebu since I arranged to meet my friend 8AM in Ormoc. Yeah, argh again hehe! I have taken this craft on this very destination a number of times, but golly, this was probably the first time (or 2nd time) I was going to bite the ‘first trip’. A dawn departure? Me? Well I had no better choice. But, I discovered some funny facts that better be etched in my brain (and yours) from now on. Anyway..! Tuesday night, tried sleeping early so I could wake early. No can do! So, I just laid in my bed with a little bit of facebook and candy crush until my 2AM alarm went blaring. Washed up and left the Cebu house exactly 3AM so I could be at the 2GO port by 330AM – two hours before departure , right? Yeah, it’s in our system. Flying off to other islands every week...

Alrightie folks, brace for a different kind of sojourn I just did. Tiring yes, but quite a welcome brain input, am even thinking this was the most wonderful I have done lately. I maybe wrong, or may just have willed to forget my other wonderful tours of the recent past, but this one was overwhelmingly excitingly different! Here’s the story… the start that is… Two weeks ago, I was at a friends house and she told me she was to attend some kind of immersion training on livelihood opportunities that would take her around Baybay, Ormoc, Tacloban and nearby localities – all in the province of Leyte. It was to be a 3-day affair (Wednesday to Friday) with topics like Tuba (yep, the local coco-wine) and a bevy of other local products. She was not even done asking me if I wanted to go and I said yes yes yes! I did not really mind about those things she wanted to learn (at first), but my eyes flickered at the thought that she (therefore I) would be hopping between places in the province of Leyte....