Suggested days: 2days Budget Cost: Php 2,000 ($42)
Places to vist: 8
Place to Stay: Casa de Tacloban, Rival Ave. P150 for a single bed, fan room & common bathroom.
DAY 1
6:30amDowntown Tacloban. Although most of the fastfoods are there (Jollibee, McDo, Chowking) I went to the public market to try some local delicacies. My breakfast for today are “Suman sa latik” and “Chocolate suman,” P25 only.
9:00amLeyte Landing Memorial (formerly MacArthur Park) and Rock Garden. From downtown, I board
ed a jeepney going Baros, after the Government Center you will see the Memorial Park with the Leyte Gulf on its background. A not so popular site is the Rock Garden where you read the greetings dignitaries all over the world during the 50th anniversary of Gen. MacArthur’s Leyte Gulf Landing. Leading the support forces were Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Pres. Sergio Osmena and Gen. Carlos Romulo. When I got there, I didn’t hesitate to give my salute to the General along with those who sacrificed their lives for love of liberty. Kudos!
Tranportation, less than P50.
11:00amRafael’s Farm, Babatngon. Have a hearty lunch of Baby-Back Ribs, Green Rice, Carrots & Corn side dish, Turon for desert and House-brewed Iced Tea only at Php 220. The scenery is a welcome treat, it soothed my eyes. I was full and I enjoyed my lunch. Take a deep breath at their tree house, I even took a nap before going to my next destination. This would be a 20-minute jeepney ride from downtown. Fare at P25.
3:00pmBukid Outdoor Shop (Habagat), Burgos St. This small outdoor shop boast an indoor wall climbing facility which I tried. Pretty cheap for P30 an hour of unlimited climb. The staff are friendly.
7:00pm Ocho Grill, Sen. Enage St. Pick want you want (meat or seafood) and let them cook it for you the way you want it cooked. Yummy seafood! I just paid P120 for a sumptuous dinner. I had enough.
9:00pmJose Karlo’s, Juan Luna St. Have some espresso while checking your latest Facebook comment. The ambiance is great and is big enough for the whole barkada. You will always find your perfect nook while getting caffeinated. Relax before going back to you guesthouse. Coffee price ranges from P45 to P100. Cookies are available too!
DAY 2
6:30am San Jua
nico Bridge. Head north and check the longest and most beautifully designed bridge in the Philippines. Built on San Juanico Strait and connects Leyte and Samar with a “L” and “S” style bridge. It is said that this was a gift of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos to his wife Imelda.
8:00amLeyte Park Resort, Boulevard, UP Tacloban and Provincial Capitol. These are near to each other, a nice morning walk would make you feel the city and the people. Tricycle drivers, pedestrians and city folks are kind ad welcoming- just don’t forget to smile at them. The Provincial Capitol has been the seat of the Philippines government for a short peri
od of time.
11:00amEat Pakdol (Bulalo) at Dahil Sa’Yo, Real St. What a nice lunch to end the Tacloban Trip- eating “Pakdol,” its their own version of “Bulalo” (pork bones with marrows in hot soup). Price is P160 which is good for 2-3 persons.
If you have extra time to kill you can go to the beach:
1:00pm White Beach. Bask in the sun and let your feet gather some sands while having a relaxing walk on the shore. Located 8kms away from the city at the south border of San Jose, this beach also offers boating, snorkeling and scuba-diving activities. After some tanning, you can now prepare for your flight back to Manila.
Transportation: Tricycle would cost you Php 8-15 around the city.
i feel guilty i haven’t been to this place yet even though it’s in the visayas. when i get here i’ll promise to cross san juanico bridge on foot regardless if it will take me hours. hehehe
yeah! i would run that bridge when i return. kita kita sa sj bridge ha. skimboard narin tayo, meron dun spot
in tacloban? i want to try tanauan first. 🙂 my skim friends always go there every year dec/jan for the national competitions.
tanauan? kahit saan basta pwede mag skim! may board ka ba? nasira kasi yung saakin sa puerto princesa
may board ako. hehe locally made foamie. meron din akong woody.
ang ganda sa tanauan tsaka sa zambales san narciso. dito sa cebu, seasonal kasi. kung gusto mo punta ka dito sa cebu, skim tayo sa argao or liloan kasi in season ngayon. hehehe
ayos pala pre! sa cebu ka pala naka base, akala ko sa mindanao anyway, kapag pumunta ulit ako ng cebu, skim tayo! sana marunong pa ako. haha i like to try a foamie. buy din kung mura lang
Punta ka ulit when im there…ill let u try lechon, eskrim, pindokos, etc 🙂
sure bubbly bles! i love to explore more of tacloban and run on san juanico bridge 🙂
sa amin to james..
naks, naman! =)
hehe, ang ganda sa inyo at mura lng
hi!
will be in tacloban this july. thanks to your blog i learned about bukid outdoor shop. i never tried any kind of climbing before haha but will try it there kasi i’ll be going as a solo traveler. para madagdagan itin ko.
thanks!
hi pinky, glad this is become helpful!
enjoy tacloban and dont forget to eat at rafael’s farm, sarap doon at very serene din ang ambiance.
say my regards to the staff of bukid outdoor, sabihin mo yung nag;-climb at nagbigay ng pakdol afterwards.
Galing mo talaga, James! Your blogs are a backpacker’s delight, though I think you “splurged” with your sumptuous meals in Tacloban. No worries, budget-friendly pa rin! I’m no backpacker but your blogs help guide many travelers.
thanks tita lili, just wanna share so that others will travel more while spendin less.
hi there James! thanks for this link. i noticed you made this blog more than 2 yrs and the rates have doubled since then, haha! so whats new? i have jst emailed and tried to make a reservation for 3pax
to Casa de Tacloban, crossing my fingers even my toenails meron pa silang room na avail since
Undas season ang gawi namin dito.
i also took note of your interesting stops and destinations and shld come in very handy once i, mom and my sister
step foot in this rich and historic city! for my mom and sis, its their 2nd time while its debut for me!
wish us luck and kwentuhan kta laterz.
ingats ka wherever city you are in right now….hehe!
i’m glad to find out that the first entry in your blog is about Tacloban. Leyte is my home province, though i’m already based here in Manila. i see to it that i get to visit the place once a year. hope you’d be back in Tacloban and explore more places and taste local delicasies. btw, i’m from tanauan. the skim boarding capital of the Phil..hope you’d visit the place soon..XD keep it up men…more travel to you…
hi erwin! yep, tacloban is one of those places where i tried solo backpacking.. i was just starting back then. it was also my hub going to borongan. i haven’t been to tanauan but heard about it alot. maybe sometime i will go there and play skimboard, i really love that sports.
thanks for feedback man!
james, i will be in Tacloban this May 4-5, 2012. I will try to visit and dine in Rafael’s Farm, Babatngon at magpahinga sa Tree house nila ang take pictures, too. Thanks for this info.
cool! you have been there. i live the whole time of my college life there. almost 5 or 6 years.
this blog made me miss the place.
this was long ago. ahaha
Hello James! I’ve started following your blog early this year, it really helped me a lot during my first solo trip in Bacolod-Iloilo last September! Saka budget friendly talaga. I wouldn’t have found Sweet City Captel (Bacolod) without your blog 😀 This November, my friend and I will be backpacking in Tacloban and your itinerary will surely help.