Three Things I Love About Eastern Samar

Borongan is 4 hours away from Tacloban, where the airport is.  But the view compensates for the long travel.  On one side would be mountains, and on the other side is the Pacific Ocean and a nice view of some tiny white sand islands or limestone reefs.There are also the beautiful rivers and huge rice fields Despite the many surfers coming from different countries, the beaches of Eastern Samar remains to be very clean, and not commercialized. There are many coves, where one can just go to swim for free or for a very minimal fee.

One thing I love about Eastern Samar is its clean waters, and huge tract of mangroves, which help support a healthy marine ecosystem.  One early morning, we woke up at 5:30 in the morning to go swimming in one of the coves.  I am not sure where it was but it was just by the bridge going to Calico-an island.  The cove has coral reefs which was bombed during the World War 2 and the hole caused by the bomb formed pool-like hole. To this day, different schools of fishes still live in that “pool”.  People go there to swim – together with the fishes. I hope they will be able to keep the place as it is now. 

Another favorite is the very delectable crabs from a village called Caridad.  It was the yummiest I have ever tasted – sweet and very fresh. This also shows how healthy their marine ecosystem is.

And third favorite is the beautiful sunset  which is something I cannot get enough of.

Eastern Samar is now one of my favorite islands in the Philippines.  I travelled for work and did not have much time to see the famous sites. I did not see Linao cave which is one of the most enchanting caves and waterfalls I have seen in the pictures.  I am going back for Linao cave and for the white sand islands, someday soon.