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All the News from Southern Leyte

Latest Update 24th June 2010

June 24th.

The Castle facilities now include free wi-fi internet access, allowing our guests to surf the web and access e-mails from anywhere inside the Castle and from the patio.

Snorkeling conditions on the 'house reef' are currently excellent with calm, ultra-clear water conditions and the usual plethora of fish, hard and soft corals being boosted by regular visits from sea turtles.

June 6th.

We have just implemented a secure, encrypted on-line booking system with Reseliva. This allows guests to make and receive instant confirmation of a booking up to 12 months in advance. Guests who have special requirements or seek further information before making a booking can continue to e-mail info@padreburgoscastle.com or telephone us and make a booking in the traditional manner. We anticipate that the new on-line reservation system will enhance our booking procedures and we look forward to receiving your feedback.

May 26th.

Delia, Nikka and I have just returned from a very pleasant few days in Bohol, attending the fiesta in Delia's home barangay in Loon. It is interesting to compare the touristic development of Bohol with that of Leyte, with Bohol being much better served by regular fast ferries from Cebu and several daily flights from Manila and having well advertised attractions for visitors to enjoy. Of course the downside is that tourist vans swarm around the Chocolate Hills like bees collecting pollen, while Leyte's sights are far less publicised and can be enjoyed in a calm, unhurried and harmonious fashion. With several daily boat services between Leyte and Bohol, combining both these islands into a single holiday is becoming increasing popular and we thoroughly recommend doing so.

May 10th.

Election Day has passed very peacefully and although I wouldn't discount all the stories reported in the press the picture of nationwide violence portrayed by the media is far from accurate. Here in Padre Burgos there were some issues with the electronic counting machines and queues to vote were quite lengthy, but everyone was very good natured and there was a real sense of community purpose. The whale sharks are still here with 8 being seen on a single tour to Limasawa last Monday.

April 20th.

Yesterday Delia and I paid a visit to Maasin Forest Park and the shrine at Monte Cueva. The park offers superb views into the mountainous interior of Southern Leyte and across the Bohol Sea and is an excellent place to explore on a mountain bike. Monte Cueva also affords fantastic views and the chapel in the summit cave offers physical and spiritual relaxtion after the hot sweaty climb up the 400 or so steps, and it is very well worth exploring.

April 6th.

Holy Week saw mixed conditions for diving with stiff breezes, moderate waves and a fair amount of rain reducing visibility from the normally excellent conditions we experience here in Sogod Bay. The whale sharks are still around in large numbers and all whale shark tours continue to report sightings. With the north-east monsoon winds becoming less dominant, the crowds thinning out after Easter and the whale sharks still around, the coming weeks look set to be superb.

March 20th.

Happy Birthday Delia! She hasn't had much time for relaxing as we've had resident and non-resident guests dining this evening, but it has been a rewarding day. We've also had 4 hours of rain this morning which was desparately needed, and things are already looking markedly greener than they were a day ago. Jade has joined the Castle team and we wish her success in her new role.

March 14th.

We are now back from our trip, having had a wonderful time. The beautiful archictecture of Edinburgh and the cold mountain air of Grimentz in the Swiss Alps were quite a change from the tropical surroundings of Southern Leyte and it was wonderful to spend time with David's family. There's been no rain here for nearly a month which has been great for guests and visitors but the Castle garden is lin desparate need of a significant amount of water. The whale sharks are still being seen reliably at Limasawa Island and all 3 dive shops seemed to have settled on a formula of 2 morning dives plus snorkeling with whale sharks in the afternoon. Options also exist for non-divers.

March 1st.

Delia and I are departing tomorrow for our trip to the UK and Switzerland. We will be monitoring the e-mail although there may be a longer delay in replying and, of course, we will be in a different time zone. We will also be contactable on both our phone numbers.

February 25th.

One of our guests has posted a very interesting article on his vist to Padre Burgos on his on-line journal which can be found at www.marquemywords.co.uk/journal/suzhous-sun-xvii.html.

