Philippine Travel Notes

Is there such a thing? None! But it can be done via connecting flights, without touching MNL, which is what I did! Travel time was about 9hrs, including transit time. My calculator says this would have been about the same duration if I traveled by land. But this time, flying was more comfortable, and cheaper! Here's how it went.., I took the Cebu Pacific early morning flight from Tacloban to Cebu. This photo taken at 0538H! If at 5:38AM I already clicked this photo, imagine what unholy time at dawn I must have awoken.., and what time I must have taken a bath, left home and so on! Hmm, what time did I sleep last night? Did I? At 0616H, morning still misty, my plane was already on a take-off roll. Of course I was still groggy! Oh, if you notice a pinkish glow on the left edge of the pic, it was a sleepy Mr. Sun attempting to shine! Hey, it's late at night now as I write this, and I laughed at seeing my video clip during this take off run! I will put that somewhere here wh...

One more from Butuan City! I chuckled at reading this eatery’s name. Why? Because they probably meant "amigo". Well, then again, one of you my avid readers might come forward to educate me that it is a surname? Okay fine, I’ll believe whatever you say! I still smile at reading the name anyway. Well yes, the interesting signs of our times!

Does this depict the condition of our postal service nowadays? Look at the flag pole, It obviously has been chopped-off, probably sold to a junk shop hehe. Look at that tricycle. Looks like its been there, in that ‘melancholy pose’ for some time now hehe. Ah well, the incriminating signs of our times…

Oh, the fruits of having nothing to do hehe! It was an almost dead day in Surigao City as my plans to hit the nearby islands were thwarted by the now you see them now you don’t combination of clouds, sun and more clouds. It rained last night and yesterday so I doubted I would enjoy going to them nearby islands. Reasons? Well, how can I walk about under the rain, how can I take pictures, how can I enjoy lazing around and so on. Who me? No am not afraid of the big waves… I’m frightened, okay?! Ah hehe so I thought of things… What if I go to Tandag? Hmm, pwede! How about returning to Butuan? Fine too! But wait… I remember there was a resort that I saw by the side of the lake when I traveled from Butuan to Surigao sometime ago! Ah yes, it was named Almont! That was just it... next thing I knew, I was already at Surigao City’s bus terminal waiting for my Bachelor Bus to go! Whoa! Problem, the conductor couldn’t recognize what or where it was that I wanted to go, so he wasn’t sure of how muc...

Another day of roaming around Butuan and its surroundings was over and I was ready to reward myself with dinner. I planned to take dinner at any of the better, more upscale places, if any. And omegosh it was just a few steps away from my inn. So, dinner was at Almont Hotel! Oops, that is not Almont Inland Resort. Am referring to the Almont Hotel right in the middle of the city just beside my dear old Luciana Inn. Yep, all three places are owned by the same family. First, I asked if Almont Hotel and Luciana shared the same kitchen since they’re just beside each other. The reply was no, thus, I proceeded. Almont Hotel’s spacious lobby actually doubles as some kind of a coffee shop. Half of it is dotted with tables for fine dining. The whole area has minimalist look sanz flowery frills or intricate designs. Even the furniture is simple and elegant without so many curves or out-of-this-world designs. And, the place is tastefully illuminated with subdued yellow lights via dimmer switches. A...

Many of you may not have heard about this place yet. I just wanted to pass by this locality as I was curious as to how could it have been a city! I breezed by this town once, some years ago and I wonder what mega-improvements or economic miracles have been done to make it become a city. The trike ride from Magallanes was uneventful and I was at Cabadbaran in just a short countryside ride! Well, the road from Magallanes was good, so I thought I was in for a grand go-see of a never heard but beautiful city! Entering the city proper by a road intersection, I saw an old house but renovated with new paint. Beautiful! But I knew I would just create issues if I asked to enter and see the insides of that residence hehe. So I stayed on the trike until we reached the end point of the trip – which is the “mercado”. With no prior detailed information about this place (hard to get one), I approached a cop, yes a policeman in that blue uniform and a handgun on his side! I asked where the city center...

Do you ever even know where that is? No its not that swanky place at the intersection of EDSA and South Super Highway! This Magallanes is a town next to Butuan City (going northeast to the sea) and at the mouth of the big river. What made me go there? Just to see what the town has since it claims to have been the site of the very first Catholic Mass in Mindanao. Plus, it is the location of the purported oldest tree standing in the country. Going there I already knew from www that the best way to go to Magallanes was by boat, so I asked around where I could find those boats. Lucky me, from my rolling tour yesterday, I learned that the Philippine Ports Authority area which is where the boats depart from is just near Luciana Inn. It’s an easy trike ride away but I opted to walk the distance (just about 600 meters) along the side of the river. It is not really a “port” or even a “wharf” as you would see in most places. It is more of a park by the bank of a river! There is no bustling human...