Tabango på ön Leyte - öluff i Filippinerna

Writer: Helena Bergström

Tabango is a small town in the Philippines located on the island of Leyte. This was our first stop on our island trip in the Philippines, which started on the island of Malapascua. Here there was shopping, but also a visit to a Filipino family because one of the guys on board, Aldrin, has his mother here.

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Tabango on Leyte Island in the Philippines

Tabango is a small Filipino town on the coast, filled with mops, tricycles and children in school uniforms.

Tabango is located in the north-west of the island of Leyte, in the part of the Philippines known as the Visayas.

Boat trip from Malapascua to Leyte

We started our journey to Leyte from the island Malapascua. The journey was delayed one day, as the winds were too strong and the waves too high for our captain Hildo to want to go out. But in the end it was still time.

We packed all our belongings on the boat Dotche and left. Apart from us, our friends Micke and Julia were on board as well as the Philippine crew with Captain Hildo, his son Hildem and son-in-law Aldrin. On this first trip, from Malapascua to Leyte, Hildem's sister Gilsam, who is also Aldrin's wife, was also on board along with their charming daughter Alleah.

Aldrin has a small fast boat with him, which he wants to use to fish for tuna, and the plan is for this to be towed behind Dotche, but because it was windy, Aldrin chose to drive his own boat behind Dotche.

The crossing was really windy and the waves were sometimes really high, so the captain had to slow down and focus on parrying and following the waves. The rest of us couldn't do much more than pack our computers in drybags and sit quietly in the boat. Due to the weather, the trip took a little longer, maybe two hours instead of one and a half, but Dotche was fine and stable.

To Tabango centre

Once we arrived in Tabango, it was time to head into the centre to shop and run errands. As soon as we got ashore, we met a car selling water in big cans, so that was the first thing to be bought and carried ashore.

We then grabbed a bunch of fuel tanks and set off on a walk to the centre, which took maybe 20 minutes.

Plant decorated with eggs at a roadside house

Once in the centre, we were greeted by a small town full of commerce, mops, tricycles (mops with sidecars) and countless school children in school uniforms. Before going shopping, we took the opportunity to have lunch, in the form of fried chicken and rice at the Crispy King fast food restaurant.

Shopping in Tabango

After lunch it was time to go shopping. Gilsam, who knows the city well, took us to the market where we bought eggs, onions, carrots, potatoes, peppers, chillies and calamansi - a small round fruit used much like a lemon or lime.

Then we continued to a shop where we bought noodles, pasta, oil, tomato sauce, nuts and biscuits. Then there were a few more stops to buy bananas, papaya and a big bag of rice. To get all the goods, we took a ride first with a bicycle taxi and then with a tricycle. The vehicles are smooth, but not always designed for travelling Scandinavians ...

Visit to a Filipino family

In the afternoon, we were invited to Aldrin's relatives' house, which is a nice place by the sea. Sadly, there used to be a fantastic sandy beach here, but the sand was sold by a businessman to make concrete and all that remains is rock and mud. However, the view of the sea is still beautiful.

The family includes skilled boat builders

At the family's home, we were generously treated to a dinner of the Filipino noodle dish pancit, rice and pork. We also got to try exotic fruits from the garden. Delicious and very nice!

Gilsam with one of the fruits from the garden

Then we were even more generously invited to stay overnight with breakfast, before it was time to leave again. A fantastic start to the trip!

For breakfast we were offered rice and crab - but also scrambled eggs just for us.

8 Comments

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Lena i Wales och lite överallt says:

Nice to be invited to a family and eat their food.
It's always fun to have different food and cooked at home.
Interesting with all the fruit available.
Take care!

08 March 2023 - 7:24

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes really nice and a memorable experience! There will be some new fruits, and also some exciting things from the sea 🙂.
  
  08 March 2023 - 22:25
  
Lena i Wales och lite överallt says:

Did my comment disappear?

08 March 2023 - 7:24

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you for your comment Lena! It ended up in the spam folder for an unknown reason, but I usually check there once a day. Then I also have to approve all comments before they are published (a requirement when you are a responsible publisher) and now that there is a time difference, it may take a little longer.
  
  08 March 2023 - 22:28
  
Lena - gott för själen says:

Can believe that it was really wonderful to finally get away. Fortunately, it was not me who sat on that boat with those waves 🙂.

It's nice to be invited home like that and experience the country a bit more in real life.

Have a nice trip!

Hug Lena

08 March 2023 - 12:10

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you so much!!! 😀
  
  08 March 2023 - 22:30
  
BP says:

What a breakfast - WOW! It went down without much trouble I guess. Filipino crabs do not have much in common with ours, I see. Did they taste the same as ours?
I see that Micke's and Julia's own little boat can also join them on the island trip. It is a really cute boat that is beautifully decorated with blue "flowers".
A wonderful adventure has finally begun. And it seems to be an advantage not to suffer from seasickness;-)

08 March 2023 - 19:16

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  The meat in the crabs tasted just like home. Good! The big difference is that the crabs are very small, so there is not much food, and no roe or anything. And yes, Micke and Julia's little flowery boat is on the tour! 😀
  
  08 March 2023 - 22:42

Tabango on Leyte Island - island hopping in the Philippines

Writer: Helena Bergström

Tabango on Leyte Island in the Philippines

Boat trip from Malapascua to Leyte

To Tabango centre

Shopping in Tabango

Visit to a Filipino family

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8 Comments

Lena i Wales och lite överallt says:

Helena says:

Lena i Wales och lite överallt says:

Helena says:

Lena - gott för själen says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

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