February 20th.

The easy access to the whale sharks at Limasawa is now starting to cause some problems with too many boats and too many people trying to get too close to the fish. In addition to the 3 established local dive shops, transient liveaboard dive boats and local bangkas are also taking customers on whale shark tours. Our guests have also been seeing whale sharks as part of our popular Limasawa Island tours, but our boat driver will not take guests close to the whale sharks if there are already significant numbers of people around. If our guests want to do a whale shark tour we encourage them to use one of the 3 dive shops, but if they take a Limasawa Isaland tour they may enjoy the huge added bonus of snorkeling with the world's largest fish. However people go, they should all treat the environment and the marine life with complete respect.

February 8th.

It finally looks like the weather is changing with dry settled weather predominating again - right on cue for the busier holiday periods, not that it's ever busy in Padre Burgos! Whale sharks are continuing to be seen in numbers around Limasawa Isalnd and all the dive shops are now offering whale shark tours there.

January 29th.

Delia and I have just returned from a short trip to Manila we made in order to process a visa application for Delia. It's the first time we've been to Manila since we've been based full time in Southern Leyte and it's a world apart - skyscrapers, tree-lined boulevards, wall-to-wall financial institutions in Makati City, office workers thronging the streets at rush hour, international restaurants on every corner. The traffic and attendant fumes are horrendous (although not nearly as bad as many big cities in Asia) and it's wonderful to be based here with the clean sea air and lush vegatation whatever appeal the convenience and sophistication of the city may hold.

January 2nd.

After rain on New Year's Eve and a very strong breeze yesterday, we were finally able to set of our fireworks this evening and everyone enjoyed a great display. After some rain and a few breezy days the weather is now looking settled and conditions should be great for enjoying the full range of activities in and around Padre Burgos. 

December 27th.

Two of our guests took a tour to Limasawa Island yesterday and while snorkeling they saw 3 whale sharks. Four more guests decided to try their luck today and spent about 30 minutes snorkeling with a 5 metre whale shark. So the world's largest fish are still around in Sogod Bay but are proving rather more elusive than usual and are still not reliably to be found at their normal feeding area.

December 24th.

Merry Christmas!

The whale sharks seem to have gone walkabout recently, and there was another unsuccessful tour today. A strong breeze has been blowing down the bay for the last few days which doesn't make whale shark spotting any easier. Let's hope things pick up soon and we start seeing whale sharks consistently again. 

December 18th.

Yesterday we celebrated the 1st Anniversary of the opening of Padre Burgos Castle Resort, and commerated the event with a superb dinner attended by 17 guests. The previous evening we hosted a private dinner for some of the provincial and municipal leaders and officials. Over the last 12 months we've been guided by our mission to provide excellent service to you, our cherished guests and customers, to enable you to make the most of your time visiting this beautiful and peaceful part of the world. From the feedback we've received we are being successful in achieving that objective and we aim to continue to raise the standards over our 2nd year of operation.

Diane has decided to seek new opportunities elsewhere and we wish her well in that and thank her for her excellent contribution over the last 12 months. Charmine and Joecyl are now leading the Castle Service Team and have done a fantastic job during the last very busy week. Well done and keep it up, girls!

December 15th.

Mixed news on the whale sharks, with 1 successful and 1 unsuccessful tour last week. So the advice on the Nov 23rd update still holds good. The bats are now back in full force and we've been getting some great dusk time shows as these huge bats fly directly overhead on their way to their nocturnal feeding grounds.

December 5th.

Positive news on the whale sharks. The sea temperatures have been falling and there is a lot more plankton in the water now, which is what attracts the whale sharks into the bay at this time of year. The last 4 tours have all been successful with great snorkeling up close with these magnificent creatures. Whale sharks have also been spotted several times on our side of the bay and things are looking very promising for a great whale shark season.

While I have been writing this a beautiful sea eagle has just soared gracefully over the Castle. Superb!

December 1st.

