Roaming San Isidro

The joyride continued.., and we entered the town proper of San Isidro, Leyte! Yeah!

As with the other towns I have just passed-by from Ormoc on this 'Sunday Morning Run', there was no urgent nor specific objective in visiting San Isidro and the rest of these north-western Leyte towns (as far as my being a traveler/blogger). This was a "come what may" or "let's see whatever is there" tour!

Yes, me ganun!

Well actually.., this joyride (as I want to call it) was/is a bit of "work-related work" hehe. I was more of on a reconnoitering run to see some *blank-blank* social aspects of these communities. Ganun nga!

But, oh the places and things I see when I roam.., priceless! That's why I love my job!

Okay, first up, this orange thing on the road. An e-trike, now common in the north-western Leyte area!

An e-trike (electric-powered tricycle or di-saksak as many call it) is a new/er kind of commuter vehicle that complements (or competes with?) existing commuter rides like the tricycle (motorbike with side car), pedicab / pedalcab / padyak / potpot (bicycle with side car), the jeep, the habal-habal or kuliglig.

Oops, qualifier: Kuliglig (in the Visayas) is seldom used as regular commuter transport vehicle.

But I like this "phenomenon", especially the "competition" aspect. If these e-trikes could replace jeeps, tricycles, kuliglig or habal-habal, that would mean less pollution, therefore better for the environment!

Here's another trivia! Did you know that, e-trikes in this area are called racal (pronounced ra-kal). Yep, that's because the dominant brand people see, this orange thing is made by a company called RACAL!

Okay, enough of RACAL, we will see that again later anyway. There's the new Municipal Fire Station at left! Yep, that slightly hidden white building with touches of orange and blue. I thought this was a little far to town center. But when I measured (estimated), it is less than a kilometer to munisipyo. Pwede!

That end, is a bridge, already in the bustling poblacion. Bustling kunwari lang,. Basta, center of town!

This is the Sinabdan Bridge, any traveler's landmark, that they're already inside San Isidro poblacion..,

Immediately after this bridge is a Y-intersection. Going left is into the poblacion's narrow streets, while veering right is still the national highway, but there are streets from there going to center of San Isidro.

And the old big wooden houses beckoned. This is getting to be an obsession!

Argh I was late again! While that big house still looks vintage, the one before it, (not seen) on the right edge of this pic is a majestically preserved (or improved?) house with a wide concrete 'azotea' and an external concrete stairs leading directly to the garden where the fence is covered in evergreen plants.

Actually, I suspect that the house pictured above and the majestic one I described are owned by one family or related families. I say that because they iron-grilled windows and doors in similar silver style.

The rows of big old houses are a-plenty! This one on the left has been refurbished, right?

But we can easily discern that this house had 'ancient' beginnings! Look ahead, many more big wood old houses all the way down to the munisipyo area! There are too many, and all of them still standing!

Like these..,

It's not only this street that has big old wooden houses. They're like everywhere, and not too decayed!

OMG, shoutout to all residents and officials of San Isidro Leyte. Please take photos and videos of the houses in your town, before they succumb to the elements. Preserve the beauty, even just in memory!

Okay now.., then I reached the town's municipal hall compound. These things were at the corner..,

Nice one.., because even if just in passing, the public will be able to reflect on, or be reminded of, as to what their local government exist for, or what they need to do, for the good of their whole community!

And there.., is the Municipal Hall. I immediately noticed something.., do you see it?!

Yes, Jose Rizal is facing sideways to.., ah that would be the sports/multi-purpose something building!

Why would he be facing that way? Maybe to say "hey players, be fair and be sport"? Hehe, am not sure for I did not go there, but I think it's called San Isidro Civic Center, that, itself does not even face Rizal!

Usually, Rizal's monument would be facing the 'general public' right? I mean the area of a place where there are the most people passing-by or gathering-around (yata). Ah well.., and But.., as we have seen in Tigbauan, their Jose Rizal faces inward, to the lobby of their munisipyo! Maybe there's really no rule!

Who knows.., we might soon see a Rizal monument na naka-hangad to the clouds hahaha!

Lastly, while we are still on the 'dear national hero' topic. He looks a bit different in San Isidro!

