Tacloban City's Daniel Romualdez airport is so-so. It is small and the facilities are not up-to-date, especially the comfort room where dippers are used instead of the more modern methods. Upon checking out, numerous cab and van drivers would welcome you by offering service to drive you to your destination anywhere in the island at their so-called cheap rates. It's a good thing we found a driver who doubled as a tour guide. He even let us take pictures at the famous monument of Gen. Douglas McArthur.
We went straight to the hometown of Roland's grandma: the town of Baybay. This was also the first time he has visited the province and his first encounter with their relatives from Leyte.
Baybay is quiet and the people are laidback. I am not sure for what reasons the town was declared a city since there's not much to do within the area and there are very few establishments compared to the bigger and actual cities of Ormoc and Tacloban.
My impression of Baybay is actually saved by the VSU campus.
VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
We checked in at the Visayas State University in Visca. It is similar to University of the Philippines Los Banos in terms of environmental richness and even has its own garden beach resort classifying it as a resort university. For the time we spent in Leyte, it is not impossible to just stay here for there's a lot you can do around; you can swim either on the beach or in the swimming pool, you can visit the museums (which we failed to do), go mountain climbing (has hundreds of species they say), or just walk and bike around its 60hectare campus grounds.
Lodging: We stayed at the Apartelle. It's cheap at 200/person/night with air-conditioner, unlimited purified drinking water, hot and cold water for shower and housekeeping services. There are many available cottages that can accommodate couples or even bigger families. Food: Since VSU is a university, there are a lot of canteens and cafeterias you can choose from so finding something to eat is not a problem here.
Bicycles are available for rent at the university's Bahay ng Alumni. If there's none available since there are only 2 units, you can just borrow bicycles owned by the students or employees. We were lent by cooks and the lawnmower guy. And they really refuse tips.
Surprisingly, there's a hospital located inside the campus.
Baybay, Leyte's beach is lined not just with sand, but has a rocky shore. We tried to swim but the big stones were just unbearable. Ouch! But hey, the water's crystal clear.
A giant squid sold to us during lunchtime for Php100. We didn't buy it.
There are a lot of things I've learned about the ways of life of the people there. What I find most distinctive is that everyone converses in Bisaya. I guess it's the same as to the other parts of Leyte. Lesson: never converse in a language that people you're with do not understand. It's very very rude. And did I mention that it's rude?
Nothing spectacular on this trip but, still, it's a good experience to have learned about the simple lives of the people there and the practical and cultural differences we have in Manila. It's still a breath of fresh air having escaped to a relaxed and serene environment.
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