Cebu to Tacloban Sunrise Flight

Sunrise

This has happened a number of times before, though I'm not sure I already told you about them. Plus, I have lately been catching sunrise at sea. So from the air naman!

Well, from the airport actually, since I lost it when my plane took off heading east!

I was standing on the bus that ferried passengers from Gate 25A to our Tacloban-bound plane (ATR72), when I caught sight of the sun inching its way up the horizon.

Not everyone likes the sun rising like that. Isa na si Manong Driver - nasisilaw sya!

Oo nga naman ano? Those golden rays get in the way of his being able to work well.

Looking at him, and the sun, and our surroundings, it came to mind that he may not, therefore he can't be wearing shades at this time of day. It was still dark everywhere.

A precarious situation for drivers. Still dark everywhere, but when a low-angled light of the rising sun hits the eyes, it's harsh. You'll need a special type of shades for that.

Ta! Pag special kind, mahal na klase ng sunglasses yan. Parang pang-night driving?

Anyway, as for me... what a lovely day! I even took this while alighting from the bus.

Comedy relief: natulala pa ang tatlong yan - including si manong guard at left. They all thought sila pinipiktyuran ko! Well, that made them smile and say good morning!

O di ba? Kahit sa maling akala, ang umaga gumaganda! Mindset and mind set!

Inadvertently, naging pampa-good vibes ang actions ko - for them, and for me oi!

Look at that. Even if still hazy (due to time of day, type of camera, & a scratched murky glass window of Cebu Pacific's ATR72), I liked how goldish the Mactan airport looked!

Morning flight scenes

Haruy, I lost the 'rising sun' views when I got unto my seat! Analyze agad for lessons learned: CEB to TAC is a north-easterly direction; right-side window for morning sun!

Lapu-lapu City, Mactan

Oks noted, but it didn't dampen my happy mindset, as takeoff views are always great.

I was on the left side window, takeoff was at Runway 04, the views of Barangay Ibo were good. Ahehe, do you know Brgy. Ibo, Lapu-lapu City? Kana diha, all of MEPZ1!

That barangay is an interesting topic if you're into economics or fiscal policies.

Mandaue, Cansaga Bay, Consolacion

Oist, across the Mactan Channel, that part of mainland Cebu is also quite a topic. In that photo I can see Cansaga Bay, the boundary of Mandaue City with Consolacion.

That's where Cansaga Bay Bridge is located, on the fairly new North Coastal Road.

Consolacion & Liloan maritime yards

I caught a shot of Consolacion and Liloan - both towns are still part of Metro Cebu.

That inland body of water at left is still Cansaga Bay; that smaller one (in the middle) is part of it - not sure yet if it has another name - it's in Jugan 'Lacion and Yati Liloan.

Aw that bigger body of water at right is Silot Bay, where Papa Kits Marina is located. Both towns and many of their areas are lately often heard for 'just about everything' like new tourist attractions, resorts, resturants, malls, traffic, floods, crime, at iba pa!

Look there's a fastcraft zooming by! From the color, I'd guess that is an OceanJet. It probably is going to Ormoc, because of the time - 5:55AM. Aw, pwede rin sa Getafe.

By the way, that foreshore from Consolacion to Liloan teems with a lot of shipyards. But many of those boats & ships afloat are not at all sira. They're just 'parked' there.

I learned about that only lately. Since there's no more space at the Cebu Port, just to tambay while waiting for their turn to load-and-leave, they anchor in Lacion or Liloan.

Mas mura pa. Oh yes, I learned me bayad pala yan - kahit sa dagat ka nakatambay!

All of Liloan

Oi, I caught this shot, as the plane started banking to the right (to head for Leyte).

Almost all of the town of Liloan is in that shot - even including parts of Compostela! Titigan at usisahin mo uli if you like, as I'm to tell you something perplexing but true.

Ready?

The Municipality of Liloan has the biggest population, not only in Cebu Province but in the entire Visayas. Note: municipality or town, hindi kasama ang city o naging city.

Na! The explanation notwithstanding, look at that picture again, kahit tingnan mo pa sa google maps. That's all of Liloan's 14 barangays. Asan ang mga bahay nila dyan?

Baka nasa underground hahaha! I even actually tried looking back at my photos like this one. Parang ang konti talaga ng mga bahay. Kesa Kalibo? o San Jose, Antique?

Aw ah, itigil na natin yan. According to census daw yan! Okay sige, fine hehehe!

The highest point on Leyte Island

Shortly, we were above the mountains of Albuera and Ormoc. Here's Danao Lake:

Do you remember this? That is the Danao Lake in the mountains (of Ormoc), not the Danao Lake by the sea (of San Francisco, Camotes Islands). I was already in Leyte!

Look to the right of Danao Lake. That is the highest peak in all of Leyte. Some call it Alto Peak, others say Mount Aminduen, yet, others more call it Mount Amandiwing!

Well, I guess they are synonyms? Asya na. Bangin. Aw ambot la. Malipung baya!

Anyway, I do know that they are part of the Leyte Central Highland Range, bisecting the island from north to south, and that in photo is northmost and the highest point.

Trivia: settlements west of those highlands, such as Kananga, Ormoc, Baybay, etc., are the Cebuano-speaking Warays; while eastern communities speak Waray-waray.

Trivia pa more: dyan din ang "Leyte Fault", a part of the "Philippine Fault Line".

Landing approach

Another 4 minutes and we were already above the town center of Tanauan, Leyte.

Sure yan! Sa dalas kong mag-landing dito lately I have memorized na the environs of TAC airport. I even knew, si pilot was banking left to align the plane with Runway 36!

Note that too many of the roofs are too vivid. Almost all are new dahil ke Yolanda.

Then we were in front of the town of Palo diving towards Runway 36 (to the right).

Ay, windows of Cebu Pacific planes usually have lots of scratches that make photos look bad. But the white dots & specks on that pic's foreground are not scratches ha.

Those are boats and bankas hehehe! Fishermen ba!

By the way, that hill in the middle of the photo is commonly called Guinhangdan Hill by most residents. In World War II historical literature however, that was/is Hill 522.

At right edge of that same picture is Red Beach, also of WWII relevance. They (Hill 522 and Red Beach) were in MacArthur and his men's itinerary during the liberation.

Oh, those buildings by the waterfront are the 'remains' of The Oriental Leyte Resort Hotel that was 100% ruined by Yolanda/Haiyan, and it opened only about July 2012.

Here's another shot, moving a little right as the plane was bulusoking to land.

That's all of Red Beach. White arrow points to (MacArthur) Leyte Landing Memorial, the buildings to the left are The Oriental Leyte ruins and Hill 522 is further to the left.

Hoy, straight from that MacArthur memorial, all the way up to that big wide rotunda is the government center. I heard the big wave reached all the way there and beyond.

Haay, so many harrowing Yolanda stories, I'm sure I'll hear many more. Anyway...

Landed in less than half an hour

Touchdown Tacloban after a mere 28 minutes in the air!

That body of water by the edge of the runway is a confluence of San Juanico Strait, Cancabato Bay and San Pablo Bay. That land mass across is already Samar Island.

6:22AM, approaching our parking slot, the sun behind us, a bright morning indeed!

Still seated inside the airplane, I could already see the Yolanda-ravaged arrival area. Alangan namang mag-bago agad ng anyo yan, eh I was there only 11 days ago hahaha!

As the porters' choral greeting always say:
"Good morning friends, Welcome to Tacloban City Philippines. Mabuhay"!

#CentralVisayas #TravelPhilippines #EasternVisayas

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