Never too Leyte: to watch Cartoons

This recycling area in Ormoc automatically caught my eye while passing by.

Yes, it's a pretty normal segregation stop-over, and kudos to Ormoc for putting something like this all around the city. That shows how they're serious about the 3Rs.

What caught my eye, though, is what they recycle.

They're recycling "Cartoons"! 

I was almost expecting to see Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse and Spongebob Squarepants inside the bin. But alas, everything inside the area were just "cartons."

Proofreader please!

Never too Leyte: to take me to Church

Visiting Churches is one of my top priorities when visiting a new place.

Luckily, Ormoc's most famous Church, Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church was very near our hotel. That way, it was easy to make a quick stop and say a prayer of thanks for this trip and our work.

The design is very reminiscent of old Churches and Cathedrals in the Philippines. From it's stone walls to the ornate chandeliers. And of course, the exquisite altar with antique looking Saints.

One thing that caught my attention at this Church is this tableau that captures the moment when St. Joseph passed away. This is my first time to see this, and it was such a moving piece.

Too bad we weren't able to hear mass here. 

But that's a good reason for me to go back.

Never too Leyte: to let sleeping dogs lie

If there's a cat post about Leyte, there should be a dog post, too.

This sleeping dog was at the hut where we stopped by to eat pineapples. 

When we got there, he was already at that spot, asleep. We were there for about 30 minutes, talking, laughing and making a lot of noise. The peculiar thing was, the dog never flinched and was asleep the whole time!

He must've been dog tired.

Never too Leyte: to cross the bridge

Of course, a visit to Tacloban wouldn't be complete without passing by the historic San Juanico Bridge.

This iconic structure bridges together 2 provinces - Samar and Leyte. For a time, it was the Philippines' longest bridge and a Philippine landmark.

Whenever people say "San Juanico Bridge," our generation would usually reply, "Dante Varona!" That's because in his film "Hari ng Stunt," his iconic stunt was jumping off San Juanico Bridge.

No, we didn't jump. 

Finally seeing it in person, I must say, San Juanico Bridge is as majestic and breathtaking as the photos and videos that I've seen. And now, I can say:

"I've crossed the bridge since I got there."

Never too Leyte: to enjoy a harvest

Whenever “pineapple’ is mentioned, the 2 places that come to mind are Tagaytay and Bukidnon. These provinces are known for their golden, sweet pineapples.

The great thing about traveling is that you learn something new each time. On this trip to Leyte, I learned that they’re also one of the largest pineapple producers in the country.

We passed by a pineapple farm en route to the airport, and it was pineapples as far as the eye could see.

The great thing is that there’s a roadside stall where you can buy their freshly harvested pineapples and eat it on-site. The salt, sugar and sili dip made it even more mouthwatering.

There’s really nothing like the sweetness of freshly picked fruits!

FMM: Never too late

Of course, today's Friday Magic Madness song has to fit with the theme.

In 1971, Stylistics had a monster hit entitled "Stop, Look, Listen (to your heart.)"

How does this fit into the theme? Incidentally, part of the chorus is:

"It's never too late, too late, to..."

So, it's not too late to use this song and make the theme last the whole week long.

Never too Leyte: To reach the peak

Nope, we didn't climb a mountain.

Given our work schedule, there simply was no time.

But our photographer - who's from Leyte - told us that there's one peak that we shouldn't miss. And that's Alto Peak.

This is a local chocolate company who grows their own cocoa beans and makes their own chocolate products. They have a restaurant/store in a hidden subdivision in Ormoc, and we're lucky to have an insider to help us find it.

Their specialty is the "Sikwate" or the local hot chocolate. It's served with sticky rice and mango - Thai style. But the chocolate is 100% Pinoy.

True to its name, the Sikwate was the peak of yummy-ness!

Never too Leyte. For fruits.

Even if we were eating all day and just had dinner, it's hard to say "no" to fruits. Especially fresh ones.

Due to its proximity to Davao and other Philippine fruit baskets, fruits in Leyte are cheap. Some are even 60% cheaper than if you buy them in Manila.

The food park had a lot of stalls selling fresh, cut fruits. You can enjoy it on its own, or you can also have them made into fruit shakes. Either way, the freshness and natural sweetness of the fruits come through and make the experience more refreshing.

With fruits for dessert, at least we end our food binge on a healthy note.

Never too Leyte. To feed a cat.

Met this cutie cattater while we were having dinner at the Sutukil restaurant in Ormoc.

At first, he was just hanging around our table, nonchalantly passing by. 

Then, it stopped beside my chair and let out the cutest "meow." Since there were bits and bones of grilled Blue Marlin on my plate, it became the cat's dinner.

After quickly noshing on the fish, he looked up at me and meowed for more. Then the food just kept on coming. From the grilled blue marlin, to liempo, to shrimp - bits and pieces of our dinner found its way to the floor and to his tummy.

Eventually, another cat joined him under the table and we ended up feeding 2 cats! Too bad we don't have a photo of his feline friend.

This experience is proof that no matter where you are in the Philippines, a cute cat is a cute cat.

Never too Leyte. For ice cream.

Looks like ice cream is a thing in Ormoc.

After lunch, we were walking around the boardwalk food park and found out that there were a lot of stalls selling ice cream. They were home made, and each "home" had their own flavour and twist to it.

We went to a stall named "Mesarap" and they had 5 flavours available: Avocado, Cookies and Cream, Mango, Strawberry and Ube. Being the fruit lover that I am, it was Mango and Strawberry for me.

The texture was super interesting and everything had crushed peanuts. Which is what made the texture diferent.

Too bad we weren't able to try the other brands. But it's never too late to go back.

Never too Leyte

Since it's my first time in Tacloban, I can't say General Douglas McArthur's iconic line: "I Shall Return."

But that doesn't stop me from saying hello to him.

Hello, Leyte! Can't wait to go around and see all the reasons why I should return.