Travel Through Ormoc, Tacloban, and Guiuan

BDK — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:01:32 +0000

Spent about a week on Leyte and Samar.

In Ormoc, where my father was based during WWII, I stayed at the Don Felipe Hotel. Which, by backwoods PI standards was a pretty decent place. I originally had a room at another place up the street. But, after checking in I checked out after walking down the street and checking out the Don Felipe.

A few days in Ormoc then I hired a car and driver and went to Tacloban, spent a couple days there. Then we were off to Guiuan for a night or two. Then all the back to Ormoc. Another stay at the Don Felipe and caught the ferry the next morning back to Cebu. Almost forgot my camera in the hotel. Had to run back to it from the ferry terminal to retrieve the camera—wouldn’t be great to come all that way only to have lost the pics of what I had come all that way to get pics of!

The bus station and part of the docks at Ormoc.

Ormoc City School gate. Compare to below.

War damage in Ormoc.

Japanese shrine at BreckNeck.

Along the road between Ormoc and Tacloban. We stopped to look at Breckneck Ridge. That's "Butch", my driver.

More of the McArthur statue.

McArthur's statue at Tacloban, where he "I Shall Retun'ed"

Crossing over from Leyte to Samar.

The waterway between Leyte and Samar.

Flag by McArthur's headquarters.

Another war monument. Tacloban was the capital of the PI during the liberation.

View from the hotel in Tacloban.