Philippine Travel Notes

Good Morning as in Maayong Buntag Merida! Not Buenos Dias since I was not in Spain, nor was I in the capital of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula hehe. I was just (still) on the western seaboard of the province of Leyte, entawon! But yes, like its namesake in Mexico, this Merida got its name from the same name/place in Extremadura, if at all it still matters! And oh, this was not my first time in this town, as you may have read from a memorable trip >> here << And that same 'memorable trip' made me tell my self "I must see their church and municipal building this time around". Hmm, was I successful this time around? That would be a "no" and a "yes", at least! "No", I was not successful in getting to see the inside of their church - it was still closed - argh! I understood last time, as I was already late and I was dripping wet! But now, it was only 9:40AM, why? Ah, not willing to be too disappointed, I inserted my hands ...

Nothing much really. This was just a regular run from one locality to another, which, was not my first time anyway, especially that all of a sudden it became a gloomy day. Oh well, and BUT, since I jotted some notes down, I opted to post them here anyway. I feel like I will need to revisit these infos later :) First interesting sighting (for me, at least) was this tricycle named "Cor Cor Rent A Car".., My fresh morning mind was titillated, it says rent-a-car yes, but it is a tricycle. Hmm, they also rent out trikes in Ormoc? If so, that would be interesting (and probably a first)! Or maybe that trike is a service of the rent-a-car company. If so, then my eyebrows would crease, since, wheh, it wouldn't seem to jibe! And then I saw this car was business that had that wifi logo. Hmm, free wifi while you wait? It's not as if that is out-of-this-world or unique or something to call-home-about - as it really is already a thing in many cities on earth, right? But to see i...

From Merida, my next destination on this joyride was the town of Isabel - only 20kms (or less?) via the coastal road. I have to emphasize "coastal road" since there is a (new) bypass road via the mountains, which is purportedly only about 2kms shorter than that original coastal pass! Hmm, does that matter? Doesn't it cast doubts in your mind? It did on mine, of course. But I gather (from reliable sources) that having that new road via the mountains has been proven to be definitely faster - by five minutes haha! For today's joyride, I had to use the (original) coastal road since I intended to see the existing touristic whatevers worth a peep or even exploration by you and me, the curious. Later na yung bypass, okay? So here we go! As we exited Merida, all the way to entering Isabel, there were a scattering of old wooden houses.., Not anymore that many, as most of them are being refurbished to 'modernity'. But there are still those that evoke some memori...

So the boat came with a smiling boatman… OMG, I wanted to die that instant! Give me that boat to cross even just a river and I would think ten times before I ride in it. But this was a desperate time. I asked if that tiny little thing has already ever crossed from Pilar to anywhere mainland Leyte. Nita said “many times” since the owner uses it for many errands and emergencies, including helping in their Bantay Dagat operations. I asked what its capacity was - since I could see that it looked already “full” with just the boatman on board. Another in the now crowding group of folks said it can take two passengers but ideally only 1 plus the boatman. Duh! I had no choice, I had to keep saying “yes, yes, yes” to whatever anybody said to me in terms of assuring me that I could reach mainland Leyte safely. I think I was like a zombie that time, numb in the brain, just following instructions anybody told me. I do think now, even my fingernails must have secretly been trembling at the thought ...

I said in the previous story I was back at the Pilar port early at 2:17PM, right? Yes I was! And I still had time for beer. Two bottles in fact! I was too early for the 4PM return trip of M/B JunMar to Ormoc. It was not even around yet as it would still have been coming from Puertobello and Kawit, then this port to take me back to Ormoc. So why was I left behind? Here’s the story… About 2:57PM, I thought I’d go out unto the halfway mark of the long pier as that tower (whatever that is) is breezier and has good views of everywhere. My habal-habal driver already paid, but still with me, whisked me there – and we bought one more bottle of beer each. Happy! He even had to go back to town to buy for me an extra pack of Marlboro Lghts as we were running out of ‘supply’! That tower / waiting area (whatever) was a happy place with a number of people when I walked in. I realized this is a wonderful strolling area for some of Pilar’s folks during breezy afternoons. Nita was there - the woman be...

Getting out of Palompon? Not as I would have wanted it. But there were alternatives! Happy and full with that delectable lunch at Wemdee's , I proceeded to the transport terminal, just diagonally across Wemdee's at an intersection on main road JP Rizal Street. About 11:40AM I was already asking around at the transport terminal where the vans going Tacloban would be. Only to be told, they were right in front of me pala. Pahiya ako! 😶How easily I forgot, this is the very same place I arrived at yesterday from Tacloban! BUT.., none was taking-off until 2PM! Folks in the area told me that 2PM on a Sunday until 5PM even 6 or 7PM is the "rush hour" for those who work or study in Tacloban. Thus, oo nga naman, vans instead opt to queue for passengers at about those times - where they are always sure to have a full load of passengers without waiting that long. Not a thing to worry about though. Oh ha?! Yabang moment! Having been in and out of this region the past 10 m...

There are various modes in crossing the sea from Cebu City to Ormoc. You have a choice of various crafts from the big ships for passengers and cargo to even bigger RORO barges. But the most popular are the fast crafts namely WG&A’s Supercat and the Weesam Express. Who traverses the Cebu – Ormoc sea and vice versa? Well, mostly people from Biliran, Leyte and Samar. But in my crossings, I have encountered folks bound to or returning from Camotes Islands in Cebu province – even folks from/to the east-central parts of Mindanao. Exciting! Let me tell you all about them. To/From Leyte. Well, if you are coming from Cebu and the other visayan islands, the best way to approach Biliran, Leyte and Samar is via Ormoc City. Especially for those who live in or visit the north and northwestern parts like Biliran, Ormoc is a very crucial transit point. While there are also sea craft from Cebu to Baybay, Hilongos and Bato (all in the province of Leyte), many folks still find Ormoc more convenient. ...

In my  earlier story I said "as always, let's start from the very beginning - my departure from Tacloban". This was it. Rare funny and fun! You see the long line of yellow umbrellas by the side of the building? Those were passengers walking to their yellow plane parked to the right of our PAL plane ready to go. They were walking on the tarmac, but were "driven away" and asked to walk by the side of the terminal because my PAL flight was ready to pushback. And I quickly txtd " alisin ang mga alipin sa daan, lilipad na ang aking kamahalan" ! The reply was " iroy "! Hahaha, one of those in yellow umbrellas was a friend I was earlier joking with as we waited for boarding - we weren't sure which of our planes would go first! Eh nauna kami heheheee! Oist! 'Di nyo naitatanong, magaling din ako sa pang-aalaska, aba at kahit pang-aalipusta! I sent these: Yep, I sent that to the friend who was in that line. And my caption was ...