Philippine Travel Notes

This is still that coffee joint across the church on Tacloban's Juan Luna Street. I said I'll be back, so I came back! To grab something other than coffee and to shoot photos, as promised to some of you my dear readers - masunurin akong bata e hehe ! Actually, I was here yesterday for a meeting, before I strolled the 'about 250 meters' to Hotel Alejandro for another meetup. But I shot only 1 pic at Jose Karlo's. Busy eh. Today, even before I ordered, I started taking pics of this aliw eclectic coffee shop. This is what you directly face as soon as you enter the glass door (entrance): More tables after that graffiti wall . Stairs to a spacious 2 nd floor area is also in there. Still by the entrance door, this would be to your left. Halata naman di ba? This is/was a nice home, converted to a coffee shop. But, they retained the many residential abubots and cheche-bureche of the family. Impressive! Well I don't know with your tastes, basta ako, I...

Emerging from that breakfast at DSI (that means Dahil Sa Iyo oy! ), I went on with my walk along Burgos St., back to Lai Rico to prepare for meeting uli at Hotel Alejandro. Beside DSI (just one house/building after), is an old house I wanted to see. This: I always liked looking at that old house ever since my youthful years. It was wooden and old-era-style. Well, it still is, though already concreted, yet retaining the old look. If you noticed, the structures on the sides and at the back are new (even unfinished) and bigger. They do not just seem to be 'rebuilding after Yolanda'. They are growing. And I have a "story" about that old house. It became Rosvenil Pensione , long before Yolanda came. Though I haven't stayed there, I already heard about 'what it was like' . Let's not anymore recount 'what it was like' basta something that wouldn't have been on my radar (before Yolanda) other than "one of the best-looking ol...

I went there today for breakfast, to relive the memories of yesteryears hehehe! I am not a breakfast person, but on my morning walk today, I saw Dahil Sa Iyo . That made me try their food again - after so many years - lest I forget how they taste. Da! I knew there would be something light that I can have for breakfast. And tsadaaan: Tinola! Very light to the stomach, that's why most Warays eat that with rice. Am not a coffee person too, so the tinola broth is delectably best for me , than hot chocolate . Well okay, I also got that orangy thing ( that I don't know the name of ), because it just came out of the kitchen, while I lined-up at the counter -na wala naman pila at 7AM! Basta mabango yan, na pork ribs yata. Tunay na langhap-sarap, that's why I got one order. Heavy meal! It reminded me of my youthful days, na nakaka-apat na rice ako! Even my parents then, napapa-extra rice sa lugar na ito! This was 1 of Tacloban's "it places" in the '8...

Meetings & meet ups in Palo & Tacloban done, it was time for My Royal Highness to rest. Where? Hiyay! I forgot to reserve a hotel room anywhere, which happens often! That would have been normal for me - I usually get a room when and where needed. Except that Tacloban's hotel room availability has not been normal after ST Yolanda. I was the one who kept telling everyone there's a dearth of hotel rooms around here and voila, ako pa ang nakalimot mag-reserve. Gabi na, unwise to go Catbalogan. Ta! My last meeting was at Hotel Alejandro, so I asked their front desk if there was any room available, none . The kind staff helped me contact other hotels, none as in zero ! Pause. Breathe-in, breathe-out. Calma lang. Even my ka-meeting was already trying to pull strings, wala talaga. Until the waiter, who heard our conversations with front desk staff, said: sir overnight manla ada, dida ha Lai Rico, bangin may bakante pa hira ! I instantly went there to ask (it...

Let's continue from the previous story . Uneventful frastcraft ride from Cebu, on what turned out to be a bright sunny day in Ormoc. A Grand Tours van was at Ormoc port's parking lot, seats 1 and 2 available! So I climbed-in. Wow! Oops, then I asked if this was going to Tacloban hahaha! Yes it was, buti na lang. No need to walk about 500 meters on Rizal St., to their terminal! Noted for me and you me dear fellow travelers. Grand Tours (like many other VHires) are back to deploying some vans right at the port area - in time for fastcraft arrivals. Convenient! [it was stopped sometime ago, I don't know why, but good that they are allowed back] Off we were at 11:15AM. Yes odto na! But I didn't feel hungry - more of sleepy hehe! Yet, I still had the presence of mind to shoot pictures of interesting scenes like this: No no no, wala koy labot sa trapik as this is Bonifacio St., laging matrapik dito, ever! I was looking at that truck ahead, loaded with a humung...

Three days of normal life (silhig laba hayhay palansa) in Cebu over. Let's get moving! I was going to Tacloban as my base of operations (aba me ganun na? yez meron na!) Whereas, my first order of business was to be in Palo, so I proceeded directly there. Ayos ba ang language ko? Aheheheh, puro like that ang mga naririnig at nakikita ko lateley sa'king mga nakakasabay maglakbay. Napapagaya na me! Nakakahawa eh ! Gusto ko yung "I proceeded directly there" - na ang ibig sabihin actually is: doon ako bumaba sa V-Hire na sinakyan ko mula sa Ormoc, karay-karay ang mga kargada ko! Okay sige serious na, let's start from the very beginning... At 7:15AM, I was at the 2GO Terminal for my 8AM trip. I think this is still Pier 4. I last used Supercat 01DEC13 Ormoc to Cebu. All I can remember now is Oceanjet Pier 1. Note to you and to me, I arrived at this port at 7:15AM - for my 8AM trip. Remember this ? I already learned my lesson hahaha! That, I think, i...