5 friends, 4 days, 3 thousand+ pesos, 2 sandbars, and 1 memorable Leyte trip
It's been almost a year since I went to Tacloban with Marv and my high school barkada and 7 months after Leyte has been hit by Supertyphoon Yolanda or Haiyan to the rest of the world. For those of you who are unaware, this typhoon, the strongest one recorded, hit my country (Philippines) in November 2013, causing massive destruction and a high number of deaths.
After the storm hit Leyte, I immediately sent text messages to our contacts there but I received no reply, possibly because the phone lines were down.
It took me quite some time to finish this blog post because I was knee-deep with work right after our Leyte trip and by the time, I had a free schedule, it was just a few weeks after the incident, and it was just too sad for me.
I realized that I had to finish it because Leyte needed tourists and sharing this will educate people about the breathtaking places (sandbars!) in Leyte -- helping in my own little way.
Nah, just kidding, Kalanggaman Island may not have been discovered yet during MacArthur's era. However, I found myself saying the exact same words when we were leaving Leyte.
To be honest, I was hesitant to pursue this Leyte trip (which we got from a seatsale back in December) because of three reasons:
- I didn't have much money
- Accuweather predicted strong rains all throughout our stay
- B-an wouldn't be able to go due to work conflicts; hence, budget may go higher
So what made me decide to go? My thirst for adventure and white sand beaches and also because it was one of the few times I'll be travelling with my HS friends and it'll break my heart to let them down.
Preparing for this Leyte trip was crazy. I was swamped with deadlines and meetings and could barely squeeze in time to finish our itinerary. What made it worse was that the places we wanted to go to weren't really "popular" tourist destinations; thus, looking for information on how to go there, what to do, where to stay, was a bit tricky.
But the most difficult part of this trip, being me, was HOW TO PACK LIGHT. Since we will be jumping from one town to another (via various modes of transportation: bus, van, tricycle, boat), we needed to make sure that our bags won't weigh us down or make mobility almost impossible. What made packing light more challenging is that we needed to bring camping gear and other stuff that would protect us from the rain (umbrellas, jackets, lona, plastic bags, etc).
Honestly, I was awfully nervous of camping in the rain but I knew that a day trip won't be enough. Marv assured me that we'd be able to pull it off provided that we really prepare for it. And with this, he meant waterproof-ing ourselves.
Day 0
June 15, Saturday
Via Cebu Pacific, my airline of choice (haha sorry, JG Summit employee here), Ian, Trixie, Mox, Marv, and I reached Tacloban.
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| No, me and the girl do not know each other. She must have found me amusing. |
We sat comfortably inside the van as we were drove to Welcome Home (WH) Pensione (which has already resumed operations in December 2013, yey). I had booked us an AC room which was good for 5 people and had a private bathroom and cable TV.
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| Who has the cleanest bed?? Hehe. |
After resting and freshening up, we took a quick trip to Robinson's Tacloban to buy camping goods, especially butane, since we weren't allowed to bring this on the plane. I was surprised to see that their mall was huge!
By that time, we were already starving since we skipped lunch to get to the airport in time. Calle Zaragosa was our first destination as we were curious with the bulalo that food bloggers were hyping about.
And boy, it certainly didn't fail us! But I don't have a picture; it was devoured instantly after it was served. Crazy.
Calle Z is owned by Gerry Ruiz who happens to be a photographer hence the photo decorations. Amazing photos which were even more emphasized with the use of the bright red wall. Look at the photo behind Ian's head, the one with the long stretch of sand, that's where we were going!!! I couldn't contain my excitement and I was only calmed down when the bulalo, bangus sisig, and chicken lollipop were served.
Day 1
June 16, Sunday
Our day started at 4:00 AM since we needed to be at the Tacloban van terminal at 5:15 AM to catch the 5:30 AM van to Palompon (as instructed by a blogger). However, we found out that the first trip to Palompon (via bus as there was no vans going there, booo) was at 9:00 AM. Pressed for time, we decided to take the long cut and go to Ormoc first to get a van to Palompon.
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| Don't care if it was raining hard and that we lack sleep. This is how we roll, baby. |
Strong rains didn't stop us from getting to Palompon; we finally reached its Tourism Office past 10:00 AM. Palompon Tourism was developed by Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. It was so organized that tourists who wanted to go to Kalanggaman Island can call the tourism office for bookings; they were open 7 days/week.
