The day did not look promising. We had just checked out of our hostel in Tacloban when it started to pour. We quickly rode a tricycle to an ATM in the town center. I was hungry but I did not know what I wanted to eat. Since the rain was getting heavier, we went inside the first place that we saw - Dunkin Donuts.
There was a table of four people seated near the entrance. It seemed like they were going through a contract of some sorts. At the counter, there was only one staff who seemed very busy preparing the first table's order. The donuts haven't even been arranged on the trays and the chairs were still up on the tables. Customers arrived earlier than the poor staff expected. I waited 10 minutes for him to take my order and 20 minutes to get my sandwich. Since they had newspapers, we did not mind.
It did not take even half our waiting time to finish our meal. Our destination for the night was Padre Burgos White Castle with a quick stop in Agas-Agas bridge for to try their zipline.
At the terminal, we were the first ones in the van. We must have bought tons of snacks and read most of the pages in the newspaper before we finally left an hour later. We even tried a "chocolate suman". I was excited to taste it at first but it was bland and tough.
It took us two hours of non-stop but pleasant travel. There was no traffic and the roads were either new or well-maintained. There was hardly other vehicles on the road. Just alongside the road was the jump-off point for the Agas-Agas Zipline. After climbing a flight of stairs and paying the fee, we were ready!
A zipline experience has started to grow old for me because it is now being offered everywhere, even in the city. This one offers something different and is one of the best for me. The weather is cool. As you are released, you'd first pass by the Agas-Agas bridge and see some vehicles passing by below you. I could also see a narrow, almost dried up river, tucked between thick vegetation.
The ride is almost a minute long and the landing is smooth. A motorcycle was waiting to take us back to the jump-off point.
Here are links to the zipline videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEegePquMBc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=betox9Gkjb8
The original plan was to catch a van or bus to Padre Burgos in Agas-Agas bridge. We waited for what felt like forever with no luck and not a single van or bus passing by so we decided to ask around for anyone who could take us to a terminal.
We hired a motorcycle (habal habal). I thought the price was a bit steep but we were desperate and hungry. It was sunny, it drizzled, it rained, rained some more, then it was hot again. Good thing our ride had a roof but I was almost scared because the road was getting too slippery.
After an hour, we got to the terminal by 3:00pm. It was a very busy place with a market, a bus terminal, eateries here and there, stores and lot and lots of vendors selling anything and everything.
By this time I was starving and when I am hungry, I am in my worst mood. We quickly got into the first decent restaurant that we spotted.
For starters I had a pineapple and a chocolate cake which was surprisingly good and moist. We also had okoy, grilled chicken, stuffed bangus and stuffed squid. Either the food was really good or I was just terribly hungry. It just took SOOO LONGGGG for our food to be served. Very typical of me I couldn't help but notice a couple arguing on the other table, despite my hunger.
After our late lunch slash merienda, we took a non-airconditioned bus to Padre Burgos. The place is famous among divers especially the foreign ones who ended up establishing their own dive resorts. We've researched that Leyte offers some really awesome dive experience so I was excited to check it out.
We passed by a lot of schools. Our ride was a slow 2 hours, with people loading and coming off the bus. A lot of them were students and teachers. I then started to see dive resort signs.
When we got off the bus, we had to ride a motorcycle for 500 meters to our final destination - Padre Burgos White Castle Resort. It is owned by a Filipino woman and her foreign husband. We were the only guests in their resort. The hotel did resemble a castle, with golden winding staircase. We got the top room.
After a quick shower, we chose our dinner and went around while waiting. They have a small swimming pool and a walkway down to their private beach. It is a perfect venue for a private beach party complete with beach chairs and a bar. I was hoping to do a little star gazing but the clouds were so thick that I couldn't see a single one in the sky.
The dining room is empty, just the two of us. It had hardwood furniture. Everything in the menu was pricey but we did not really have a choice because the closest sign of civilization is a 500-meter walk in a very dark trail.
We had buttered prawns and spaghetti with shrimp in tomato sauce. The servings were big but the taste was just fine.
I woke up the next day in heavy downpour. R had to ask the owner if it was still possible and safe to go on the Limasawa Island Tour and she said yes. We waited for the boat in their private beach.
We were accompanied by a resort personnel who carried a bunch of stuff including drinks, breakfast, snorkeling equipment, etc. I was hesitant to do the tour because the wind was extremely strong. When R asked, the boatman assured us that it was nothing. Not even halfway through the ride, the wind was starting to get even stronger and the boatman was obviously having a hard time navigating his boat. I was starting to get really cold and scared.
Now, I am used to traveling by water despite stormy weather but this one had me worried. I started to grip one side of the boat and R's hand tighter and he knew I was scared so he asked the staff resort for a life jacket. The resort staff's response was, "Huh? Wala ba kayong dalang life jacket?" I distinctly remember giving her a look of disbelief. Seriously? Where in hell would we get a life jacket? They even saw us boarding the boat with only our camera and waterproof pack with money and mobile phones. I could not believe how irresponsible the resort was to let us go on a boat tour without life jackets, in a stormy weather at that!
I told R I wanted to go back but the boatman was insisting to go on. When the weather got worse, he stopped the boat near a shore somewhere and suggested we dive and snorkel. AGAIN, SERIOUSLY???!!! He also told us that the boat could not go on to Limasawa and that if we wanted, we will just have to pay extra Php200.00 per person per way for a motorcycle ride to the cross.
Clearly, I was not interested. Finally, when the downpour subsided a little, we went back to the resort. The way back was no less rough and scary and I released a very deep sigh of relief when we docked.
So much for our Php2,500.00 per person history and island hopping trip, which by the way they still charged us. It will not go to my list of places to go back to...nope, definitely not!
