Philippine Travel Notes

Just about noontime kanina, I was not really in a good mood as I arrived at my Tacloban abode - on a weekend, due to some #$%$^ exigencies. Then I heard some singing that brightened my eyes and flapped my ears. Whoa, I literally dropped my bag at the gate and ran towards a neighbor's house where the singing seemed to be coming from. Note: I do not know this neighbor (yet) but I entered their gate anyway (yan ang totoong gate-crash hehe) to shoot this video hahaha! And, just as I thought... carolers, in the waray-waray old style way! So here it is: Akala nyo tapos na?! Nope! I followed them, thinking they would sing at another house hehe. But, argh, they sang at the little corner store where there were a lot of pedicab drivers etc hanging out in the area, and they even crowded around the singers. So, I waited, thinking I could follow them to another house. But they sat down just outside the store, to eat bread and drink sodas - yun kasi ang ibinigay sa kanila after singing. Har...

My title for this story should have been: I Saw Kalanggaman Island On A Flight From Tacloban To Cebu ! But that's too long, so I instead wrote the title above: "Aerial View of Kalanggaman Island". Pwede na! Now as you already know, I always try my best to do a "blow-by-blow" account of my travels, so here I go... starting from the time I left Tacloban, until arrival in Cebu via PAL's 9:35AM morning flight, PR2237. I was actually just transiting in Cebu going somewhere else. But let's do that in my next story! At 8:35AM, I was already inside Tacloban Airport's pre-departure lounge, ready and waiting to board. While that wasn't happening yet, I tinkered with the "panoramic setting" of my phone's camera. I have to somehow: 1] make use of what I already have; and 2] keep up with today's gadgets or technologies! Pwede na di ba? Masabi man lang we know how to fully use our phones hehehe. Do you? Travel is learning, as we...

This was another of those days where I was returning from Tacoban to Cebu. A late afternoon flight on a sporadically rainy day. Nothing much I thought. But as I keep saying, every trip is different, even if it is on the same path you take everyday. Since I always have my phone, I still take pics here and there. This time, a darker-than-usual day, I thought I'd play with the video - for whatever it may give me. Without expecting, what became the highlight of my otherwise boring evening flight was this: That is just another evening view of San Juanico Bridge , yet it still commands my amazed attention. It fares well in my stories like here , here and many more (just search for them on this blog). But evening views of the bridge from up in the clouds are really captivating - you'd wish you had a pro camera not a mere cellular phone! Although, tingnan mo ang pics & vids ko, mukhang kaya naman ng phone lang! With nothing much to do, it became automatic that I also sho...

The Oxford Dictionary defines pe·des·tri·an as a person walking along a road or in a developed area ; Cambridge Dictionary defines it as a person who is walking, especially in an area where vehicles go . Eh paano ang aso, pusa, manok, kambing, AND in this case, si Islaw Kalabaw and family, and friends? 6:30AM on a rainy Wednesday, and I was running late for an engagement in Guiuan Eastern Samar. My driver knew the situation, and was flying on the road (without me even requesting), but I liked it. Shh! Somewhere along Brgy. Diit in Tacloban, the vehicle suddenly slowed down, intermittently stopping. I asked why, driver jokingly smilingly pointed ahead saying " sir, unruly pedestrian on the road " (yes, in English pa)! Easy to grasp hehe, I knew he meant those carabaos. Not one, not two, but many of them! I curiously watched how he would 'manage' this very tricky "overtaking" situation. I was running (very) late for Guiuan, but this was such an int...

I was lining up to get some cash at the BDO ATM Machine at Robinsons Mall in Sagkahan, Tacloban. It had a very long line in front of it - I expected that, because that is always the case, I was 11th to front. However, all those before me would spend a very short time on the machine, then they would leave. I said to my self, "ah maybe they were just doing a 'balance check' - better for me, line was moving fast! When I was 3rd on the line, 2 men came, went straight to tinker on the machine - literally opening the insides (I was actually excited as this was the first time I was seeing the 'innards' of an ATM machine)! Probably to erase the boredom and anxiety of many who were on that line, I half-hollered at the guys saying "hoy, authorized ba kamo hiton"?, "how do we know you are not robbers"? Some folks laughed. Some people left the line without saying anything! The 2 guys paused, looked at each other, fished for their IDs from their ...

I like dogs, in general. I can play with dogs that know how to play with people, and not bite them. I do not like the mongrel-stray-types, that bark for no reason at all - and ever ready to chew upon people. I'm not a dog lover, if that means sharng a bed and my meals with them. I just like playing with them, not looking after their poo and/or grooming them or dressing them up like people. No, I am not that. During my childhood years (until I eventually went to find a job), I lived in a house where dogs were a no-no, though cats were aplenty. That said, if I say I like a dog, it probably is likable to you dog lovers. Now... there are dogs over at Yolanda's Eatery in Tacloban, that look really ugly to many people, to me and even to the owners themselves! But for reasons I do not know, I like them - and they like me too! They are 'free-roaming', meaning they are never caged nor tied by the restaurant owners, but they are not (that) dirty. But if you ta...

I happened by the Gaisano Capital Mall along Justice Romualdez St. (across SaveMore) and saw this... Cute, but I don't think that is how puppies are sold nowadays. I can't say it is illegal (I don't know the laws about pet sales). This scene just reminded me of a similar " pet peddling " in Cebu way back 2010. If I may compare this one to the Cebu scene, ah there was only that cage with two puppies, while back in Cebu there were so many of them! These are not the 'fancy breeds' but are cute enough as puppies. It appeared to me that the manong selling puppies is an "incidental vendor" - meaning he sells them because they are "extra" as his dog gave birth to many. I'm not too sure I want to believe him hehe. In the Cebu street scene, vendors there told me they really breed dogs to be sold. Whatever, howsoever, all puppies are cute. I just can't have any because of my lifestyle - they'll die of hunger when I travel! He...

In Tacloban, one late afternoon... We have seen this a number of times in our lives, right? At first, I thought this was just some show-off stupidity or "arte lang", "pasikat lang". As I'm not a frequent motorbike rider, I learned just lately, that some science (if I may call it that) is involved in this 'stupidity'. 'Economics and Ergonomics', probably ! Well, necessity leads to discovery. And necessity of those with limited resources leads to these quirky unimaginable solutions, that may be called 'idiotic' by rich people, but 'brilliant' to us the 'have-nots'! The wealthy may give up on things, but the poor will think of something. That pic is an example! I had the distinguished honor of discussing that photo with a friend over bottles of beer, nakisawsaw pa ang mga driver namin in that hilarious 'conference'. Conclusion: para-paraan lang ang buhay natin! Our analysis... Problem 1: You need to buy/re...

Good day world! We're on my homeward-bound segment of this sojourn from Philippines to Vietnam and back. But the route going there was decidedly distinct from the going back! I'm now in Kuala Lumpur going to Cebu ! Yes I was already at KLIA 2 in this pic, before entering the check-in counters. If you've been reading all my stories I am sure you've seen a similar photo (and story) previously . I like this side of the building. The vantage is good for plane-spotting in the mornings (because the sun rises from behind), although sunsets are awesome to watch here too! You will see the setting sun right on that part of the horizon. Anyway, that partly-hidden building on the right edge of the picture is Tune Hotels where I stayed last night. Walking distance with a dedicated walkway, with an elevator! No, not that covered walkway that you see in that pic, that is going to AirAsia headquarters building. Mas sosyalin yung kay Tune Hotels! I am guessing, that parking a...