Philippine Travel Notes

While I may not find this unique in the #philippines, nor will I even say amazing, it does amuse me that a mere transport provider’s terminal can remind us about faith and religion! Not a real fit to the principles of “global diversity” yes, but, if you were of the same religious beliefs, this transport provider does it better than everyone else. Maybe even better than everywhere else. Looking back, I think I have not (yet) seen a transport terminal (whatever the faith or denomination) as awash with such religious ‘reminders’ anywhere in this world I have been to. Don’t be alarmed though, none of them go out to the waiting areas and start preaching the bible hehe. The posted sayings are the most of it – and many are even universal (I mean reminders for being good human beings, not necessarily just for being good Christians or Catholics). Let’s see what got caught by my camera in the recent past… and these are just on 3 walls inside their main terminal. Yup, Grand Tours in Catbalogan Ci...

I chanced upon this little row of carinderias in the Foodland area of Banilad fairly some long months ago. Yep, just under the flyover near the corner with AS Fortuna that I thought was home to the usual barbecue and inasal (lechon) row that you might find anywhere. But late one night I discovered some stalls do also serve something else that got me quite curious. And that is this “puto and sikwate combo”. From some distance, I saw a woman busy stirring something on a big pot with no less than a bamboo pole almost as tall as she is as her 'ladle'! I observed this activity was some kind of real physical effort on her part. Another night I saw her and husband scooping something colored white from that big pot unto a plastic container then spooning from there unto rectangular cuts of banana leaves. Yet another night I passed, I saw the husband arranging the already “wrapped” things unto a styropore box lined with banana leaves. That as he would from time to time pour some dark liq...

Do you know where and what that is? Oh well, yes, that would be Tamale (singular) or Tamales (plural) in Mexico and the rest of South America, or even elsewhere in the Philippines like Batangas or Laguna - if at all they still exist! This one I found in Catbalogan City is called Tamalos be it plural or singular! It tastes differently good - there are no eggs, shrimps, chorizos nor chicken! Just pork and the sauce. But like everywhere else in this country known to have Tamales, Tamalos too is a “vanishing act”! Lest this thing become ‘extinct’ or become just a taste bud memory, let me put it here and now… the things I want to say about how they make the lowly yet delectable Tamalos of Catbalogan! I was with a friend roaming Catbalogan when she suddenly asked the trike driver to make a detour to head instead to a place in Munoz District, so she could pick up her order of Tamalos - to be brought to another friend, who was to bring those to Manila. Tamalos is reputed by Catbaloganons a...

I think there is little difference. In terms of safety, comfort, convenience, that is! But the jeep is faster since the latter is just powered by a motorbike. But looking at the riders, I think they all enjoy their rides just the same. Comparing the Cagayan De Oro trike to that of Calbayog , I think CDO’s are better-looking. And, probably sturdier, if I may judge the book by its cover hehe Hoping to be able to ride one of these soonest! Look at the two pictures below. yep they’re both yellow. But the first one is a trike and the other one is the jeep. Almost no difference in passenger capacity, right?! Fun! The e-trike is still better, but yeah, its always more fun in the Philippines!

I watched the ‪Cebu version of GMA's I-Witness Docufest. Learned a lot from @howieseverino @jaytaruc @sandraguinaldo & @karadavid. Wow! I actually felt like a gatecrasher hehe! Imagine the whole of SM Cebu’s Cinema 7 jampacked with so many students and their teachers from many of the schools in the city. Some were even standing on the sides! But, I (seem to) know that this thing is not solely for students. It only said ‘admission is free’ – at least that’s what I remember to have come across while surfing the web on the way back to the Queen City. So I went for it this afternoon, and… quite a grand experience! Why does this thing merit a story in my Philippine Travel Notes? Well well well baho ka’g tiil, everywhere I go is a destination, and I am never sure what will be memorable for me and probably you. I say it was quite an experience for me as I picked quite a bunch of ideas/pointers at the fora that came immediately after the 2 screenings of 4 documentaries (one from each o...

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...