And the Local Tourist is Alive... Again (Part 1)

(part one of the three installments of this blog series)

So the traveler in me is alive and kicking again. And this time, this traveler has crossed the waters of Luzon and has gone into the islands of Visayas.

To be exact, this traveler has gone into the island facing the Pacific Ocean - Samar Island. And to a more specific note, this jet setter has gone into the side of the Samar island that is directly facing the largest ocean in the world. I am referring to the province of Eastern Samar.

The Samar Island (retrieved from  http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Samar_(island))
   

The Province of Eastern Samar, and the City of Borongan (retrieved from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borongan)

You might be wondering why in the world I went there. Actually, I should have gone there long time ago. The province is my father's hometown, and its capital city, the City of Borongan, is where my father was born, and where he grew up. All his relatives were, and are there. And as a gift for my graduation from college, my father took me there to meet his relatives, to trace our family's roots through our family reunion, which was held last May 6, and to see the place where he started to build his identity, his dreams, and the source of his strength and determination to succeed in life.

The City Hall of Borongan

So I'm starting to get mushy there. But seriously, this trip not just filled my eyes with sights, and my ears with new words that I've learned. I felt that I found my other side. I felt a sense of belongingness with the place, and an attachment to its people. I felt I found a new home, different from the places I've been.

How did I get there?


There are two ways of getting to City of Borongan. If you are the type that enjoys sight-seeing while travelling, travelling by land is how. From bus terminals in Manila (the one I'm familiar with is Eagle Star), ride that one that goes to Guian. It will pass by the city downtown. Although, the trip usually takes a day, or more, depending on the traffic. From Manila, it would pass by the Southern Tagalog area (Laguna and Quezon), then the Bicol Region. It would take have to be taken in a RORO (Roll-on, Roll-off, the ferry not the deodorant) from Matnog Port in Sorsogon. The ferry would dock in Allen, Northern Samar, and from there, around 6-8 hours bus ride all the way to Borongan.

But if you're the busy type (like us, having a hectic 12-day visit), travelling by air is the one for you. Book a ticket from Manila (or anywhere that airlines have flights going) to Tacloban City. The flight usually lasts for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (except of course when there are delays).

Touchdown Tacloban City

Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City (and the "E" was blocked by that post)

From the Daniel Romualdez Airport in the city, take a short jeepney or tricycle ride to the air conditioned shuttle van service going to Borongan. The van ride usually lasts from 4 to 5 hours. Through this way, you would go through the San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country, which connects the islands of Samar and Leyte.

San Juanico Bridge, from inside the moving shuttle van

During the trip, you would see different sights which makes you say "Hey, this is totally not the metro". Coconut trees are plenty in the area. At one side of the road are houses (and they are sparse in number, and are so distant relative to each other), and behind and surrounding them, are forests, and mountains, among others. While on the other side, well, still coconuts, but behind them are beaches and of course the Pacific Ocean.

This, would you believe, is in Borongan, in one of the barangays of the city?

Captured from Gen Mc Arthur, Eastern Samar, one of the towns on the way to the capital city. The tiny building there is a primary school.

A neighborhood in Gen Mc

This is from a barangay in Gen Mc. The "building" there (the one with concrete wall on the bottom, and open in the upper half) is a school building.

Speaking of the houses, you would actually notice the socio-economic status (SES) of the people just by the location of their house relative to the Poblacion (the downtown). Not being generalist about it, but a majority of the the people belonging to the bottom SES (the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP), as they say), as located far from the downtown, and has only a few if not no neighbors. They are those which are located in the forested and agricultural areas of the town, and their house are usually made of nipa and bamboo. Meanwhile, those who are well off in life live in the Poblacion, and a lot of house there are already made in concrete. Reminds me of the plaza complex that we discussed in Kasaysayan 1 (Philippine History), which states that the most affluent and wealthy tend to live at the capital, while the poor and marginalized remain in the mountains and outskirts of the city (*cough* *cough* Sir Tupe Esquejo). This, I observed, remains true today, not just there in Borongan, but also in other provinces of the country.

We stayed at our ancestral house in the City of Borongan, located in G. Alido St. (the street bearing one of our relative's name). This house is currently occupied by my cousin (the second son of my father's late elder sister, who by the way is the fourth among the siblings). My cousin and his wife have 8 children, 4 of whom are here in the metro, while the other four are in the house. And yes, they are my nieces and nephews. (My dad is the youngest among the siblings, and the last and latest to get married, that is why even at this age of 20, I already have nieces and nephews older than me. I already have a grandson, actually). Two of our neighbors are also our relatives.

The neighborhood

So what did I do there for the 12 days of my life?
Find out on the second installment of this blog. :)



Additional Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borongan
http://living.cebunetwork.com/article/san-juanico-bridge-longest-in-philippines/