Philippines 2013: 5 - Tacloban, Leyte to Davao, Mindanao

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

A call from the desk notified us that our tour was to start at 8 AM and that the guide was in the lobby - the first we heard of it. I said tell the guide the tour would start at 9 AM as we had not had breakfast!

Jill, our guide for the day, was very pleasant and knowledgeable. She teaches travel at the local branch of the University of the Philippines. She said Tacoban has a population of 400,000 and is the main trading town for the area. It became a city in 1953. This is the first Philippine tour operator that had a cooler of cold water to drink en route - much appreciated.

This is where General McArthur made the first landings when the Philippines were taken from the Japanese. Our hotel is on Red Beach, a short distance from larger than life statues of McArthur and those accompanying him standing in a pool of water to commemorate the landing. This is part of Leyte Gulf, the site of one of the last epic sea battles between the US and Japan. We drove past the provincial parliament buildings where the government of the Philippines was located until Manila was liberated.

The Marcos, or San Juanico Bridge, which connects Leyte and Samar across a narrow stretch of ocean, was interesting. Fast moving currents rush under the bridge, which in the center soars high in the air, then descends into a lower 'S' shape. We visited a beautiful mansion constructed by Immelda Marcos - it is huge, and beautifully done with all the original furnishings and ornaments. It includes a huge ballroom, massive dining tables and the private family rooms. It is evident from the size and lavishness of Immelda's suite and the simpler one of Fernando who had the upper hand in the family!

We passed a deserted park with Japanese gardens that I asked about. It is called the Peace Park and was donated by the Japanese, however feelings here still run strongly. Jill told us her grandmother was a "comfort woman" when the Japanese were here. These were young women taken from their families and kept in jail like cells, brought out only to service Japanese troops sexually. We agreed this was not a place to stop.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a farm about 20 km out into the countryside. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and the restaurant building very well done. Marilynn, while concentrating on getting a reflection photo, managed to slip into one of the ponds filled will floating plants, dropping into mud up to her thigh. She managed to get most of it off in the wash room, but it left her sandals totally different colours.

On the way back we stopped at the golf club where I had a beer in the lounge. We had run out of things to see, so were taken back to the hotel where we went for a swim in the warm ocean. The farm lunch had been huge, so we had a light supper - I had the same superb seafood chowder I had enjoyed last night.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The hotel brought breakfast to the room, as we had to be up at 4 AM for an early flight to Manila, where we would have another airport day before flying to Davao on the island of Mindanao. The local airport was as horrible as usual. One of two luggage X ray machines worked, so a cursory manual inspection was performed in place of the second machine. Our ticket said first class, but the plane had no first class so a battle ensued over luggage weight. In the end we paid for baggage, for a seat with room for my legs (in every other airport exit row seats were provided no charge) and an airport tax. We were not amused. The one saving grace was that the flight was almost on time, but Philippine Air Lines are rapidly becoming my least favorite carrier.

Things picked up when we arrived in Manila. We were in line to ask the information people about our flight to Davao when along came a PAL employee who said he would escort us to terminal 2, from where our flight will hopefully leave. On the way we were intercepted by a Southwest Travel employee who said he was there to take us to terminal 2. The PAL employee had my ticket voucher, so I had to chase him the length of the terminal to get it back, but all was well when the trusty Arnold pulled up with the van.

We were handed a newspaper where the headlines said the Mayon Volcano erupted, killing 3 Germans, a Spaniard and their guide on the mountain. A number of others were injured in a rain of hot, volcanic rocks. We were there the day before yesterday! More bad news was that all liquor sales, other than in hotels, are prohibited for the week before the May 13 election. Buying beer will be more difficult!

It was quite a drive in traffic to terminal 2, but it was great to chat to Arnold. The travel agency fellow came into the airport with us to ensure all went smoothly - this time no fees or charges and access to the VIP lounge where we spent the day listing to continual delayed flight announcements, catching up on internet, eating, and on my part drinking beer. My outlook improved in spite of three power failures and the lounge air conditioning going off. When we left the lounge canned beer came with me, as there is no alcohol on the planes. The wait to take off was more pleasant wih a beer in hand. Our arrival was over an hour late, but there were jetways to walk from the plane into the terminal. All other airports required stairs and a walk, or in Manila transport to the terminal from the plane by bus.

There was no one at the airport with a sign for us, so we inquired about the Marco Polo Hotel from other guides waiting for their clients, and were pointed in the right direction. The Marco Polo employee had our name on a list, and said the shuttle would cost 300 pesos, and we would have to wait 15 minutes for it, which can mean anything up to an hour. As we had spent the day waiting, I said forget it and we caught a taxi - the fare was less than 300 pesos so the driver got the balance as a tip.

On arrival at the hotel the taxi was checked inside and out for bombs (including mirrors underneath), then our baggage was searched and we were patted down at the hotel entrance. I'd heard Mindanao was dangerous, and this emphasized it. I guess taking off on our own from the airport caused a stir, as we were met at hotel security by the assistant manager and a troop of other people. Check in was the fastest ever, and we were escorted to our room to ensure everything was OK. The hotel is pretty upscale - we had dinner and drinks by the pool.

In the Philippines, when you use your credit card it is necessary to sign two payment forms, one of the merchant and one for the bank. We were not comfortable in doing that, so are having our charges monitored closely by our office in Costa Rica to ensure no double charges show up.

Another different thing to date is the toilets. Most public toilets have a bucket of water with a scoop in it. The scoop is used to pour water into the toilet to flush it. This is the case even when there are taps, and in some cases sinks with running water in the bathroom - the toilets are not hooked up to water.