Philippine Travel Notes

Saw this again, parked in front of Office of the Vice President in Nulatula Tacloban. Wala lang hehe, nakita, nilapitan, pinektyuran. Yun lang! A good looking bus anyway. Okay okay fine.., the reason I took that photo (I even wanted to board and peep inside - kaso sarado, walang tao, Sunday kasi eh) was... it is still a hot topic on social media discussions, not just in Tacloban but even in the whole Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) ! Like what? Like lately, the topic has been some jeep & bus drivers of/to the northern barangays were complaining that their earnings are affected by this 'Libreng Sakay'. The funny thing is: it has now become A Household War - of fathers (drivers) versus mothers (their wives, mainly vendors) and students (their children in college, even HS) ! Haruy adto na! Hala bibra sasari kamo! What is Libreng Sakay Program " initiative of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) which aims to ease the daily burden of commuting by p...

No long tale to tell. I happened by the Sto. Niño Church of Tacloban for the 5:30PM Sunday Mass. Being a little late, I had nowhere else to stand but way back outside. I was aware of the nice warm weather and interesting clouds. So I clicked some! The first photo I took at 1740H was still too bright and bland, though I could already see some orangy wash. Ah it went well with the ongoing sermon - about politicians! But I waited a little bit more until communion time, and clicked again heheh! Luckily, the church outdoor lights also started coming on. And all I could say was: Oh Wow! The 2nd and 3rd photos in the above collage, I took at 1810H. Ayun o! Bursting with colors na! Oy I didn't edit anything. Their colors just came out interestingly like that! If you noticed, the 3rd panel even captured the 'almost-half-moon'. Achievement! Was it the Vivo Phone? Maybe. But I'm only interested in the finished product hehe! Why the fuss anyway? Ah, I just remembered ...

For now, maybe. But it looks like that's the new normal our planet is headed towards. Here's the story: I went early to Tacloban's Save More (near the pier) for some urgent errands. As in I was there before it opened. Done at 9:37AM, I was out to ride a jeep, and saw this: That scene could look normal to the unfamiliar or unconcerned. But having been in and out of this city for 11 years now, I just knew something was not quite the usual. At first I thought "parang lumiit ang kalsada" . Then it quickly turned into a bit of alarm and amusement. I told myself "ata, bakit umakyat na ang dagat, sasakay din ng jeep"? Anupangaba! Sugod Pinoy Traveler! Osyosohin alamin bakit kay-ano nasugad! Da! Total puzzler (to me at least). On a hot sunny morning, why would there be a 'flood'? It was not like that years ago. Well, things change - for the worst, very unfortunately! That's no ordinary flooding. Look at the water, it is clear clean gree...

Let's go (na talaga) ! This was it! To Northern Samar's Pacific Coast I went! How My D-Day Started D-Day (departure day ba!), 2 days after I went to reserve this ride, 06:51AM, I was at 7 Eleven beside the highway, waiting for a call. None so far. It was still early anyway. If the van left their downtown terminal exactly 7AM as scheduled, it probably would take 15~20 minutes max, to where I stood at Nulatula. Not a long wait, but anxious! Enough time for me to ransack the shelves of 7 Eleven! Marlights, seldom do hinter town sari-sari stores have that; Coke Zero, but I cannot cram those in my backpack. I said 'let me drink at least one can before I fast on this beverage for the next few days.' Argh! But happy thoughts lang, maglalakbay tayo! Oks na, sinamahan pa ng Siopao! I usually don't eat breakfast, but hello, this was to be a 7, 8 to even 9-hour ride . Who knows if the driver would even stop anywhere and for how long. Ang Hypoglycemia! Alrigh...