Tacloban, now a chartered city

Okay, enough of the Olot series, although I'm glad some of you enjoyed it. Before the year ends, I've to post these photos of Tacloban becoming a chartered city. Starting Dec 18, after the plebescite results (57% Yes), Tacloban City was declared a chartered city. Meaning, it's not anymore under the Leyte province. It will change the whole politics things.. although I doubt, not my photos :D



HUC means Highly Urbanized City.. which Tacloban is a long way from now.

Olot Series: Driveway

The driveway out of Olot which passes by the golf course.

Olot Series: Shortcut

During high-tide, this area is covered with sea-water. It's best to watch out because it's all rocks. This is the shortcut path from Olot to the town, the hill to the right, and the onrushing sea to the left. Almost got trapped here as kids.

Olot Series: Tolosa watchtower

The Tolosa hill. On top, if you care to climb the path is an old fort which in the old days was used as a lookout for Muslim pirates. They came to these parts to kidnap the locals for slaves, pre-Spanish times. Today, it has a lighthouse light that tells the fishermen where the coast is.

Olot Series: Cove

View of the Olot beach. Yes, it's a cove.

Olot Series: Merry Christmas!!

The wooden altar propped against the side of the rocky Tolosa hill. Many famous monsignors have held masses here, attended by many famous people. That's the Santo Nino, Imelda's patron saint.


(Star was taken inside Giusseppe's Restaurant)

Merry Christmas everyone!! MAUPAY NGA PASKO!!!

Olot Series: Hindu statues

The elephant god, Lord Ganesha. What's it doing at the summer house of Imelda? Aesthetics? Although, Imelda supposedly has an occultist's mind. Why else surround her summer house with Hindu gods and goddesses, the Buddha head, and the Sto. Nino? Lord Ganesh elephant head symbolizes the Atman/soul, and the human body, symbolizes Maya.

Olot Series: Hindu statues

I'm guessing this is the goddess Lakshimi, the female manifestation of the Lord Shiva/Vishnu??. Correct me if I'm wrong.. my Hindu knowledge of gods/goddesses is rusty. This statue is facing Marcos' cottage.

Dunno about the next two statues..

Olot Series: Couple's cottages

The building beyond was Marcos' 'clinic, where he was set-up in a hospital bed with his dialysis machine, the room with the beach view. Actually, the only room with glassed sliding doors in the whole compound. The rest of the buildings have capiz sliding windows and doors.



That building was Imelda's 14-bedroom guesthouse. Her stuff are still in the upstair rooms, locked away by her loyal staff per Imelda's instructions.

Olot Series: Doorway

This is a sealed off eerie doorway that leads to a densely-forested hill behind. When I looked, the sides of the door were open and there was a pathway up to the hill. The doorway is guarded by two Hindu-looking statues.





Close-up

Olot Series

I'll be doing a series of Olot, the once great and extravagant summer vacation house of the Marcoses. Now, it's a dilapidated place leased out by the PCGG to a resort investor. The compound has an 18-hole golf course, a useless olympic size pool, a disrepaired pelota court, a non-usable basketball court and tennis court, some barracks for the Marcoses' security men, a garden church with a wooden altar, some imported Hindu gods/goddesses, an Italian mosaic diorama by a famous Italian artist (forgot the name now) of the Stations of the Cross that are strategically placed around the compound (you've to take a long walk to finish this, I guess Imelda Marcos used a golf cart), Imelda Marcos' 14-bedroom guesthouse, Ferdinand Marcos' bedroom-turned 'clinic' during his dialysis days, Bongbong's 4-bedroom cottage, and 2 wide-open function areas for parties. And the nice beach of course.

Nameless building

One of the out-of-place buildings built by the Romualdezes. Used to be locally called the 'eye-referral' building. Then 'Smart '. But ever since Smart moved to another building downtown, no one knows what to tell the tricycle driver when going there. Up to now, it's still a building with an identity crisis.

Lake Danao

This is on top of a mountain. Once called Imelda Lake during the Marcos' era, it was renamed Lake Danao (Lake 'Lake'). Motorboats are prohibited here. Kayaking is a heart-racing experience even if you're a good swimmer because of the silt floating at the bottom (no visibility) and gravity pull. The bottom has never been measured even by visiting Japanese and German and American geogologists that attempted to measure it. Oh, UFO sightings have been reported here too.

Grill house

The grillhouse at Baybay. The grilled chicken is good, sometimes not so good.. but worth a try if you're in town. The view and seabreeze adds to the relaxing atmosphere.

One of my 1001 places to visit

This place always intrigues me as I pass by it. The exterior is great, they say the food is good (turo-turo style), but I haven't gone inside yet because of the loud karaoke. That's always a major turn-off for me.

Wall painting

Artwork by Ebeb Wenceslao at his pizza cafe (Canto Fresco).

Morning flight

Early morning flight at the Tacloban airport. Sun is already up at 6am.

Kite-flying

Kite flying at Tolosa Beach. The nearest place to Tacloban where you can do kite flying without it snagging on a wire or coconut. This one had a bad ending though, the wind was so strong that the thread snapped and the kite was flown far away up into a mountain. Since the kite was expensive (haha), we hired two local boys to retrieve it.

Sto Nino Church

I posted the tower bell of St. Nino Church a long time ago, this is the side of the church, which I took from the second floor of a coffee shop.

Ocho

Where we bring our visitors to eat semi-frozen 'fresh' seafood. I'm very picky, fresh for me is freshly caught, the fish still squirming from shock. The cooking in this restaurant is good though.



Their wide choice of seafoods. (Taking photos of the seafood display is prohibited.. dunno why.)

Souvenirs

Souvenirs: banig, baskets, tikog hats, nigo. All made from different kinds of grass.

Soccer practice

Students playing soccer at the UP Tacloban campus.

Millennium Tower

The 3-story Millennium Tower at Palo. Could never figure this one out.. from the name (tower) to its function (too low to be a tower). This was built with people's donations to the Catholic Church.

Buko

Buko for sale to motorists. This is the most refreshing drink around.

Mt. Danglay

Not an easy mountain to climb. It's supposed to be an enchanted mountain. It's also where the legend of Tacloban happened. You know, giants fighting.. syokoys, mermaids, fishermen..

To Tacloban

This is what driving is like in Tacloban. Semi-empty roads at all times of the day. Of course, this is not the downtown area.

Roadside view

In the afternoons when everyone is still busy at work, it's peaceful to stop by this road, buy some buko and watch this view. This is near the McArthur Park.

Bangon river

This is an outflow of Palo's bangon river. This is full of untouched mangroves, the water is still and wide, just right for kayaking. So how come no one has done that yet??

I'm on travel so no comments and replies from me in the meantime. However, thanks to Blogger's pre-scheduled posting feature, I've posted 2 months' worth of photos hahaha. Yeah.. OC.