Easy on pocket thrills in Leyte (continued..)

BY MINNIE ADVINCULA

Back in Tacloban, another stop is Rafael’s Farm where one can enjoy a beautifully-landscaped garden with a restaurant. There is a man-made lake where one can hire a boat to take you around for P50 for 30 minutes.

Visit the Palo Cathedral and tour some of the old houses nearby. The cathedral is on the way to the MacArthur National Park. Traveling with children, it took longer for us to visit the place as we had to explain every personality involved in the Leyte landing.

The Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, to our surprise was the favorite among the children. It was built by Imelda Marcos as a Romualdez ancestral house but as in most things historical in this country, it has since fallen into a sad state of decay.

The museum charges P250 for five persons and P30 for every person in excess of five. There is additional charge for the use of camera and video camera.

Considering the vast collection of treasures given to the Marcos family during their 20-year in power, what a waste to see the government neglecting this part of history merely on the basis of its being a part of the Marcos memory. Some of the wood furniture, including bed posts, religious images and the 32-seater dining table had been eaten by termites.

The museum survives on the entrance fees, which are barely enough for the salary of the museum staff and payment of electricity bill. As it is, the museum is poorly lighted and maintenance of the whole place is clearly wanting.

Despite this, we were held in awe at the opulence this place once was and marveled at the value of every piece of foreign gift given to Imelda by such people as Mao Zedong.

To cap the night, we went to Balyuhan, across the city hall where the ampitheater is. Feasting on P5 per stick barbecue and "pinuso" rice beside the Leyte Gulf, it was such a delight to be eating street food in a non-threatening environment.

If this is not enough, walk to the nearby Lion’s Den restaurant for a proper meal.

Finally, ride the Spider taxi to get to the airport—or wherever you want to go. It’s Tacloban’s version of Metro Manila’s FX taxi. At P10 per person with an additional P5 for every succeeding kilometer, this vehicle provides the amenities and services of a taxi. But before leaving, drop by at Aida’s in downtown to buy "pasalubong." Highly recommended is the pili hopia and special pastillas from carabao milk. Binagol, moron, and sagmani can also be bought along the sidewalks.

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COMMENT:
I'm so glad Minnie enjoyed her trip to my province, Leyte. She and other tourists could also visit Tacloban City around the last week of June, and enjoy celebrating the Pintados Festival with us. There are so many fun-filled activities that people would always go out to the main city everyday during this time to enjoy these festivties.