Parade of Lights, Tacloban City

Tacloban is definitely a Romualdez country. There's a Congressman Romualdez, Mayor Romualdez, Councilor Romualdez...

Very young Congressman.

Kring-Kring is a Councilor.

 

 Every street, streamers and tarpaulins were screaming the surname. 

It was Tacloban's Sangyaw festival during my visit. They celebrate it every last week of June, in honor of their patron saint, Sto. Nino de Tacloban.  I was right on time for the Parade of Lights. 

People were already lining the streets as early as 3pm, when in fact the parade will start at sundown.

Along Real St.

Just outside the Legislative Building.

I couldn't find a spot to watch the parade. It was just too crowded. I just stayed in my hotel room to watch from my window.

The view from  my window.

By 6:30 pm.

At 6:45, the mood became more festive, the music became louder, and the people were howling...signs that the parade was starting. First in line was the dragon dance:

Rendered by the city's Chinese community.

Floats embellished with lights, in all colors, followed:

The colorful lights symbolized the transformation of Tacloban, now being tagged as the most progressive city in the region. 20 floats were showcased, depicting the city's flora and fauna, history, landmarks and progress.

 

There was also a lot of street dancing, complete with costume and props:

This was nice. They were so graceful.

Butterflies!

Ala Juanita Banana =)

The float with politicians on board:

Man in black is Sen. Bongbong Marcos, while the lady beside him is Cynthia Villar.

That's Kring-Kring, in pink top and jeans.

The float of GMA 7:

Stars of Faithfully.

This float was loaded with GMA stars. The crowd was at its noisiest as people were screaming for their idols. I didn't recognize any of them, nor do I know any of them, except for Maxene Magalona *LOL*.

After the parade, these floats were displayed in the park, across Sto. Nino church. Here's a closer look:

This parade is one of a kind. Must be very expensive, considering all the LED lights that were used to brighten the 20 floats.

Good job, Tacloban!

What to See in Tacloban City

Tacloban is such a small city. One may be able to cover it in one whole day. I got to know the downtown area quickly, and went around from street to street, by foot. Although everything is accessible by jeep, I preferred to walk.

My first destination was the Landing Site of General MacArthur in Palo. This is just 2 jeepney rides away from my hotel. I took the jeep from Real St. to Robinson’s.

If you grew up in the 80's, you definitely know Cristina. She's a Councilor of Tacloban City now.

From Robinson’s, I took another jeep going to rotunda, and went down right across the Philippine Science High School.

You can choose to walk all the way to the park, or take the pedicab.

Pedicab = bicycle with a side car.

I made a quick stop at the Boy Scout Monument. This was erected in 1941, making it the first Boy Scout monument in the world in human form.

The boy scout is holding a bamboo patrol staff and a tree seedling.

Up ahead, I was greeted by the MacArthur Landing Memorial Park.

Hello, General Douglas MacArthur!

This has been declared as a National Historical Landmark.

On this spot, General MacArthur returned to the Philippines on 20 October 1944, and personally led the swift drive against the Japanese forces. President Sergio Osmena and some members of the government-in-exile arrived with General MacArthur and proceeded to reorganize, restore and administer the government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

One shouldn't leave the site without joining these brave men in the water. Yes, it is allowed (you have to remove your footwear of course!). The water is clean and regularly maintained, and there were no tadpoles and wrigglers swimming (just so you know).

The park is huge. There were several tourists and some students enjoying the afternoon breeze.

Within the park, there's this piece of artwork erected in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings.

This artwork is surrounded with plaques, bearing the messages of different presidents and dignitaries from various countries. These plaques are enclosed in a glass case, arranged in a circular manner.

My last stop in this part of town is The Filipino Soldier Monument.

I further went to the other side of Tacloban, just to catch a glimpse of the Philippines' longest bridge.

