Leyte Adventures of 2010

The idea of going to Leyte came out of nowhere after typhoon Juan, which ravaged parts of Luzon, exited the Philippines. Since the semester had ended, plus Khijel was on his “multiple choice” (Ababarians know what this means) days, timing was no less than perfect. On Tuesday night, the 19^th of October 2010, they disregarded the slight rains, and went onboard Gloria 2, which would later bring them to Hilongos.

First Day at Hilongos

The morning of the 20^th of October, 2:00 AM, they reached Hilongos after a very smooth sea travel. They were warmly welcomed by the Dianon family who served as their host. A quick ‘painit’ was served, and they then went to their respective rooms to rest – to preserve the remaining energy for the day ahead.

Excited, they were up as early as 7:00 AM. Without even taking a bath, they went to the town center where Khijel had his first taste of ‘puto monggos’. They strolled around the area – wet market, municipal hall, the ruins, and the church.

Strolling around the town proper was enjoyable. One can notice the cleanliness of the place. People were generally nice. But they noticed that they badly need to take a bath. LOL.

The group went back to the wet market to buy some food to cook and immediately went home to have a rest (and take a bath!) and let Dulrich’s father took charge on cooking what they bought from the market.

Canigao Island

At Matalom, Leyte, there’s an island a couple of meters away from the mainland. It’s Canigao.

The group had the boat all by themselves to transport them to the island. Instead of taking a dip, they opted to go around the island first to bond with Mother Nature. The natural beauty of the island never failed to amaze them. 'twas truly wondrous.

After an hour of completing the point to point tour, the three (Peewee, Dulrich, and Oliver) took a dip on the cool water. Khijel stayed on the shore and waited for them. In about a quarter of an hour, they were done, and they headed back to the mainland since it was getting dark. Fortunately, the boat crew waited for them.

They learned that they could spend their night in the island, but they chose not to – not because they didn’t have money, but because dinner was already prepared for them back in the house where they were staying.

Canigao – for sure they will be back bringing more friends – and on that time – they’ll stay for at least a night!

Bontoc Caves

Hola!

Still full of zest after a day of activities, the group was on their way to Bontoc – the destination which made them most excited on their trip to the island.

Amazed. Again. Since that was Khijel's first time on the place, he appreciated the grandiose beauty of nature. They explored the caves (not one, but almost ten!), and took pictures. The last one they explored was the Cathedral Cave - the biggest of all. Not contented, they found a way to climb to the very top of the cave. 'twas an experience of a lifetime.

Leyte - Ababarians will be back for sure!