Philippine Travel Notes

This was today's "show"! I am tempted to call this The GREAT Mandaue Water Show! Ah, just watch the video first, then read the story below, if you care anyway hehe! Oh, grab your popcorn and soda, this is almost 12 minutes of entertainment! So here's the story... I've been eagerly waiting for a chance to watch this thing. After 3 long years of residence near the area, I finally got a chance this afternoon as I was on my way home from a lunch meeting. And to think that for weeks on end now, it has been a sunny Cebu - even if Luzon was wet and windy with that storm that just passed by. Well, this afternoon, it was a hard rain, though quick at probably less than an hour. I know of stories about this place in AS Fortuna. There are 2 flood-prone areas - this one and over near the shell gas station at about midway the length of the avenue. A heavy rain immediately floods these places, though people tell me, that water dissipates quickly, lasting for just about a...

My goodness! Another sinfully delicious thing to come by the queen city! And move aside Zubuchon, Celias, Ayers, CnT or anything else! Here comes a new player to titillate the taste buds! Yep, they call themselves, Cebu's Original Lechon Belly! Am not sure if there is already a copycat or a non-original this early hehe! I was on some errands a few days ago over at the Park Mall when I chanced upon this little stall near the comfort rooms. Yep, that outside northeast corner near Coffee Dream and Japengo Yakiniku. It was rather busy a stall with folks lining up. So the curious in me went to check what the thing was. Oh, a take-out counter for lechon. Looking further on, it was not the usual lechon those folks were so crazy to line up for. Signage said lechon belly and boneless. Whoa! Meaning no more ribs to make my order heavy to the scale with less of the meat? Whohohoa! That sounded interesting, so I asked some customers if the thing was really good. One of those ladies told me her...

Catchy name eh?! You would initially think appétit. But what the… its how they want their joint to be called so be it! No I did not have anything here. I was just passing by on one of my afternoon walks in Cebu’s Salinas Drive going to Asia Town IT Park. I remember as a kid in the early 80s when I would tell friends that tea in Indonesia usually had milk (and that you'd have to say "teh-o" if you wanted it without), all eyes would grow widest in various reactions of disbelief. And I would usually tell them, that’s how gramma and grappa would have them too back in the UK. Still the wide-eyed reactions remained. And now they are a hit in this country (since 2011?) with so many little nooks offering the venerable tea with milk in various names and additive flavourings! The right side panel of this store’s signage did catch my inquisitive pea of a brain though. I think whoever typed that, has a very active ring finger that loves to press the “S” key on his keyboard hahaha! Te...

Music and dance is just everywhere! Look at these guys. Its just a mere opening (first day of operation) of a new Total Gas Station and these guys were doing a choreographed routine to the tune of a K-Pop hit blaring all over the place! Whoa! I Like! It's really more fun in these islands

That is if you dare to be as crazy as I can become at times! I was out of the kakanin vendors and walked across to the fishy side of the wet market, just wandering around – actually constantly looking too, as to where would I exit from this big mesh of stalls and humanity! I passed by ‘pasayan’ being sold by the ‘tumpok’ not by the kilos, some fresh shiny fish that I know tasted good when fried, some shiny colorful clams, I think the manang called them “punaw” and many other things we commonly see at a wet market. But I finally found my way out, and there was LECHON! Out of the main hub of stalls, actually already exiting the market, and just a few more steps towards my Hotel Almira, I stumbled upon makeshift tables on the side of the street. All 3 were selling lechon and that got me surprised since I passed this way earlier on and there was not even a trace of them or their tables – much less the aroma of those shiny, delectable indulgences! Of the three tables, one has just sold out ...

Curious what those are? Now this is more proof it’s really more fun in this country! I know, I know... you metro folks would be familiar with at least the first word of the title as I was - “Ubod”. This was my next encounter at the Calbayog market – after the Camote! I don’t really know how this thing is called in English. I just know it tastes good as the main ingredient of a variety of “lumpia”, and more so on “lumpiang hubad” or “lumpiang sariwa”. At first though, I did not know what this manong was doing with the trunk of that tree. I asked what it was for and he simply said “ubod”. My ears seem to have flapped at hearing that! So, that is the “ubod”! I asked further, “isn’t that a coconut tree?” and he educated me that yes, it is indeed – since “ubod” is the core portion of the coconut tree trunk and towards the base area (nearest the roots). Oh I see and oh I saw! He further told me you have to dunk the thing in water (see the red pail) immediately after extraction, otherwise it ...

Hey am still in Samar! Back in Calbayog City this time. My weekend sojourns have been taking me to this island for some time now, and probably for a bit of a period more to come since this is one big island – the 3rd largest in the country that is – and composed of three provinces. If you noticed, many of my recent stories are/were in and around Western Samar – a province whose real name is just “Samar” which is also the name of the whole island, where there is Northern Samar and Eastern Samar! Thus, better to refer this province I’m in now with its old name “Western Samar” for clarity. Anyway, early one gloomy Sunday morning, before going to my 3rd and last day on a thing called “work”, I opted to roam around the vicinity of my hotel. Lo and behold, I was just a few steps away from the public market. Yey! And of course, I went for it, as I know that like anywhere, the Calbayog market must be bustling with activity at this day and time. Just for a go see what might be there to catch my...

So you thought am quite an observant frequent traveler, always able to spot anything that is new or something that went a missing? I thought so too hahaha! But come to think of it, I only noticed this today, exactly 12:22PM 31 May 2012. But the guards told me those boxes have been in place as early as “sometime March 2012”. Whoa! How Many flights have I ever flown out of Mactan since then? Honestly, it was only today that I noticed those two boxes! You guessed it! I broke off my check-in queue (I was early anyway) and went to have a closer look at these “ATM”-looking gadgets by the check-in lobby and hoping I could probably use them too! Alas dimalas, its not anymore in use. Awk! Two guards told me that these ‘things’ were only used for about a day and they caused both passengers and crew some trouble instead of convenience. I laughed at their declaration and asked further how these gadgets ever became an issue. According to them, (I mean the two guards), those machines do work until n...