When we got there, we were informed that our boat was already waiting for us. But we still had to buy food and supplies at Palompon Public Market. The tourism office had a comfortable lounge as well as bathrooms/shower rooms for tourists who wish to bathe after their trip to the island.
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| Lounge / Waiting Area. Charge your phones as there is no electricity (except for the caretakers) in Kalanggaman |
But what amazed me the most was how strict they were in preserving the island. Before we could embark, we had to listen to a short orientation (surprising, huh).
The tourism officer explained what we could and could not do in the island. Some of the rules were pretty standard (i.e., no littering, no capturing of sea creatures, etc.) but they did not allow bonfires. They also handed us two garbage bags, one was white and the another one was black. Tourists were required to segregate their trash (biodegradable in the white sack; non-biodegradable in the black) and ask the boatmen to carry it back for them to Palompon when going home. It was very heartwarming to know that more and more people are aiming to preserve nature. Good job, Palompon!
The boat we were in was huge as it could fit 15 people -- it was their smallest boat. Boat ride from Palompon to Kalanggaman Island was 45 minutes but it could be longer depending on the size of the waves, which were manageable even if the clouds were angry, very angry, during that time.
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| Pretty strong winds |
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| Look at the color of the sky! Fierce, huh? |
But God was good. There was sunshine when we stepped on the island. But instead of immediately diving in the water, being the "somewhat-experienced-campers" that we are, we instantly looked for a place to pitch our tents and cooked brunch.
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| Ian chilling inside his newly-purchased "waterproof" tent |
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| Finally, we could eat! |
After eating, Mox and Marv decided to cook our dinner because they'd have a hard time fixing our meals when it's already dark. Meanwhile, Ian, Trixie, and I decided to go to the sandbar to take photos (they didn't allow people to swim there because of the changing current).
Trixie told us that there was probably a coral garden near Kalanggaman since the island had white sand and was still filled with broken corals, that were yet to be crushed even more to become sand (oha trivia).
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| This is the view of the camping area from the sandbar. Look how pretty it looks; it's as if two different islets are being connected by a long stretch of sand. |
We went back to our camping area after taking about a hundred photos and found Mox and Marv already in the water. Kalanggaman's swimming area was nice as well. The sand was fine although there were a few small rocks.
Mox was able to find a seahorse (which we put back in the water).
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| They turned into adorable little boys when they saw a seahorse! |
Day 2
June 17, Monday
While everyone was preparing to go to work or school, we woke up early as well to check on the aftermath of the strong rains. It turns out that water came inside Ian's tent (waterproof pala, ah) and he had to transfer to the caretakers' cottage because he didn't want to wake us up.
Overall, we survived camping out, wooohooo! Other campers didn't survive and had carried their tents inside the cottages. The weather was severely gloomy that day and other campers left the area early; hence, having the whole island to ourselves for photo ops!
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| Finally! I was able to visit this island! |
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| Caretakers' cottage |
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| Comfort room which is cleaned multiple times a day |
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| Kayaks and water bikes for rent |
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| Kalanggaman sari-sari store which only sells basic items (liquor is considered basic haha) |
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| Makeshift eating area |
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| Cottages for rent. PHP250/cottage. |
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| Chapel |
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| Kalanggaman Island, we FINALLY meet! |
Our boatmen fetched us around 11:00 AM as we had to catch the last bus back to Tacloban at 3:00 PM -- we had to be there early since we had to secure seats since we had humongous bags.
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| We decided to take a bath there since we may still get wet in the boat |
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| Because all you need are a backpack and a thirst for adventure |
We were waiting for a Ceres bus (from Cebu) that will go to Tacloban. Unfortunately, strong waves caused a delay so we opted to do the long cut again: go to Ormoc then take a Duptours van to Tacloban. Luckily, the Duptours terminal was just in front of WH Pensionne so we no longer need to ride a tricycle.
We were supposed to have dinner at Timo Romano's Lechon but we were too tired to go anywhere. We ended up in this cute diner near Sto. Nino St. called Surprice which had super cute interiors; food was okay but there was nothing special about it.
Day 3
June 18, Tuesday
We made sure that the storm has already left Biliran before we went there. This was something I had to learn the hard way when we went to Camiguin. My friends and I failed to check the weather in Camiguin and if we only knew that there will be non-stop rains, we would have just stayed in Cagayan de Oro.
