Leyte #1

[Jim]

We are at the start of a one week trip to Leyte. Leyte is considered the firth most important island.
(1) Luzon with Manila, and Subic Bay where I live.
(2) Cebu Island with Cebu city, the second largest in the Phils.
(3) Mindaneo with Davao
(4) Negros with Dumaguete and Bacolod
(5) Leyte with Tacloban and Ormoc

I’ve beenn to the top 4 and this was the next place to visit since Jessa has relatives here. She has her paternal grandparents and many aunts, uncles and cousins. In all between Manila, Bicol (also on Luzon) and here she has about 100 relatives so we have a few trips coming.

Renting a car in Tacloban is definitely third world. There are almost no cars available for self drive (most include the driver) and NO ONE takes credit cards. The head of the tourist bureau help me search for an hour with ten phone calls in my behalf and then chaufering me around. He then refused to accept a tip and since Leyte and Tacloban are promoting tourism encouraged me to but my complaints about no credit cards or self drive rentals in writing so he could share my suggestions with the Tacloban community.

Tomorrow we are off on our mystical five day advententure from Tacloban (North East coast), south to Abygog (near where her family lives), then across the island to Baybay on the west coast. And then north to Ormoc. Finally across the morth shore to Tacloban and the return home.

To describe the pictures, the pink outfit is in our bed room before a night of bar hopping. I call this Jessa’s “Don’t you wish your girlfriend were hot like me” outfit). The second picture is from the balcony of our hotel (Leyte Park Resort) looking across the straight at Samar and the last one is Jessa’s new bathing suit.

[Jim]