Built during the Marcos administration, the San Juanico Bridge crosses the San Juanico Strait, bridging the islands of Samar and Leyte. It connects Tacloban City on the Leyte side and the town of Santa Rita on the Samar side. This is also known as the Marcos Bridge (wiki).

I passed by the Price Mansion, now CAP Building, which used to be the former headquarters of Gen. MacArthur.

There's so much to see, so much to learn. I'm saving the best part of this trip on a separate entry. One place that took my breath away.



****************************************

Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan.

Somewhere Out There...

I recently went on a vacation, to a city I’ve never been to before. In fact, it was too long a vacation, I ran out of places to see…hence, I was pigging out most of the time! LOL.

The first restaurant I tried was:

Pakdol is their own version of bulalo.

Queer name. It’s a fastfood that offers heart-stopping dishes (literally!), with pakdol as their specialty. The pakdol was easier to eat as the meat were already sliced off the bone. My disappointment: no bone marrow! Bulalo is incomplete without it...well, for me.

Dahil Sa Iyo is also selling this sad looking puto. Sad because its gray. I've never seen a gray puto before. I'm used to white puto only.

I just had to try it.

After a bite, my exact words: "eto ang puto!". So yummy. Malagkit na puto. This is a perfect testament to "don't judge a book by its cover".

Then I went loco over buko. It was very sweet, totally different from the bland taste of buko in Manila. For only P15.00, it was quite a refreshing drink, after spending a whole lot of time under the sun.

This is sold in Makati for P25.00.

The place is just a short walk from the Landing Site of General McArthur. There’s actually a strip selling buko by the road, just after this videoke place:

If you're broken-hearted, sing your heart out here LOL.

I tried the restaurants recommended by Our Awesome Planet. Anton Diaz is such a glorious source of “where to eat” in any city.

Sunzibar: A cute little resto located in Burgos St.

I like the place.

Inside, a lot of artworks are on display.

The restaurant is known for its Mexican dishes. I had a hard time deciding what to eat because the menu list was very inviting.

I decided to try the Jerk Bangus  and the Redberry Iced Tea.

Two thumbs up!

I enjoyed my order. The smell wafted the air with the sweetest aroma. The fish was very tasty, and boneless. And it comes with fresh vegetable salad as well.

Calle Zaragosa Café: a residential looking place in Independencia St.

There were too many people when I went for dinner. The only seat available then was located outside, and as I was nearing my designated spot, I noticed that almost everyone ordered bulalo. It’s the house specialty pala.

But because I had bulalo the day before, I settled for fried chicken. I was not mistaken with my choice. The chicken was too tasty! I enjoyed it so much..really, sarap to the bones.

Huge serving, for P70.00 only.

Funny thing, their menu comes with Cheesiest Banats Ever.

Ritz Hotel: located in Real St., famous for its kare-kare. I didn't like the place. Not airconditioned. And the wall fans were emitting hot air, totally uncool. It is like a cafeteria, with simple chairs and tables.

Not that good. If its any consolation, it's made of beef and not tripe.
 

On my own, I discovered Dream Cafe. It's a cozy bistro cafe and restaurant along MH del Pilar St.

I ordered Beefsteak Tagalog --- so yummy--- and Mango Shake ---the best ever!. I like the ambiance of the cafe, very homey, and clean.


For breakfast, I had my usual tapsilog.

For the price of the meal, really affordable. I didn't expect much, so I wasn't that disappointed. It's good to try this once, no recommendation for a repeat =)


Since I'm a coffee person, Jose Karlos became my instant favorite. I went here twice!

I occupied this nook, a perfect spot for reading because of its bright lighting.

This is the city's own version of Starbucks, where majority of the crowd is composed of students from nearby universities.

I tried butter muffin and adobo bread, both priced below 50 bucks. Sulit!

Cappuccino with Mr. Grey =)

Iced mocha with Mr. Grey =)

 So, where in the world is this?!

Wearing my Traveling Dress for the 20th time.