On our trip to Tacloban City with Dr. Call, we had the opportunity to see one of the top sites in that region. Connecting two islands over the San Juanico Straight is the San Juanico Bridge. This bridge was built as a gift from President Ferdinand Marcos to his wife Imelda Marcos. She grew up in the area of Tacloban City on the island of Leyte. This bridge helps to connect the country on the Pan-American Highway.
The bridge was constructed between 1969 to 1973 and used extensive Filipino labor for the Japanese engineered bridge.
The center of the bride rises 41 meters above the sea to allow seafaring ships the ability to pass easily.
It is a two lane road with pedestrian paths on each side and spans 2.16 Kilometes (1.34 Miles). It is the largest bride in the Philippines and one of the largest in the world.
After we passed the top point of the bridge, we could see the road turn to the left and 'kind of ' form an 'L'. This is the Leyte side of the bridge. It then makes some turns that resemble an 'S' as we proceeded to the Samar Island side of the bridge.
We arrived on the Island of Samar for the first time. We didn't stay long, but we were there. I don't think we will make it to all 7,107 islands in the chain, but we love our opportunity to see many beautiful places as we are able to help others in wonderful ways.
We came back and get a return welcome to Tacloban City, Leyte area where we would stay for one more day before we departed for Manila. Our stay had been very productive as we worked with Stake President Aban and others to plan for more opportunities to help here. This is one of those areas that we can confidently say, 'We Will Return'.
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