Virtual Tour Guiding

LEYTE (Virtual Tour Guiding)
Tour Guide: Hello! Hello! Hello! Good day, my dear tourists! My name is Ivan Tan from Happy Vacation
Travels, and I’ll be with you for today’s virtual tour to the largest and oldest province in the Eastern
Visayas Region. The eighth-largest region and ranks as the sixth-most populous island in the Philippines,
with a total population of 2,626,970, Leyte!
Tour Guide: But before we proceed to our virtual tour, please be reminded of all the safety protocols,
guidelines, and precautions for this trip to be highly safe and enjoyable. You just have to remember the
word SUGBO; S stands for synchronized; please synchronize your time to mine so that no one will be left
behind. Tik tok tik tok! Time check, it’s 8:10 in the morning; Next is U which stand for understand, please
understand that if you hear me whistle once like this [whistles], it means it’s your time to visit around the
vicinity and enjoy, but if you hear me whistleblowing twice [whistles twice] and this red flag raised like this
[raises red flag], it means that “my dear tourists, our time has now ended and let’s head off back to the
bus and proceed to our next destination,”; G is for groups, practice being ‘buddy buddy’ with your
co-tourists so that no one will get lost during our tour; B for the backpack, I got you, my dear tourists! I
have all you need from first aid kits, toiletry, and alcohol for emergency cases; and lastly, O, which stands
for observation, by not doing anything damaging, let us observe and embrace what their nature has in
store for us. I am very excited about today’s tour, and I believe you too, my dear tourists! Let me check
your temperature first, and next is headcount, 1..2..5...10...15...20. Excellent!
Tour Guide: Now, tourists, let me tell you about Leyte. The capital of Leyte is Tacloban City, which then
became known because of Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever
recorded, where the cities and towns of Leyte were largely destroyed with 6,300 fatalities. There are
different versions of how the place got its name. One of the claims said that Datu Ete then headed the
palace. When the Augustinian Fathers heard about the place, they traveled there to Christianize the
people living there, and as they sailed a small boat towards a small bay, they swelled into a big river. The
friars asked for directions to the people residing in the small village near the river’s edge, but they didn’t
know that these people were not aware of their language. The people keep saying “Hira Ete,” which
means “the place belonged to Ete.” The friars then thought that they meant for the name of the place
called Hiraete. Thus the place Leyte was previously called Hiraete. The residents of Leyte are separated
into two categories based on their language. The Cebuanos live in the west and south, while the
Waray-Waray are in the north and east (Leyte dialect). And because of the province’s colonial heritage,
there are also some Spanish mestizos and indigenous who can speak and comprehend Spanish.
Tour Guide: Leyte is famously known for its delicious delicacies, namely Binagol and Chocolate moron.
Binagol is a sweet treat with a distinct taste and packaging. Binagol is a dish composed of glutinous rice
and taro pudding with nuts, with a twist in the middle, where a delicious blend of coconut and kalamay is
placed. Chocolate Moron is a delightful chocolatey 'kakanin' wrapped in a banana leaf with a white
covering and a chocolate filling. Moron can be present in Leyte and Samar at all times. Another is
Bukayo, which is made from coconut, which is abundant on the island, and a brown sugar combination.
Of course, we also have our drinks! The most excellent local wine you may drink in Leyte and Samar is
Bahalina Tuba, a Filipino-made beverage. It is a popular drink among Waray people, Visayans, and
Mindanoans. In the mentioned locations, drinking tube wine is a regular staple at celebrations such as
birthdays, fiestas, and other events.
Tour Guide: I believe that you are all excited now, so how will we get there? Two commercial airports
serve Leyte province. One is located in Tacloban, while the other is located in Ormoc. Because there are
few flights to Ormoc, the majority of passengers go to Tacloban. You may then take a van or a bus to
other areas of the island of Leyte. When it comes to intertown transport, vans are more frequent.
Kalanggaman Island
TOUR GUIDE: Good day, dear tourists! As you are now more familiar with Leyte, let me introduce you to
some of the famous tourist attractions of this place. First, Kalanggaman Island, which is now known as
one of the top tourist spots in Leyte. Kalanggaman Island is dubbed as Leyte’s most beautiful island and
is also called The Crown Jewel of Leyte. It possesses a long stretch of pristine white powdery sands
complementing the azure waters, an ideal site for swimming and snorkeling. For everyone’s information,
many travelers, especially Filipinos, assume that the island was named after langgam, the Filipino word
for ants, but little did they know that the true Kalanggaman Island’s description is far from that. The island
is called Kalanggaman because of its bird-like shape, and the word Langgam is a Visayan term for a
“bird.”
Lake Danao National Park

