BANANACUE
REPUBLIC
Vol I, No. 9
Nov 03, 2004
by H. A. de Veyra
TRAVEL:
Leyte
McArthur Park is where Gen. McArthur landed with his troops to end the Japanese Occupation. It's beside the Red Beach. As kids we thought it was so named because the sea was red; then as we grew older, we thought it was because there were many soldiers killed there, therefore the association with the color red (blood). Later when I was a little wiser, I learned that the American military assigned colors to the beach as codes for their landing. So we have a blue beach, a red beach, and a white beach, all of them I assure you of the same color.
I grew up summers on this beach, when I wasn't spending it in Tolosa, which is referred to as the Blue Beach. We'd sneak away from home and swim to our hearts' content; I even lost my first wristwatch here. McArthur Park used to be made of a stone monument and Gen. McArthur's footprint, but then Imelda Marcos had this brilliant idea of making it into a bigger park. So as far as I can remember, the park is how it stands now: with a statue of Gen. McArthur and his aides walking behind him. Those used to be concrete, but some over-zealous anti-American and anti-Marcos bombmaker bombed it, and Gen McArthur's head was blown off. So the government commissioned a bronze artist to do the statues over again. The statues are standing over a pool of water with small fishes swimming around their bronze feet.
Anyway, we were at the park last Sunday. Dulce, Brian, Daphne and I. Across the park are kiosks selling not too ice-cold beer and barbecue and all sorts of other pulutan (food that goes well with beer or alcohol). We usually go there when we want to eat and be around people (family people because it's a family park), when we don't have much money (because the food is cheap), and when we want a casual setting. Café style with tables/chairs and umbrellas on the side of the street, not many cars passing, wide open space, cool sea breeze, night sky above us, and very, very cheap food. I had about 8 sticks of pork barbecue (and I'm a vegetarian). These are small slices though, so I'm still alive. I also had 2 puso (boiled rice wrapped in coconut leaves and shaped like the banana heart, therefore the name puso which means heart). I mixed myself a shandy (1 San Miguel light beer + Sprite). Among the 4 of us, we paid P250.
If you're finicky and a foreigner, you may never eat here although some foreigners do frequent the place (to drink beer). Although it's generally clean, you may think the place dirty for example. I don't eat there during daylight because, well, ... I remember one time. Chef Anjanette and I bought some buko (it's a young coconut you eat by itself, or make into a buko salad) for our New Year's celebration. And as we were hungry, we decided to eat some barbecue before going home. So there we were enjoying our barbecue, and on my last bite, I saw this rigor mortised fly on the sauce. It looked like it had been cooked in the sauce. I looked at Anjanette (we're very OC with our food!), and pointed to her the fly. I guess that was our new year's initiation. Our only fear: spending new year's day in a hospital. We survived though. But I tell you, I didn't feel like eating on New Year's Eve.
But don't let this discourage you. The food is okay, the park is family- and kid-friendly, and if you feel like you have to pee, you cross to the park and look for the security guard, ask him where the CR (comfort room) is, pay him P2-P5 for the use (the money goes to the maintenance of the toilet).
The place is open everyday, at all hours. Go there if you're not looking for good food, but want a safe place to hang out with your friends.
Leyte - McArthur Beach Resort
About a walk away from the park, is Red Beach's resort which is managed by the Department of Tourism. It has two swimming pools, nice 3-star rooms with native material themes, kiosks, a ballroom dance floor, a bar, and a restaurant. That's where I was the next day with a friend. Personally I don't like the food there because it's tasteless and sloppily prepared, except for that one time, Dulce (a painter) had an exhibit launching and the resort provided for the buffet... that one was a superb European-influenced lunch. The regular menu food, though, sucks (I know from past experience), so I was hesitant about ordering food which I'd have to pay for to not enjoy. Around 5pm, though, I was hungry and had to eat lunch, so finally I ordered their Gambas (sizzled shrimp and mushroom in tomato sauce and spices), rice, and fresh mango shake. My friend just ordered a glass of mango shake and ate some of the shrimps on my plate.
The Gambas surprised me because it was really good. And it wasn't because I was hungry. So, the gambas in that resort was good. I've already tasted their sandwiches (no comment), and the coffee is just, well, instant coffee. I'll brave Starbucks anytime. The rest of the menu, you'll have to find out by yourselves and with your own money.
So what's nice about this place at all??? It's far away from the noisy city, it's secluded, it's by the beach (although not white sand), it has coconut trees to remind you you're in a tropical country, AND not many people go there during the day, except weekends.
Room rates at the resort are in the $50- range, food is expensive considering it's not world class, facilities are okay but there's no gym, nor a spa. Actually you're left to entertain yourself, you're on your own, so if you're hiding from the police, this would be the perfect hideaway. (Although I saw three policemen playing billiards while still in their uniform. So maybe not.)
Tacloban -- Foodtripping
Foreigners should never try driving in Tacloban's downtown, unless they're Marlboro World Cup veterans, or flamenco dancers. Everyone here drives crazy, they should all be put in a mental hospital. Experience Zamora St, and squeeze yourself in between tricycles (they're motorbikes with sidecars used as public transportation), and get your side mirror stuck in someone else's side mirror (while driving). But I'm a local so I have the pulse of this city in my blood.
We (my two friends and I) were getting hungry from being stuck in the traffic and we still had errands to do. So we stopped by a bakeshop, bought some bread, then went to another block (driving of course because we never walk here if possible), and bought ourselves some fresh mango shake. Of the mango shakes I've drank here, this kiosk (with wheels) sells the best mango shake here in the city. And it only costs P10. Order from the restaurants and a lesser quality mango shake will cost you P60. The kiosk has no name, but it's always "parked" across Cafe Zaragoza (in Calle Zaragoza/Independencia St), and is owned by Flor (that's what my friend told me). So we parked by the side of the street, drank our mango shake (in plastic cups), saw Mario (a friend of ours) walking, well, he has worked in the States so no wonder... talked with him for a while until I finished my shake. Then the driver (me) was ready to drive again.
We went to the Family Park down Magsaysay Road. I thought it was a children's park because the life-size concrete animals from the Children's Park were transferred to this place. I only learned now that it's now called the Family Park. It has a restaurant/cafeteria called Lion's Den FoodPark. It has a main cafeteria, and four steps below is the veranda that overlooks the bay. It has a tables-chairs-huge umbrellas setting, generally clean, and serves cheap food. I had Lomi which is a kind of egg soup with noodles. They use miki noodles here, and the Chinese say that's the original noodle to use for lomis. I agree, it was the best lomi I've ever tasted (well, maybe the only lomi I've ever tasted). We ordered only half of the serving (P60, half - P30) and asked for small bowls. And waited for the sun to set so we could see the moon rise from the east, which never did.
Cool breeze from the sea, sound of waves in the background and a baduy radio station playing at the cafeteria ... but I liked the place, it was peaceful, and we had a wide uninterrupted view of Kankabatok Bay. Around 6pm, the yuppies and university students started coming in, all for one united purpose: to drink beer. It's not a rowdy place though. The customers keep to themselves, and they couldn't have bothered anyone even if they had tried because the breeze drowned out all the voices except for the baduy radio playing at the cafeteria ... which the owner changed to classic jazz when my friend complained.
It's a nice family place. While you're eating, you can leave your children outside to play and run and jump and scream to their hearts' content, with their yayas running after them of course. And there is parking.
Posted 11/02/04.
McArthur entourage in bronze
McArthur Park
Beach Resort:
Restaurant
Pool
Beach
Beach