Top 10 Adventures of 2013

THE BACKPACKERS' TOP TEN ADVENTURES OF 2013

                         
10    MARINDUQUE ESCAPADE

Four BP Girls explored the heart of the Philippines - Marinduque. Hitting the beautiful beaches, island hopping, resort bumming and a little bit of caving were the sweetest escape for the girls.

Albuera, Leyte Relief Operations

#BANGON ALBUERA!

Part 2: Moving a Mountain
The BACKPACKERS 
Relief Operations in Albuera, Leyte

by Ivan Ignacio

 "Though our passion is conquering mountains, we found more fulfillment in moving one, a 5.936-ton mountain of donations across 960 kilometers to get it to the people of Albuera, Leyte." ~BP Liz

BP Liz nailed it with the opening of her Albuera, Leyte album in facebook. Huge effort and man power were needed to move a 5.9 ton of relief goods from Manila all the way to Leyte (via Cebu). And considering the time frame we had to adjust to, every BACKPACKER and friends devoted their genuine attention in making sure that we will successfully complete the feat.

BANGON ALBUERA!

#BANGON ALBUERA!

Stories of hope, faith and survival 

during typhoon Yolanda's aftermath
by Ivan Ignacio

I thought that scenes where you can see planes from the Air Force, ships from our (and other countries') Navy, and army trucks pass by every twenty or so minutes can only be seen in war movies until our boat landed in Ormoc City, Leyte. It was not the city I knew anymore. Establishments with damaged roof (some with no roof at all), electric posts and trees were either bent or lying on the ground, shards of broken glasses were scattered everywhere. The once lush green mountains and hills were now as dull as ever. And the people? They were trying to pick up the pieces from what was left of their properties, and their lives. All of these were compressed in a vast sight of a sorrowful town. It was like depicting a vulnerable harrowing work of art. The moment we stepped on that port, everything - the news, the pictures and videos circulating in different media, the stories - felt surreal.

Albuera, Leyte

I thought that scenes where you can see planes from the Air Force, ships from our (and other countries') Navy, and army trucks pass by every twenty or so minutes can only be seen in war movies until our boat landed in Ormoc City, Leyte. It was not the city I knew anymore. Establishments with damaged roof (some with no roof at all), electric posts and trees were either bent or lying on the ground, shards of broken glasses scattered everywhere. The once lush green mountains and hills were now as dull as ever. And the people? They were now trying to pick up the pieces from what was left of their properties, and their lives...

pictures from Albuera, Leyte after the super typhoon Yolanda:

Tacloban, Leyte ~ City Tour

The last destination of The BACKPACKERS is the city which serves as the gateway of Eastern Visayas: Tacloban City. This is where the Leyte part of the famous San Juanico bridge is connecting and the location of Leyte island's only airport: Daniel Z. Romualdez airport. It is rich with history; aside from the longest bridge in the country which was the gift of former President Ferdinand Marcos to his spouse Imelda Marcos, it is also the site of the Madonna of Japan, Imelda Shrine and it is near MacArthur Landing Park; a memorial park built in the comemoration of Douglas MacArthur's landing in the Philippines during the second World War. The BACKPACKERS stayed at the affordable Grand Royale Suites in Burgos Street, a couple of blocks away from the city's downtown. Let us check out the places of interest visited by The BACKPACKERS in Tacloban City:

TACLOBAN CITY TOUR

San Juanico Bridge

Palompon, Leyte ~ Kalanggaman Island & Tabuk Marine Sanctuary

The Priceless Treasures of Palompon

by: Marion Erika Macapagal

Seeing the sunrise and sunset in the beach is like heaven everytime. Oh I so love that moment! ❤ It reminds me that there’s a beginning yet there’s an ending for everything which makes me appreciate life more. In this trip, I won’t let the moment pass without seeing a picturesque sunrise and sunset in Kalanggaman Island.

Sogod, Southern Leyte ~ Zip Southern Leyte

Waking up on that Saturday morning was associated with infectious excitement coming from all of us. It was our third day in what we labeled as "The BACKPACKERS Eastern Visayas Escapade" and what made us all ecstatic was the fact that we would be having adrenaline rush-triggering activities that day in Sogod, Southern Leyte - ziplining and riding a cable car over the tallest bridge in the Philippines, the Agas-agas Bridge!

Sugod Na Sa Sogod!

(Let's Rush to Sogod!)

By Heinz Lopez Alvarez, Jr.

The BACPKACERS with Ralph's Sheryl (second from right)

Matalom, Leyte ~ Canigao Island

The BACKPACKERS visited Eastern Visayas on October 11 - 15, 2012. Their first stop was in the quaint town of Matalom in Leyte. They were divided into two groups, the first group consisted of BPs April, Marion, Percy and Ivan who reached Tacloban via Zestair at 5:40AM. They toured the town of Tacloban before heading to their first group destination: Matalom, Leyte. After enduring four hours of travelling passing through the towns of Dulag, Rizal, Mayorca, Mac Arthur, Abuyog, Baybay, Inopacan, Hindang, Hilongos and Bato, they finally reached the quiet shores of Matalom, Leyte. The four reached the island at around 5PM, pitched tent and waited for the afternoon group who arrived in Leyte at 1PM. The afternoon group consisted of BPs Chons, Weng, Heinz, Ralph and our lone guest Sheryl. Here is what we experienced in this small but beautiful island of Canigao:

Wow Canigao

by: Weng Topasi

Backpacking in Eastern Visayas

Eastern Visayas was the venue of 

The BACKPACKERS Ultimate Adventure 

for the second half of 2012

Here is a quick look at the towns and places visited by The BACKPACKERS: