Philippine Travel Notes

I know I would be coming to this place a number of times, thus the title of this article! Entering town center from the north (Dulag), no more big trees by the roadside as before Yolanda. But, like others, I could discern, this town is recovering bit-by-bit (if I can call it that), as evidenced by houses, stores and other public infrastructure being 'resurrected'! Entering the gate, I could still see ruins... oh, that old house is the "old" municipal hall! It houses their local PNP and COMELEC, but, affected by Yolanda just the same. Look at the roof, a big portion is actually just patched with some plastic and/or canvass material. I wish it could/would still repair this building. Tiny, but looks nice and must be historic. Anyway, the real municipal building is that one on the left (red roof), but, also did not escape Yolanda's wrath. Oh, do you know where their legislative council holds office and regular sessions? At that little shack on the right! Well, at...

These are just some of them actually, as there had been many. But it is already more than 9 months after super typhoon Yolanda(Haiyan) and they're still here! This one named M/V Eva Jocelyn really made a very high climb up from the normal sea water level. Its nose now even touches the main road that trucks and buses must avoid it! It is a big and heavy metal thing in the first place, so even a heavy truck will probably easily crumble to pieces on impact hehe! Thus, better to avoid her, especially at night! M/V Eva Jocelyn is the most prominent amongst these big ships since she is the one that went a bit too high and far from the sea. I imagine that would have been some 400 or so meters from the water's edge, and the height is unbelievable! No no no no, I do not wish to discuss here how many houses this ship crushed or how many lives were wasted here. Look at the red arrow on top of the picture. It is not a street lamp. It is that of the ship! then look at the neon-green lin...

This is an eatery in the middle of nowhere, but considered a 'lifeline" by many 'visitors'! It is big enough to fit a hundred (or mire?) diners with an expansive parking area! I even think the owner must have spent an equal amount concreting this parking area to that of building the restaurant itself! Then again, they could be up to something bigger. Haiyan Foodstop is a restaurant along the highway in Brgy Bislig, a quiet and sparsely populated outskirt of Tanauan Leyte. This is the town's southern end just before Tolosa. This entrance is just aesthetics, since it's actually open on the sides - open air, no aircon. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with the usual Pinoy Food that's really nothing to shout about. They started as a turo-turo restaurant, but they now have 'a la carte' menu. They also have local delicacies like "binagol", "chocolate moron", "maja blanca" et al hehe. What sets it apart from othe...

This would be my first visit to a 'recovering institution' where I might say I am really actively involved in the operations. But don't worry, my stories henceforth won't dwell on them. My eyes are still alert to look around at places worth visiting.., and the likes! As I said in some of my earlier stories, I have been in and out of Leyte and Samar many times before and after Yolanda. But in many of those visits or 'fly-by' opportunities, I was just either 'curious and stopped to peep' or 'incidentally passing by the area'... This time, I'm starting to go around with another purpose - to participate in the Yolanda recovery activities, offered by the kind organization I volunteered with. And it is not easy. Not easy seeing all the destruction, the havoc, the loss that Yolanda has wrecked unto this region of the country. But it's past the grieving and weeping period. Time to rise up! See that black roof of the temporary classroom? It...

Yes dear readers and followers, your PinoyTraveler is on the way to Tacloban, and this will be a "frequent" destination, or what might even become a 'temporary residence'. The itchy feet in me, myself and I has just agreed to help out in whatever way I can, in the recovery efforts over at the two big islands of Samar and Leyte... so here I go... Not that it's a first time for me since Yolanda. I have been visiting the region often since November. In fact, I was just there last 11 to 12 August! But this time, I have signed up for something that will need me to be at the Yolanda stricken areas of Region VIII - and I am officially expected to be in Tacloban today (I had my briefing all of yesterday). Thus.., This should be a day to remember for me... Will I still be able to roam around the country and post my stories on this blog? Not sure about that. But, in my mind, I am saying, I guess I could still post stories about the many places and activities I wil...

This morning, I was already waiting for flight boarding at the Tacloban airport long before my plane even arrived from Manila. When it did, I watched with gusto because I just knew, like you do, once they're done deplaning passengers and cargoes, it would have been my time to board, right? Yep, can't be late, meeting 2PM, Ortigas Center hehe! When the plane arrived though, I was surprised to see that 'humongous whatever' being pushed by a number of ground personnel towards the aircraft. And it was obvious, they were having a hard time moving that heavy 'thing'. Yeah, I said to myself 'Ano kaya yun'?! That's the one I marked with a blue circle in the picture below. Oh, okay, alright, so that is what passengers on the front section used to disembark. First time I saw such a thing being used in this country. Well, I think I have seen something like it (from a distance) somewhere - was it IndigoAir in New Delhi last year? But what we are used to seei...

A new one in the city - well, at least for me, since it was my first time to check-in at this hotel! Someone reserved a room for me some weeks ago, because, they say, August is a really busy month for the accommodation industry in this city (fiesta is August 24). That is the facade. Parking is only good for 3 vehicles, since that rightmost slot where a buggy car sits is reserved for the owner. There are usually two of them buggies parked on that slot, or that buggy already there and the owner's pickup truck, or the owner's motorbike and a buggy and/or his car, and so on in various combinations! But there is no worry, just diagonally across this facade is a gated open space owned by the same proprietor, where you can park your vehicle if those 3 slots are taken! That orangy lighted area is the lobby, front-desk and a nicely appointed breakfast nook (or eating area - whatever you may want to call it)! As you can see this is not a big hotel, but the ground floor has an airy feel...