These images were taken from the road to Carigara from Ormoc on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. We drove by many rice fields, coconut groves, sugar cane fields and banana trees. Along the way we passed numerous small towns and individual farms.
This post is being made from Carigara, Leyte, Philippines. There is an internet cafe, with a DSL connection, less than a block from our house here. Not realizing how close it was, I felt kind of silly having asked my brother-in-law to escort me here. I am going to cover quite a bit to get caught up. Our flight from NYC through Vancouver to Hong Kong and then connecting to Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines was not nearly as bad as I had thought it was done. First, I would like to say how impressed both Enia and I were with Cathay Pacific Airlines. They really know how to serve their customers. From check-in at JFK to our landing in Cebu, everything was really smoothly done. The staff is courteous, helpful and very efficient. I would highly recommend flying them if you have a choice.The flight over here was nothing out of the ordinary except for one event. On the first leg of the flight, from NYC to Vancouver, about an hour before our touch-down in Vancouver, Enia fainted. As best as we can figure it, she was exhausted and stressed out from all the packing and preparations. She had very little sleep. Apparently, she was resting in her seat and then got short of breath. I happened to be stretching my legs standing behind her, when she all of sudden stood up, turned and looked at me, smiled and then collapsed. The Cathay flight attendants were great. They came to our immediate assistance and gave her oxygen. One of them was a registered nurse. Enia became herself in a short time, but at the suggestion of the Cathay crew, they called ahead and had EMTs meet us at the gate. Enia and I walked out of the plane to meet them - they put her on a stretcher and immediately began taking vital signs and asking her questions. She was, by that time, fine. There was some talk of her having to go to the hospital in Vancouver (which would have meant all of us getting off the plane and our itinerary going up in smoke), but she convinced them she was fine and wanted to continue. Luckily, the captain of the plane (who had the final word) agreed and we were able to continue on after she signed a release. The whole affair was kind of bizarre, as everyone seemed to think it was me that was going to have the problem on the flight. Anyway, Enia is fine. Again I was impressed with how the Cathay personnel handled the whole situation.Upon our arrival in Hong Kong, we had only 50 minutes to make our other flight. Not realizing that it must be a half mile from our arrival gate to our departure gate, some of us did a little duty free shopping on the way and we barely made the flight. That was the first time I ever boarded a flight during 'last call." In two and half hours we were landing in Cebu. As we approached Mactan International Airport I noticed some of the home along the shore. They were mostly on stilts and looked rather rundown. This could be contrasted with some high rise hotels and condos nearby. This was my first clue as to what I was going to see in Cebu City.Customs and immigration was uneventful, relatively fast and efficient. We had completed the paperwork during the flight, so the immigration officer simply checked our forms and passports and informed me that because I had married someone who was born in the Philippines, I could remain here for up to a year.One interesting thing that happened during the immigrations process was that as we were waiting for our turn, I noticed the baggage claim area just beyond the immigration checkpoint. I could see the belt and the luggage from the plane going around it. I noticed the five large boxes we had taken with us being off-loaded by a porter (without us being there or asking him to do it). So while at the immigrations desk, I had one eye on him to see what he was going to do. After he had collected our five boxes he just stood there. When we went over to him, he asked if we were "Blaser" and then offered to get carts and assist us with our luggage. Basically he hired himself for us - pretty swift! Anyway, we loaded everything up and proceeded out of the baggage area into the arrival areas. Once out there we were approached numerous times by taxis offering to take us to our hotel. Fortunately for us, Enia had made arrangements for three of her brothers: Reynaldo, Danny and Antonio to meet us with a van to take our luggage to a ferry and onward to Leyte. We would remain on Cebu overnight and proceed on the next day.We were simultaneously met by the family of our friends Joe and Vicky Maxino; Inday, Carmen, Theresa, Kirby, Maxine and Hannah Lee. They had hired a van and driver to take us to our hotel and then for a tour of Cebu City. My initial impression of everyone - customs officials, porters and our friends and family was how everyone smiled and was friendly. I immediately felt comfortable and welcome.We spent some time in the arrivals area talking to everyone and then we went off with the Maxinos and our luggage went with the Senilla brothers. Driving to the hotel, I was immediately struck by how many people were driving (in a variety of vehicles) and walking in the city. It was extremely busy and congested. Our driver, Manuel was amazing in how he navigated the city streets and traffic. There is no way I could have driven in Cebu. I wouldn't have even tried. I must admit that I was surprised by the living conditions I saw as we drove through Cebu. It is very difficult to describe the homes, except to say that most of what we saw seemed to be pieced together with whatever was available. As I told Enia later, in more than 10 years of discussions with friends, both Filipinos and Americans who had visited the country, no one ever said anything to me that hinted at the conditions some people live in Cebu City.We really owe Joe, Vicky and his family in Cebu a tremendous thank you. Having them there to meet us and take us through the city made all the difference in the world. They gave us a great tour of the city and we had a lot of fun with them. Not only did we tour to various locations downtown, but we also went up to a mountaintop overlooking the city and had a great nightime view. We then went to the Majestic Restaurant for a nice dinner. For me, the highlight of our time in Cebu was our visit to Joe's house in the old part of the city. Carmen and Inday had a nice meal prepared for us there and then we talk a walk to bustling Colon Street.We stayed in the Marriott Cebu City. It is located downtown. It is a really fine hotel. The service was excellent and the rooms were on par of what you would expect in a Marriott in the U.S. The staff was helpful, courteous and efficient. Our room (for 4) was $62 a night with a great breakfast buffet the next morning. We were then off to the SuperCat ferry for a two hour ride from Cebu to Ormoc, Leyte. Again, we had help. Enia's brother Danny and her cousin Gerry met us at the ferry and helped us get through the security checks. Security checks are something of a constant in the Philippines. I hardly saw any policemen in Cebu, but nearly every building and store has an armed security guard. The SuperCat ride between the islands was smooth and comfortable. When we arrived in Leyte, we were met by more of Enia's family including her sister Maribeth who is on holiday from Hong Kong and her niece Angie Rose. They had hired a van with a driver to take us to Carigara, about an hour and half north of Ormoc.Leyte was really a contrast to Cebu City. Ormoc, a smaller city than Cebu City, did not appear nearly as crowded and conditions looked better there. There seemed to be fewer cars, but many more motorcycles with sidecars. We did a short tour through the city and proceeded north toward Carigara. The ride up was through rural areas, a combination of farming areas (sugar cane, coconut plantations, banana trees and rice fields. It is very picturesque. I was somewhat surprised with how good the roads were. It was a great ride - the driver stopped so I could take pictures and the Angie Rose, situated in the front seat, took video footage.
