I
thought the zip line was in Leyte. Well, it is in Southern Leyte so maybe you
could still consider it as Leyte but why am I being too technical here? Anyway,
Agas Agas Bridge is the name of the bridge next to which this zip line was
constructed. That bridge is said to be the highest in the Philippines. I would
not know how to answer you if you asked if this zip line is also the highest in the country.
While the bridge does extend all the way down to the greenery below, the zip
line trail ends on one of the hills and not exactly down there at the foot of
the bridge. So no, I have no idea. But first, how to get there? Ride the habal habal for all seasons!
When
I first heard the term habal habal I
had otherworldly visions of what it could possibly be. A flying vehicle? Some
sort of motorcycle – boat amphibian hybrid? When I reached Cebu last year that
was when I found out that a habal habal
is a motorcycle. Period. I was a bit disappointed, and then Leyte. The habal habal that they have here in the southern
areas have this cute roof that makes it look like some sort of mini
mobile sari-sari store that ran out
of stock. So cute! And then I found out that it is indeed, for all seasons!
I
hopped off the van going back to Tacloban at Mahaplag Crossing. Just ask the
driver to drop you off there and you would at once see the many habal habal for all seasons parked
there. The drivers would be quite busy playing some illegal gambling game so you
might want to announce your presence by shouting, Pulis ‘to! Taas ang kamay! More convincing if you know how to say
that in Bisaya. HAHAHA. Sorry, it is
just that when I came back from the zip line ride they would always panic when
they hear some distinct sound similar to a siren because they thought it was
the police.
You
could try to bring the round trip fare down to 300 pesos. Just be nice, although
I did not do so anymore because the driver asked nicely. It seemed that they
had no passengers that day and there were, like, more than ten of them? The
trip is an uphill climb of thirty minutes under the cuckoo weather. This was
when I really got to admire the powers of the habal habal for all seasons. The first ten minutes of the trip was
spent under the blazing sun. This could get annoying because we humans sweat
instead of sparkle under the sun, but the habal
habal for all seasons had this roof which protects you from the sun’s rays.
The second ten minutes was characterized by a sudden downpour of rain. WTF? The weather in this province is
crazy! But the habal habal for all
seasons had a roof and for that we did not get wet. In addition, the habal habal for all seasons has a reliable
plastic cover in front that acts as an impromptu windshield. Awesum. The last
ten minutes was a mix of sun and rain. May
kinakasal na tikbalang lang ang peg? But the habal habal for all seasons had a roof...
The
280-peso fee for the zip line already includes the habal habal ride going back up, which is the attraction’s own. It
is not a habal habal for all seasons
though, which is just so sad. In any case, you must try the zip line. It is
neither that thrilling as the one in Dahilayan nor its views as astounding as that
of Lake Sebu, but it is just 280 pesos and I believe that the said amount is
already worth it for the few minutes of fun and paranoia. Remember, this is the
country’s highest bridge! If you want to take photos I would suggest that you
go to the viewing deck at the bridge itself. Right there, you would get some
sort of close-up of whichever pair is doing the ride. Yes, it is a tandem zip
line but you are not forced to find someone to go with you. I went alone. Alone. Oh, Christ. Not another emo rant.
Eek!!!
I forgot to talk about Maasin!!! WAHAHAHA. Maasin has a lovely cathedral. And a
giant Mama Mary statue that I never found. Okay, that will do. Oh no, just two lines! Trivia time! According to Wikipedia, Maasin City is a fourth class city in Southern Leyte. It seems that the indicator Wikipedia used was the number of Jollibee branches in the said city, which totals to one. Hey! They have Mang Inasal too! I bet Maasin City has its fair share of lovely beaches but I no longer had the luxury to wander around. Maasin City was to my Leyte trip, what Calbayog was to my Samar trip, a stopover splurge for resting purposes. Maybe next time, I will try to see more sights.
No
emo rants today but we have to end
this entry here because I have nothing else to say. I am sure there are more to
see in Southern Leyte but for me it was just that zip line. Agas Agas Bridge is
awesome too. It reminds me of that bridge in that Charlie’s Angels movie where
they bastardize the laws of physics and stuff. Off topic. Let us end this here
before I let out another emo rant. I was alone...
SOGOD: The Habal Habal for All Seasons
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