Tacloban is the largest city in the Eastern Visayas with over 200,000 people and the capital of the province of Leyte. Tacloban was briefly the capital of the Philippines, from 20 October 1944 to 27 February 1945 and is still the home of the Pintados Festival, commemorating the life and culture of the early settlers of Tacloban.

In March 1942 US General Douglas MacArthur had been changing trains at Terowie, 220km from Adelaide, when he gave his famous impromptu speech about Allied strategy. In it he talked about the relief of the Philippines being a priority, uttering his best known quote: “I shall return”.

Tanauan, a second class municipality in Leyte, is a coastal town divided into 54 barangays. It is also considered as one of the oldest towns of the province. It was established in 1710 when the Spanish authorities appointed its first officials.

Hindang is a fifth class municipality located in the province of Southern Leyte. The quiet town is hidden below the peaks of Mt. Bontok where awesome caves inhabited with wild monkeys can be found. The caves in Hindang are more accessible than other caves in the Philippines. It can easily be accessed through the national highway which is 300 meters away from the Hindang Caves Park.

The beaches in the province of Leyte are amazing because of their refreshing and clear waters that turn ordinary vacations into extraordinary experiences.

We had just left Baybay after a brief stopover on our way from Ormoc City. All the while our eyes were glued to the west and the blue waters of the Camotes Sea, as our van made its way down the coast to the sleepy town of Inopacan. It wasn't long before two islands materialized in our sights, the nearest one flashing a long stretch of white sand against a backdrop of ocean blue. We knew instantly that the pair was part of the Cuatro Islas, a group of four scenic islands off the towns of Inopaca

The MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park (also known as the Leyte Landing Memorial Park and MacArthur Park) is a protected area of the Philippines that commemorates the historic landing of General Douglas MacArthur in Leyte Gulfat the start of the campaign to recapture and liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation on 20 October 1944. This event led to the largest naval battle of World War II and Japan's eventual defeat and surrender after almost three years.

The light rain, while our plane lands on the runway of Tacloban Airport, brought qualms in visiting the first item on my schedule that weekend. It was my first time in Eastern Visayas region and paying homage to San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country, was the first thing I planned to do. Not just simply taking a picture with the bridge on the background, but to walk the whole stretch of it.

To complete my itinerary on that trip to Eastern Visayas, I consulted Google for interesting sites in the area. With a few search and help from the friendly staff of Ironwood Hotel, I made my impromptu historical tour. Right at one corner of Burgos and Juan Luna Streets, I started my mission to discover things to see in Tacloban City.

Eastern Visayas is composed of the islands of Samar, Leyte, Biliran and the smaller outlying islands. In terms of political divisions, it is made up of six provinces, namely Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.