He looks square-faced with chinkier eyes and wider jaws than we normally see! At mukhang mataray!

My driver (who, I think realized why I spent time looking at this monument na naka-tingala) had this to say in a hushed voice: "sir, baga man ito hin insik o koreano"! Okay na sana, we were quietly laughing.., but, he further said.., "kamukha mo baya, sir"! I said "an im amay, kuha-a na im awto malakat na kita"!

But first I went nearer the municipal hall for a fuller and close-up shot the building..,

Looks nice. Easy to discern that the edifice was built long ago but had been renovated, probably even many times, right? But I still like how it looks now - vintage - just like the big old houses around town!

A few steps, diagonally across from the municipal hall is this, the San Isidro Public Market..,

That is a big one! It's not only this building, there other smaller structures to the left (their wet market), and at the back all the way to some kind of an old wharf or jetty port. Hmm, it is also tidy and orderly!

Those white-painted flower and plant boxes are part of the town's central area that looks like a plaza. That public market is west of this plaza; north is the munisipyo - where I stood to take that pic above.

Southside of the plaza is called a "Public Terminal" which is obviously their land transport hub. This..,

Aha, behind that is a street by a river, across which is a row of eateries, where we went next for lunch!

Here. This is where we had lunch turo-turo style..,

A nice cozy place.., most of the materials are made of either wood or bamboo!

Food was good too. And I like how they store their water jugs - forming a decorative row! Oh ha?!

Orderly and tidy place too..,

Who would not love that 'al fresco' dining area? Well, yun mga lumalaklak ng gluta! But I liked it there!

Left edge of pic is the 'bamboo entrance bridge'. That is our 'sakayan' out on the street! Buringot na!

A view of the public terminal from inside the eatery. Nice vantage for "people-watching"!

And before getting on the car, I turned back and took another photo of the carinderia..,

Notice that it is just the back of a big residential building. While dining, I learned from the owner, that it really is their 'back of the house' since the real front (of their residence and eatery) is on a street at the other side of that green building! She told me that people are even still used to entering the restaurant at that side, and the "bamboo bridge" is at times allowed, at times not, depending on their politicians!

Oh back on the streets, here is a clearer view of the RACAL (e-trike) again..,

All of these (that are used as public utility vehicles) have their left sides screened with ropes, like so.

I asked some of the drivers why is it so, and they told me it is in compliance of a municipal ordinance. Hmm, I didn't anymore ask them to elaborate further, but I'm guessing, accidents may have happened where passengers (especially children) may have jumped out of these vehicles from the left side, 'no?!

Wala sanang namatay, but I actually like this 'phenomenon'! This should be a learning opportunity for inventors and/or manufacturers to (next time) consider how their product/s will be used by the public in/at their existing circumstances. Ditto for administrators who approve these transport conveyances.

On our way going out of this town, still more big old wooden houses beckoned..,

I could see that there were more such abodes going straight out there (veering left is the street where we arrived at).., but for some reason (I can't remember why) we truned right on this corner. To see..,

This! That greenish house is big nice and new. I wasn't even sure if it's a residence or an office!

It's a dead-end, we must turn right or left on that corner. We chose left as it goes to the main highway.

There were also nice old single and double level houses, until we reached this fascinating corner!

Well, probably fascinating only to the naughty me! In my mind, the question was.., how would it be like to stand in this corner, when both religions start singing their songs hehe! Would it be mind-boggling?!

It could be, right?! Sunday services were actually in progress at both churches when I took this photo. But they were not (yet) singing at that time. And where I stood, is another big wide old wooden house.

I said "so much for the many old houses", let's go to the town of Calubian. But even as we exited..,

There were still more of the big old wooden houses! That's San Isidro Central School at right, btw!

This is the northern edge of the San Isidro twon center. That street is going left to their beaches (one place has a funny name called "Matungaw")! But we were turning right here, on our way to Calubian :(

Just after turning on the corner above, that marker tells me 14kms to the other side of Leyte!

Wheh? Is that so? How did that happen? Ah eh, we better talk about that in my next story.

So, in my next entry, let's go to Calubian, Leyte!