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

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

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

Ormoc Villa Hotel is the same old grand hotel that had been so since I have been passing by the city. It does show signs of ageing here and there, but its "villa" charm still remains. In the middle of a city! I'll be honest, this time, this hotel was not my first choice for an overnight stay. This was a 3rd choice! First choice, Sabin, was full with attendees of an affluent family's event (a wedding?); plus, a battalion of government employees holding an in-house seminar ek-ek. Second choice, Hotel Don Felipe, would have been just fine, but there was an issue that required us to look elsewhere. Then, (after Don Felipe) we happened by this place, and I said "dito na nga lang"! Ayun, I ended up at Ormoc Villa Hotel, gladly! Anyway, let us start with "last night", for that was the time we checked-in at this hotel.., That was my room. Still the good old "villa" style (except that the ageing airconditioner is noisier now)! If you ask me