Philippine Travel Notes

This was excitingly fun with lots of happy surprises! That means... this will be a long read for you. But as I always do, I'll chunk my stories into a series for ease-of-read ! Alright... where is this place? It's on the northeastern tip of Samar Island. Here... That portion of Northern Samar (Province) has four towns facing the Pacific Ocean. Why go there? Well, why not? 'Hwag maging dayuhan ... remember? This side of Samar Island, along with towns to the south (part of Eastern Samar) have less explored natural wonders. Keep reading this, and my next stories, I'll tell you about many of them - in a series! I'll start with Palapag, then Mapanas, down to Gamay, Lapinig, Arteche then Oras. In one day? No no hehe! In several days, but most will surely be: I wish I had more time ! How to go there. There are various ways, depending on your preferred level of comfort, convenience, etc., plus - the adventure or challenge level you want to experience, from...

Another fairly new (to me) restaurant at the Tacloban Astrodome. Friday night, I arrived late in Tacloban from hinter-mountain-barangays of Burauen. I wanted a sea view dinner , to rest my eyes & soul from depressing scenes of the day. Driver said "challenge accepted" - as if I did not know, he was heading to Cafe Lucia hahaha! Alas di malas, it was full to every corner, me birthdayhan pang nagaganap! We ambled forward, rounding the Astrodome although we already knew every place would also be packed with diners - on a Friday night kaka-sweldo lang two days ago! Both driver and I prefer bars or restaurants facing Cancabato Bay for the views, and we usually park in front of the Samgyupsal place that we never visit - it's always full ! But, voila! A big group of young-and-old folks were just about leaving the restaurant beside Samgyeopsalicious. Driver even ran to grab one of their outside tables haha! I may be prone to forgetting this-and-that from-time-t...

I just happened by this hub, walking to where our vehicle was parked, after dinner at Ronn's . One derivative advantage when dining at restaurants with no parking spaces! Imagine that, if the restaurant had its own parking area, we wouldn't have walked on a one-way Burgos St., searching where our car was. Then I wouldn't have found this! What is it anyway? A Co-Working Space . A commercial venture, providing a shared office environment , where individuals from all walks of life like freelancers , remote workers , or other "unrelated professions" , work either individually or as groups or teams . That, includes students and/or researchers. Kon karuyag mo mag-trabaho (whether on the web or otherwise), pero ma-aringasa or waray espasyo ha imo opisina, balay, apartment, boarding house, that is where you go. This is something a bit new to Tacloban. There are still very few 'spaces' like this in the city, and this is even a first-time I saw one. We...

An interesting place to talk about among friends, colleagues and family. Why? Ay, it has positive & negative extremes, yet many folks keep salivating about. Include me! Let this be a 'study' on eateries as businesses or enterprises. And yes, something to ponder-about for us travelers - as to what we want to eat where - when in Tacloban! Ronn's Grilled Tuna & Sashimi is rather new in Tacloban. I say that, since I frequently pass by that corner (Burgos & Sto. Nino St) since 2014, and I've only seen it in 2018. Where the car is (at right) is Sto Niño St. To my left and right as I took that shot was Burgos St. Yes I stood a bit in the middle of the street just for that pic. Buwis-buhay! As you can see, the very street-corner is their grilling area. Wafts of seafood on the grill scatter around the place. Katakamtakam! Those guys are their "grilling crews"! I dined here only twice before, and tonight I was back with 5 friends. So 6 of us! That...

Really. This was beggary  on a higher level . Howsoever we look at this act, they were begging, so they are beggars. And, no one likes them approaching while we want to publicly 'enjoy a little' at restaurants, right? As if they're making you feel guilty for spending a little bit at restaurants. Di ba? But, crucify me if you must, dear readers, since I/we gave-in - and enjoyed their presence! Here's the story... While enjoying dinner (and beers) at an outdoor table of a restaurant in Astrodome, Tacloban, we witnessed this group of youngsters suddenly sing at a table next to us. We said " okay, fine " - since " Christmas Caroling " in the country is usually until 5JAN . Accompanied by a guitar and a cajón, they sang non-Xmas songs admirably well! We knew they would next hop to our table, so my driver prepared to challenge them. He asked them to sing a song he just sang at the video-oke, "You've Got A Friend" ! After he...

Feast of the 3 Kings caught me in Tacloban, with nothing to do tomorrow, whatever the reason was! So, me, a friend and my driver went to Astrodome for dinner & beer! Found this "new" place (that we knew was named something else before). Ah these restaurants & bars around Astrodome keep coming and going - since after Yolanda! This one is now named burp! with an exclamation. And we said let's try it! First attraction: their menu is not an "album". It's just a single page, and we liked it! Oh yes, there are people who don't like the 'complication' of so many choices. Kami! That chicken thing tasted 'standard', but the sauce was fantastic. Plus, I had this! Ribs w/ a sauce fit for Pinoys ( not too sour ). Driver had that too and agrees with me. My friend had pork belly and said it tasted good. I tried it, oo nga, malambot din! Proof? They asked for an "extra rice" each! Ako? di na kinaya, malaki yung kanin! We...

I have lately been passing by this rather new restaurant, so I had to check it out. Nothing much to shout-to-the-whole-world-about , I guess. I didn't hear it being hyped-up nor did/do I hear it in the Taclobanons' daily buzz . But for you and me who do not cook, yet already (virtually) a resident, any new resto or eatery is worth a peep, right? So, in I went on a Friday night, primarily just curious, though also looking for dinner. Well hmmm, the son-of-a-beach in me got somehow titillated by those waverunners and speedboats parked by the entrance path. Conversely, my driver didn't like it as it meant that he had to park our vehicle on the busy streetside of Real St. (Sagkahan)! In fairness to my driver, Real St. (Sagkahan), is (was?) part of the National Highway, and parking is not even supposed to be allowed on either side. But, this is Pilipinas! You park outside that fence, by the roadside! Anyway... I see that this restaurant is a dainty little place ...

All Aboard! Okay boarded. I was last in. Soon as I stepped into this plane, they closed the door! So I settled into my seat and appreciated the earth-toned, kind-of-airy surroundings. Hindi sya 'cheapeepai' tingnan like all budget airlines are - in bold reds or yelllows or oranges or blacks - na para kang nasa kids' play area, tadtad ng advertising stickers na na-aagnas na o di-kaya natutuklap na or both! Ganyan ang budget airlines, di ba? Here, interiors are respectably cool, parang PAL or other Full Service Carriers (FSCs). And look at the bulkhead (front wall), me round mistletoe pang nalalaman. Sosyalin ! Ahehe, Christmas Day kasi kahapon! Yep, all of Vietnam does celebrate Christmas , even if they are non-Christians. And Vietnam Air (VN) joins-in with refined elegance! Uncommon Seat Nomenclature! Let me just call it "uncommon" for it's not "unique", I think. Just a little different from many other airliners, especially ours in the ...