Bunched in with other passengers inside a cramped van, I woke to the sight of blue waters edging the shorelines of Western Leyte. I could feel myself inching closer to my destination. I sent a text message to my friend Gaye: “I think I’m 20 minutes away from Pamplona.” Dizzy from the ride, I had meant to write “Palompon,” a thriving municipality blessed with a fertile coast and serving as the primary jump-off point to Kalanggaman Island.