When we received a call from the owner of the resort we'll be staying, we immediately boarded a van going to Biliran (via Duptours). It would take us roughly 3 hours to get to Naval Port. From there, we need to ride a passenger boat (only 1 per day) which will take us to Higatangan Island.
Higatangan Island is part of Biliran. We discovered this through Byahe Ni Drew, a TV show in GMA7 and since we were already in Leyte, we decided to give it a visit. Biliran boasts of Higatangan Island, Dalutan Island, Sambawan Island, etc. We stayed in Higatangan Island since it had a sandbar (I love sandbars!) and it was easier to go there from Naval. Dalutan Island was also near but there were no resorts there.
We were surprised that inside our boat (which I think had around 30-40 passengers already) were also around 30 sacks of rice plus boxes of coffee, personal care, water containers, LPG tanks, etc. Our boat was gliding so low in the water that medium-sized waves were already able to soak us.
Some of the locals spoke to us and asked us why we were there. They were startled when we told them that we were just there to see places in Leyte, no business trips, no relatives to visit. People don't go there frequently, they said, especially just for vacation. They were amazed that we were able to read about Biliran from the internet.
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| Jampacked! A local was nice enough to tell me that my bags might get soaked by the rain. I was too shy to tell him that it was a drybag and I had a rain cover over the big one. I thanked him for being thoughtful. |
So just imagine how happy we were when we finally reached Emponet Barton Beach Resort. Its owner, Emily, personally cooked for us when we arrived. She was very apologetic because they didn't have much food when we arrived as they rely on the daily catch of their fishermen. But since there was a storm, the fishermen wasn't able to get fishes so we settled for canned goods instead, which was pretty fine for us, we're not hard to please.
I remember these exact words from Emily, "hindi naman kami binabagyo masyado dito", that's why she was quite sad that the storm came during our visit.
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| Our fan room -- doesn't matter since the island only has electricity from 6:30AM-10:00PM |
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| The only disadvantage of Emponet Barton Resort was that it was far from the shifting sandbar, pride of Higatangan Island. But the owners offered to take us there using a small boat for only a small fee (for gas) so not a major problem. |
The real problem during that time was the strong rain haha. It rained all throughout our stay at the sandbar. Oh well. We weren't able to go island hopping too because of the bad weather but we wanted to visit Dalutan Island, Tingkasan Island, and Hinagdanan Rock Formations. Maybe next time.
Day 4
June 19, Wednesday
The most amazing thing happened the next day: the sun suddenly decided to come out and do its job!
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| I started the morning with coffee by the shore while watching the sunrise. |
We didn't waste time and soaked up the sun!
To get back to the mainland, we rode the Barton Boat, it was owned by no other than, Emily Barton, the owner of the resort we stayed in! This is the only boat that goes to Naval in the morning and the only boat that travels from Naval to Higatangan Island in the afternoon is the one we took the day before. That's why the boats are always jampacked!
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| With the owners |
We killed time in Naval by seeing the liger. A liger is an offspring of a male lion and a tigeress, a female tiger (hence the name). It is different from a tigon (offspring of a lioness and a male tiger) as the liger is much bigger. In fact, the liger is even bigger than its parents. I was so scared to even go near its cage! But the caretakers said that it was lovable and playful but of course, it was better to remain safe.
We also bought some suman from the Pasalubong Center. Biliran's suman tastes so good! I was the only one who was supposed to buy some but we bought everything they had after our free taste! You. must. try. this.
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| This is really a photo in front of the Tacloban City Hall but Manong Tricycle Driver failed to include the establishment hehe |
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| A famous place in Tacloban to satisfy your seafood cravings |
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| Enjoyed coffee in Jose Karlos, Tacloban's Starbuck's, a very homey coffee shop |
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Sample Itinerary for 4 days in Leyte
List of expenses does not include airfare
Contacts
WH Pensione
161 Sto. Nino St, Brgy 32, Tacloban City, Leyte, 6500, Philippines
Mobile: +63 (919) 3415213 or +63 (920)
8525905 or +63 (915) 6502187
Online (i.e., website, FB, email) bookings aren't available until regular and reliable DSL service has been restored
Emponet Barton Beach Resort
Higatangan Island
Imelda "Emily" Poyos Pragas
09213413377 / 09394876311
Email: emyemponet@yahoo.com
Website: http://emponet-barton.webs.com/
Palompon Municipal Tourism Office
(053) 5559010
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