Even after 6 years in SE Asia I can't get used to Christmas in a warm climate. Delia would put up the Christmas decorations in September if she could, so we compromise on 1st December each year. So we're now looking very festive and are well stocked up with 'champagne' and smoked salmon for your Christmas Day breakfast. 

November 23rd.

Whale Shark Update....The good news is that the whale sharks are back in Sogod Bay, and should now be here until late April giving visitors the chance to see the world's largest fish at very close quarters. Not quite so encouraging is that 2 tours last week failed to locate the whale sharks so viewing opportunities aren't yet as reliable as they should be later in the season. The best advice for divers is to go on a tour which combines a dive with snorkeling with the whale sharks. Non-divers should be realistic about the chances of finding whale sharks - so far there has been only a 50% success rate. Stay tuned for further news.

November 15th.

We have now completed upgrading the Castle bar area and are very pleased with the result. As well as looking really good, our selection of wines continues to expand and improve with recent additions including a refreshing merlot from northern Italy and a deliciously fruity Chilean chardonnay. We have also hand built and installed a couple of display cabinets housing souvenir items and holiday essentials such as sunblock and insect repellent.

November 9th.

The first whale shark tour of the 2009/2010 season was a success today. Only 1 of the world's largest fish was sighted on the "official" tour but another was lying on wait back at base on this side of the bay. It's early days, but with whale sharks remaining in the bay until August the signs for a great season are very promising. 

November 1st.

Padre Burgos Castle Resort witnessed its first marriage proposal this evening - and a successful one at that. Gus and Amor visited us in October, and then returned here for another 5 nights so Gus could make his proposal in the glorious natural environment here in Sogod Bay. Congratulations and very best wishes to the pair of you, and we are looking forward to hosting a wonderful honeymoon for you!

October 23rd.

The Municipality of Padre Burgos has been celebrating its 52nd Anniversary this week with a series of events leading up to the Grand Dinner & Ball yesterday evening. Activities have included basketball, volleyball, boxing and, undoubtedly the highlight of the week, the Search for Miss Padre Burgos 2009 where 11 glamourous ladies competed for the prestigious title. On a more serious note both the Municipal Mayor and the Congressman of Southern Leyte reiterated their commitment to 3 key areas: development of the agricultural industry; protection of the environment and natural resources; development of touristic infrastructure. More power!

October 12th.

A good easterly breeze around dusk this evening, saw the first flypast of giant bats we've had in many weeks. These bats dwell in caves on Limasawa Island and feed at night time in the mountainous forests above Padre Burgos. When the wind is from any sort of northerly direction their evening flightpath is directly over the Castle which makes a great spectacle and it was a real pleasure to observe them again today. It seems that the south-west monsoon is finally drawing to a close and that bat-watching at dusk time will be on the early evening agenda once again.

October 10th.

Jackie celebrated her birthday today. A last minute booking and dinner reservation meant she had to cancel her plans for a day off and help prepare some wonderful dinners. Thanks very much, Jackie, and Happy Birthday! It's been a good day for wildlife spotting with turtles swimming over the Castle reef and sea eagles soaring gracefully high above Macrohon.

October 5th.

Typhoon Parma, thankfully downgraded from it's earlier ferocity as a super typhoon, is now sitting almost stationary off the north west coast of Luzon and while very northern Luzon continues to be battered by this storm we are enjoying perfect weather here with a light south-westerly cooling breeze. Last night we enjoyed a classical Sogod Bay full moon and the image of small fishing boats plying the moonlit waters was simply stunning.

September 30th.

Our good friend Pete Green has just completed the UK '3 Peaks' comprising Ben Nevis, Scaffel Pike and Snowdon - the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales. He was just outside the magical 24 hour mark, but contending with driving rain, low cloud and a puncture en route it was a magnificent achievement. Bravo Pete!

September 28th.

Tropical storm Ketsana, which susequently developed into a full blown typhoon, has brought tragedy and loss of life to Manila and other provinces on the island of Luzon, but fortunately the island of Leyte has been unaffected and services at Padre Burgos Castle Resort continue to function normally. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to all the victims in Luzon, Vietnam, Camodia and Laos. 

