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)

Maasin, Southern Leyte ~ Cagnituan Cave & Falls and Jalleca Hill

The group was starting to enjoy the backpacking vibe of their Eastern Visayas adventure as they rode an ordinary bus from Matalom, Leyte to Maasin, the capital city of Southern Leyte. But with fresh clean air and nice sceneries during the 30 minute ride, you will not really look for airconditioned buses in this part of the country. The BACKPACKERS were welcomed by BP Weng's relatives whose humble abode served as a safehouse for their belongings. After being introduced to the local deli of Maasin City: the circular hopia and the hanging rice or 'puso' ~ the local's eco-friendly way of cooking and serving rice, they geared up for their next adventure: checking out Guinsohotan Falls and an unexpected spelunking challenge at Cagnituan Cave.

We Survived Cagnituan Challenge
by: Ivan Ignacio

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