Tour Guide: The next tourist spot is Lake Danao National Park, one of the most preserved tourist spots in
Leyte. It is situated in the highland and surrounded by pristine rainforests. Due to its high elevation, the
location of this park is much cooler than the average Philippine temperature. Lake Danao is considered
Ormoc City’s main natural attraction. Some of the things to do here are swimming, kayaking, and
canoeing. There is a view deck where you can have an eagle’s eye view of the lake and the surrounding
mountains. This tourist spot, which is a violin-shaped lake on Ormoc mountains, was previously named
Lake Imelda, after the former First Lady, Imelda Marcos. But it was changed to Lake Danao Natural Park
afterward, and it bears that name up to date. Lake Danao covers an area of 148 hectares and is about
700 meters above sea level. A quick fun fact, did you know that this lake has initially been volcanic in
nature? Well, according to some professionals, Lake Danao is volcanic in origin, like the famous Taal
Lake in Tagaytay City. It is a depression produced by the Leyte Central Fault, an active fault passing
through the lake area in the North-South direction. Most rock formations that surround the lake are
andesitic volcanic rocks.
Napantao Marine Sanctuary

Tour Guide: Aren’t our previous tourist spots exciting? But wait, there’s more! The next one is Napantao
Marine Sanctuary. It is one of the most protected tourist spots in Southern Leyte and one of the best sites
for scuba diving and swimming here in the Philippines. The Napantao Marine Sanctuary was established
in 1996, and it covers an area of approximately 5 hectares. This place is a Marine Protected Area.
Therefore, it has a No-Take Area, which is surrounded by a 50-meter buffer zone wherein fishing is
prohibited with all gear types, and motorized boats are not allowed to enter the proximity of the No-Take
Area. These restrictions were imposed to enable the coral reef communities within the protected areas to
flourish continuously and contribute to the location’s outstanding biodiversity and high coral cover. In
addition to this, the Marine Protected Area also operates as a financing scheme where divers must
contribute financially to be allowed to dive within its boundaries. Through this, the cash inflows provide
resources to enable the enforcement of the Marine Protected Area and increase community support. Are
you getting curious now about the place? Let me give you a short glimpse of what Napantao has to offer
you all. For those who love gazing at the colorful corals and swimming with countless fish species, and
seeing reef sharks and turtles, this place is the right one for you. This place can indeed fulfill a
thalassophile’s dream!
San Juanico Bridge
Tour Guide: Last but definitely not the least, the San Juanico Bridge, which is the Philippines' longest
bridge. When tourists go to Leyte, this is one of the go-to-places that they usually visit. It connects the
provinces of Samar and Leyte, and it measures more than 2.16 kilometers. This place gives everyone
perfect access to the stunning view of the seas and the mountains. The sunset view here is also
breathtaking and very Instagram-worthy. Here's a bit of historical trivia for this bridge. Did you know that
this bridge was primarily planned to be built as the "Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway Bridge," a
project launched by former President Ferdinand Marcos? This bridge project was part of a large bundle of
high-visibility foreign-loan-funded infrastructure launched during the 1969 Presidential campaign. Right
now, San Juanico Bridge is a significant part of the tourism and economies of the islands of Samar and
Leyte just because of linking them.
Tour Guide: There you have it, my dear tourists! Here are some of the most visited and must-see places
in Leyte that you definitely should not miss! I hope that you enjoyed our Leyte Tour. Once Again, this is
Ivan Tan from Happy Vacation Tours, wishing to see you again on our next trip. Damo nga salamat, dear
tourists! Keep safe always, and thank you very much.

Virtual Tour Guiding

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LEYTE (Virtual Tour Guiding)

Lake Danao National Park

Napantao Marine Sanctuary

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