September 23rd.

It was another cracking day for snorkeling today and I'm getting to grips with the camera now. I need to take care to equalise the pressure in my ear while diving to the sea bed and concentrating on the camera settings - even a couple of metres of pressure can be quite painful. But a good shot of a spotfin lionfish was the reward today for a slightly sore right ear.

September 17th.

Another perfect day weatherwise, so Canigao Island looked a good bet for a day out for Delia, Liezel, Nikka and I. Canigao has long been a favourite picnic destination for locals but more recently the municipality of Matalom has put time, effort and money into developing it as a managed beauty spot. And beautiful it is - only a half hour's stroll all the way around with white sand beaches on 3 sides, and lush tropical vegetation in the middle. Everything is well organised with bangkas departing from 3 separate points on the mainland; snacks, drinks and delicious barbecued seafood for sustenance; running water and clean toilet facilities. I explored the snorkeling possibilities and with very strong currents on the western 'scuba diving area' found the best area to be on the eastern, landward side of the island with some lovely corals and a huge variety of fish. Despite the good organisation, Canigao is still a very peaceful, quiet place and makes a super day out or lunchtime stop on a day tour of southern Leyte. 

September 14th.

After several days of perfect snorkeling conditions, Delia and I opted for a change of scene today and dug out the hiking boots which had last seen action in the Western Highlands of Scotland over 2 years ago. We decided on the 'Kinderhilfe Circuit' which starts near the Children's Village and after 20 minutes in the forest opens up into open meadows with glorious views across Sogod Bay and to more distant islands of Bohol, Camiguin and Mindanao. From up here the Tangkaan peninsular and Limasawa Island follow an identical sweep and it is no surprise that an underwater ridge covered by relatively shallow water connects the two. Although more distant hills beckoned we decided on the shorter route back to Barangay Buenavista, near the centre of Padre Burgos and a hable hable to take us back to our motor cycle at the Children's Village.

September 10th.

There wasn't a ripple on the sea today and the sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky so it was time to try out the new underwater camera on the Castle reef. The camera is a very nifty Canon D10 which looks, and functions, very much the same as any modern small digital camera apart from a small protruding lens. It is waterproof to 10 metres and is therefore ideal for snorkelers and experimentation quickly showed that the 'underwater' setting did indeed produce the best results. There are some stunning creatures to be found and pictures to be taken on the 'house reef', but time and patience is required. Fish have an annoying tendency of moving quite quickly and not coming very close to the camera and to get side-on rather than top-down pictures requires a fair bit of underwater swimming. But great pictures can be taken so look out for the 'Photo of the Week' on our Homepage or check out the Photo Archives.

September 9th.

Beautiful weather with clear skies and a light breeze so Delia, Nikka and I headed off to explore Hinunangan on Leyte's Pacific Coast. The road journey winds round Sogod Bay before heading east over the hills to the Pacific. Promises of mile upon mile of soft golden sand proved to be a little exaggerated, but Hinunangan is still a delightful place on a long sandy bay with the nearby twin islets of St Peter and St Paul beckoning for a return visit. The return journey turned into something of an epic as I decided to take a short cut, which entailed 1 � hours crawling along just 15km of extremely rough road winding through stunning countryside with not a soul in sight. So lesson learnt - if the road's not on the map, the cement mixer hasn't been near it.

September 3rd.

Delia laid on a superb spread for Nikka's 1st birthday party, with a 30kg lechon as the centrepiece accompanied by beef steak, fried chicken, prawn sotanghoon, grilled  milkfish, lumpia shanghai,  all cooked in Delia's unique Filipino style followed by fruit salad, caramel cake and fresh tropical fruits. A brief shower around noon caused a swift removal of the serving tables to the shelter of the dining room, but that passed quickly and around 35 guests passed a wonderful afternoon on the terrace. The only person who didn't relish the moment too much was the birthday celebrant herself - hope you're on form next time round, Nikka!