Hello, hive fam, and welcome to Part 2 of our Samar Escapade. As I stated in my last blog, there will be another part that I will share with you all, and here it is.

I mentioned in the first part of the blog that we are preparing food for my mother's death anniversary, so we get up early to assist my Aunt in cooking the dish and putting it on the styro to distribute to our neighbors.
Normally, before the pandemic, we would ask a neighbor to join us for lunch, but since the outbreak, the conventional practice has altered.

We were relieved that the day was ended, and Jenny and I went to church on the same day. I slowly show her the area, and even though it was difficult for her to grasp our dialect because the majority of the people speak Waray-Waray, I'm glad she tried.
After church, we took some photos outside and walked around the church and the area, and then I invited her to join me for coffee before heading home since it is getting dark.

Almost every afternoon, I invited Jenny to accompany me to some of the locations where I used to hang out during my previous visit. I took her to Chawa Keopi, where I like their iced coffee. We went there just to hang out for a while, and I'm pleased to discover that the menu has improved. When I last went, there were no snacks available, but they have already been added.

@explorewithsasha/trying-chawa-keopi-for-the-first-time

We returned home after visiting the coffee shop and then waited for my cousin to take us to the university where my Aunt and cousin work, which is also the university where I studied. This university has evolved dramatically since I was a student here. It was completely destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda. The classrooms were destroyed, and I recall a time when classes were held in tents. But with the support of the local Government and the NGOs, it was reconstructed. I was a scholar at the time, and my tuition was free, while other students had to pay every semester, but now that it has expanded and new buildings and classrooms have been created, they are also providing new courses such as Nursing and Law plus tuition fee free.

I know I wanted to remain longer because I'm having a good time with Jenny, but we have to leave shortly. So, on our final two days, we traveled to Sulangan to attend mass, as is my custom every time I visit our province, to visit our very own church and St. Anthony of Padua Parish Sulangan.

If you Google Sulangan Church, you will find that it is well-known and has been dubbed the Miraculous Church. Many individuals believe that this church answered your prayers. In our language, we name it Panaaran, which means Devotion.

I was raised in a Catholic home and attended a Catholic school, so this belief is natural to me, and I appreciate and respect everyone's religious beliefs. We got there early to avoid having to wait in line, and the earlier we get there, the sooner we can get home, and rest, and it won't be as hot. I was able to explain and inform Jenny about the history of this church, which she will undoubtedly mention in her future blog about this trip.

And on our final day in Guiuan, Jenny and I decided to go to the beach. We went through Calicoan on our way to Sulangan, and I informed her we were coming there before we go to Tacloban, so my dad drove us there that day, but first, I treat them to the wonderful Halo-halo that I shared in #liketu, here's the link.

@explorewithsasha/kaunan-ni-sangkay-friends-restaurant

After we finished eating, my father drove us to Calicoan, where we noticed several people surfing. We wanted to swim, but the current of the sea and the waves were too strong for us, and we were terrified since we are not excellent swimmers. lol
So we traveled to another beach, located in Barangay Pagnamitan, where the sea lies beneath the bridge.

We waited for a few minutes but forgot to snap photographs since it was becoming dark and we needed to return home to arrange our belongings and pack our bags.

The next day, as we prepared to go to Tacloban, I was having second thoughts since I knew I would miss my family and the laid-back lifestyle we had enjoyed throughout our vacation.

So that was our overall journey throughout this trip, and I can't wait to see my family again, and I'm hoping that Hive account@jeennicious will come with me again because my family considers her a family member as well.

Stay tuned for our Leyte adventure and the places we've visited.
So, once again, thank you for reading my blog, and please keep safe!