23 September 2005.

So today we start out with two primary goals, first is to see Lake Danao about an hour outside Ormoc city. The second is to see the natural geothermal hot springs. We get up again about 8 but today are out the door by 8:30. By 8:35 we are stopped by the Police which say we have parked our vehicle facing the wrong direction, and have taken our drivers license, and issued him a ticket. By 9:30 we have eaten and bribed the police to get out drivers license back, grabbed some food for lunch and plenty of water bottles and are on our way. Lake Danao isn’t really all the far from Ormoc but the only road that leads to  it is a ill maintained dirt, gravel, boulder road. We have a two wheel drive, passenger van that is not really equipped with a suspension to handle this kind of off-road road, so it takes a while to get there. Once there it is a very nice lake with a few small shops set up by the road, mostly for the local people. They are selling fruits and vegetables, fresh water clams and other food items. There is a lady there, probably in her late 50s, who for a fare will paddle you around the lake in her hollowed out log canoe with bamboo outriggers. It’s a very slow and peaceful way to tour the lake, and as the lake isn’t all that big it’s not such a bad way to go. We rode around in the lake for about an hour and a half. The hot springs are located maybe about 1 to 2 miles from the lake but we had to traverse the ill maintained road again to get back to the “paved” road. We had heard about the hot springs from a tourist brochure we had picked up from our hotel in Tacloban, and also from mentions of them on the internet, and so were expecting to be able to visit them. What we found was an armed security gate that had no intention of letting us pass. They weren’t rude; they simply said that they couldn’t let us go into the area. We showed the guards the brochures and asked if were in the right place and if we could find the natural geothermal springs. To us it was obvious that there were natural geothermal springs in the area, because we could see some of them along an adjacent mountain range as well as some of the power plants that were operated by steam. The guard informed us that we were in the right place, but that there were no longer any natural springs. He said that they used to line the roads, and you used to be able to go see them, but now all the springs are used by the power plants, and that there are no longer any natural geothermal springs that you can see. He pointed out two across the valley on the sides on the mountains that he said were still natural, however it is nearly impossible to get to them because of there location on the mountain. I asked the guard if it would be ok if I took pictures of the power plants from where we were as it is actually a good vantage point. As all the power plants are a couple of miles away he said go ahead and so I got what pictures I could. As we were getting ready to leave the guard shack a couple of ladies and there two children were dropped off at the guard shack. Joel began talking to them and asked me if I minded if we took them back to Ormoc. As we had to go back through Ormoc again and we had plenty of room in the van I couldn’t see a reason to refuse, so they gratefully accepted the ride, and we dropped them off in town. Our next objective was, or rather mostly Joel just wanted me to see the Leyte University. We stopped there and I took a few pictures. Not being one very familiar with universities I don’t really know how it stacked up against others. But I doubt that many have the dramatic back drop of cloud covered mountain peaks that the Leyte University has. The campus seemed to be laid out nicely rather spacious with well tended lawns and landscaping. Students were traveling to and fro and for a little while you would think that you weren’t in a 3rd world country as you didn’t see any poverty on the campus. After leaving the university we headed back home for Hilongos. Joel wanted to show me two resorts here in Hilongos, and I am rather glad he did. I am now staying at the MLG Forest View Resort, and will likely spend 3 days here before going to Leopard’s Beach Resort for my last 2 days here. He also took me to see a project that he is heading up with a group called Couples for Christ. They have bought a large plot of land and are planning on building a local neighborhood. They have already started it and have a number of houses in place. The houses are for families that don’t have a house, and cant afford rent. They are small, but functional houses, not intended to be luxurious. It is a rather good project and they have done well with it. Tonight here at the MLG Resort it is the managers birthday and so they have been celebrating and karaoke is nonstop. I am the only customer at the resort right now and it is evident that they weren’t expecting anyone but they have treated me well and tried to make me feel welcome. Not wanting to be antisocial and just wanting to get out and see what was going on I wandered about a bit and ended up over where one of the larger groups was, which was by enlarge made up of men. They offered me drinks of rum and beer; I politely declined and explained that it is because I don’t drink alcohol. They accepted this and then offered my pineapple juice, and food which I gratefully accepted. After I had been with them for about an hour the gentlemen whose birthday it was said that there was someone who wanted to meet me, and directed me over to a small group of young ladies that had walked up minutes before. Two of the ladies walked away as the two of us men got closer. The manager (I shall learn his name sometime) introduced me to the lady as Eli, and she to me as Jacqueline, and then walked back to the rest of the party. Jacqueline said that she was sorry but that it was late and she needed to go home. I though this as an odd opening line, but understood what she was saying, after all it was 11:20. I said ok when are you going home? To which she answered now. She then apologized and said that she was shy. I suggested that we move away form the party and karaoke so we could hear each other better, as the karaoke made it hard to hear anyone regardless of what language they spoke or how well they spoke it. She agreed and we walked from there to the swimming pool. There were a number of ladies and girls around the pool and yet another karaoke machine going, but not nearly so loud. We asked simple questions about each other like age and family and work and things like that. She apologized again and said that she was shy. I don’t think she is so much shy about people, but shy about speaking English. Her pronunciation is good, but the words are strained and struggled as she is trying to remember the right words, and she struggles with the many words that she does not know, I can see it in her face that she knows what she wants to say, but doesn’t know how to say it. After a few minutes of struggled, but pleasant conversation she  said that she needed to get going and take here friends home. I walked her back to the main party where she regrouped with her friends. The resort manager who is a friend of Joel’s knew that I was planning a boat trip this coming Sunday and that the boat will hold about 15 people, so he grabbed me by the shoulder and lead me over to Jacqueline and her friends and invited her to go with me. This kind of took both of us by surprise, but she said that she could not because she will be busy. The manager then asked me what I was doing tomorrow, that being Saturday. I said nothing I was planning on taking the day easy. He said good, and invited Jacqueline to come back to the resort. She said that she was sorry, but that she was busy at home Saturday. The manager not wanting to give so easily asked her if I could come over to her house Saturday afternoon. I expected her to decline, but she didn’t and said that it would be ok. So with that she got on her motorcycle and her two friends got on behind her and they left for the night. Shortly after that I excused my self from the party and made my way to my room.

These floating platforms are more or less floating pavilions. They can be rented for large groups and then are pulled out into the lake by ropes that are anchored to the bottom of the lake at various points, thus allowing you to chose where you want your pavilion to be on the lake. you can also have a meal served to you if you like and they will bring food out to you via canoe.