Guiuan: How I Stumbled Upon Two Resorts
Accidents happen. Some of them are what I might call "happy accidents"! An example is how I discovered La Luna and Banago Resorts, both in Sulangan, Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
The story goes like this...
We were a group in 3 vehicles that went around towns on the southern end of Samar Island (all being part of the province of Eastern Samar). It was not for fun. We went to those towns for various reasons like "ocular inspections", "meetings with locals and/or local officials", "meetings with contractors", "FGDs" and other similar 'responsibilities'.
We left Tacloban at 5AM. The plan was to finish all activities by 1PM so we could head back to the city by then, to conform with our "sunrise to sundown travel" policy. Yes, we can only start traveling by sunrise, and, must have arrived at wherever we are to spend the night, by sunset. An unpopular safety and security policy, yet followed, or else... hehe!
Unfortunately, meetings and other matters got extended. Everybody was so engrossed in the discussions that no one consciously kept track of time versus where we were. It was already 5PM when we caught ourselves still in the town of Salcedo, where there are no hotels, and 3hrs away from Tacloban. Even going Borongan was impossible. Sunset na!
So, we unanimously decided, to sleep overnight at any of the accommodation facilities in Guiuan - the southernmost town of the island of Samar. All of us have been in this town on previous occasions, some even as recent as 2 days ago. But no reservations this time.
On the way to Guiuan from Salcedo (that's just about 17kms), we already started calling accommodation facilities (we know almost all of them), as we were aware, they are often fully booked due to the surge in development/aid workers like us who come from afar!
Ah, not a few of these development groups have even 'cornered' available space by making some of the rooms their offices, and the other rooms their semi-permanent quarters. We know many of them - our "friends in action" hehe! Many are Guiuan-based .
We even sought help of colleagues and friends in Tacloban, but, make the long arduous "phone brigade" story short, we were only assured of a room at one lodge, another room at another inn, and one more at a homestay. We needed 6 rooms! So, as we approached Guiuan (and it was getting dark), all we could do was cross fingers and hope for more!
Voila! At the first facility we went to, front desk told us that the room they earmarked for us wouldn't be available until tomorrow after all, because the occupants (we know them) who were supposed to already check-out that afternoon, also ran late in their activities, that they decided to keep the room for 1 more night and leave tomorrow instead. Argh!
Challenged but not hopeless, we were discussing options while on the sidewalk, when a barangay tanod (atrevida, buti nalang!) overheard our predicament and suggested/asked why not we try the resorts outside Guiuan proper. We therefore asked him for names and where would those places might be. He mentioned Calicoan Villa, La Luna, Banago and two others, all in Sulangan (the southern-most barangay of Guiuan), about 20kms away!
But an option is an option... We tried contacting each of them. Calicoan Villa Hotel was full, La Luna had two and Banago had three rooms available. We thought that would have been enough, so we made it a go go go! Yeah, to the southern tip of Samar Island!
Got the rooms, had dinner, and slept happily ever after, until morning haha!
These two resorts are interestingly new finds for us.
So, let's describe La Luna and Banago, but in my next stories!
The story goes like this...
We were a group in 3 vehicles that went around towns on the southern end of Samar Island (all being part of the province of Eastern Samar). It was not for fun. We went to those towns for various reasons like "ocular inspections", "meetings with locals and/or local officials", "meetings with contractors", "FGDs" and other similar 'responsibilities'.
We left Tacloban at 5AM. The plan was to finish all activities by 1PM so we could head back to the city by then, to conform with our "sunrise to sundown travel" policy. Yes, we can only start traveling by sunrise, and, must have arrived at wherever we are to spend the night, by sunset. An unpopular safety and security policy, yet followed, or else... hehe!
Unfortunately, meetings and other matters got extended. Everybody was so engrossed in the discussions that no one consciously kept track of time versus where we were. It was already 5PM when we caught ourselves still in the town of Salcedo, where there are no hotels, and 3hrs away from Tacloban. Even going Borongan was impossible. Sunset na!
So, we unanimously decided, to sleep overnight at any of the accommodation facilities in Guiuan - the southernmost town of the island of Samar. All of us have been in this town on previous occasions, some even as recent as 2 days ago. But no reservations this time.
On the way to Guiuan from Salcedo (that's just about 17kms), we already started calling accommodation facilities (we know almost all of them), as we were aware, they are often fully booked due to the surge in development/aid workers like us who come from afar!
Ah, not a few of these development groups have even 'cornered' available space by making some of the rooms their offices, and the other rooms their semi-permanent quarters. We know many of them - our "friends in action" hehe! Many are Guiuan-based .
We even sought help of colleagues and friends in Tacloban, but, make the long arduous "phone brigade" story short, we were only assured of a room at one lodge, another room at another inn, and one more at a homestay. We needed 6 rooms! So, as we approached Guiuan (and it was getting dark), all we could do was cross fingers and hope for more!
Voila! At the first facility we went to, front desk told us that the room they earmarked for us wouldn't be available until tomorrow after all, because the occupants (we know them) who were supposed to already check-out that afternoon, also ran late in their activities, that they decided to keep the room for 1 more night and leave tomorrow instead. Argh!
Challenged but not hopeless, we were discussing options while on the sidewalk, when a barangay tanod (atrevida, buti nalang!) overheard our predicament and suggested/asked why not we try the resorts outside Guiuan proper. We therefore asked him for names and where would those places might be. He mentioned Calicoan Villa, La Luna, Banago and two others, all in Sulangan (the southern-most barangay of Guiuan), about 20kms away!
But an option is an option... We tried contacting each of them. Calicoan Villa Hotel was full, La Luna had two and Banago had three rooms available. We thought that would have been enough, so we made it a go go go! Yeah, to the southern tip of Samar Island!
Got the rooms, had dinner, and slept happily ever after, until morning haha!
These two resorts are interestingly new finds for us.
So, let's describe La Luna and Banago, but in my next stories!
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