1. De La Salle bus breaking down because of some strange "magnetic force" on our first day in Bikol. It would break down constantly for the next week. We did get it blessed by the Monsignor before we headed back to Das, and I must say that forget about science, faith works!
2. Riding the jeep sabit style on the back and my first trike ride EVER! (I would follow it up by sabiting a bunch of times on the trike, you would think that 10 people can't ride on a trike, but you're wrong). Also, my favorite person in Bicol, John Bautista from the SAC mentioned that the average Trike driver earns 150 pesos a day after expenses. That's a little over 3 U.S. dollars.
3. If you don't like Pili nuts don't come here. But if you're smart you would invest in Pili nut oil. I think it's the next big thing. Serious.
4. One word: ABACA! The filipinos from the big city love"native" crafts made from Abaca. It's funny because one of the major exports of Bicol up until the commonwealth period was abaca. This economic tie to the U.S. allowed Bicol to be one of the major economic competitors to Manila for a good chunk of the 20th century.
5. The food! I love the spicyness of Bicol cuisine. Indeed the bicol express (ground up chiles and coconut milk) and laing (coconut milk and gabi leaves ) are amazing dishes. look it up and try it out if you want to change your life forever. Also, although originally from Quezon province, I discovered the best banana chips ever. And of course, eating balut for the first time in 20 years.
6. Meeting and interviewing women who pray novenas for a donation.
7. swimming in the warm waters of the Pacific ocean, with Mt. Mayon in the skyline.
8. According to the Diocese of the Philippines we live in a culture of d.e.a.t.h.
D: Divorce, E: Euthenasia, A: Abortion, T: Total Population Control, H: Homosexuality. (something tells me they were stretching a bit for the "T" part in death).
9. bats in churches! Amazing.
first day in Polanquii
Mt. Mayon...
..can fit between my hands!
somewhere outside of Tobaco, the bus breaks down. Warning: don't use dirty fuel!
sabit time on the jeepney, after waiting for 5 hours because of the breakdown
drying palay (rice) by the side of the road
a lot of old churches...
our national hero!
shrine to our miraculous sister. Apparently if you have trouble getting pregnant, you come here to pray.
i swam in these waters
waiting for the trike...any trike
st. john the baptist church, bell tower, built in the 19th century.
looking up the tower
abaca rope and pili nuts
rice farmers
catching a flash with the mayor of tiwi
halo-halo bicol style, the mayor treated all of us!
new ad campaign for korean tourists!
I'm about to pass out from eating too many halo-halos. In reality, there were some left over and I ended up eating two in a row.
the sisters cooked us a feast!
after dinner, a bit of rock n' roll. I'm borrowing the sister's sticks.
at a local abaca craft "factory"
inside joke (remember SEASSI anyone?)
the native wants food
home-made suka
My last time walking through Legazpi (for now)
it's called makahiya
sipa! (and you thought hackeysack was just for dreadlocked white hippies!)
phonograph from the early 20th century. Now who said the Philippines wasn't modern?
my first trike ride ever!
10 comments:
Hey, Allan. Pili nuts are Kuya Ayee's favorite! Glad you got to see some makahiya. Remember I told you about them? Anjah saw the bidyo and thought it was cool.
What was on top of the halo-halo? Taho o leche flan, maybe? Nice pic of Matt. Hee hee.
20 pesos for suka? It's $2 a bottle at Uwajimaya. Then again, who wouldn't pay big bucks for Datung Puti?
Great pics of the ocean. Can't wait for you to come home. Whaa!
I don't know if you can compare sipa to hackeysack because there are sipa tournaments. I used to play that in a city-wide tournament in Saigon when I was about 13. The interesting part about sipa is that the top part is made out of twine and the bottom is made out of motorbike innertube. And I had to get a pair of shoes specially made for playing sipa. You should check out some sipa matches if you can. It's amazing to see the pro's flying and kicking in mid air. Here's the link for another form of sipa called sepaktakraw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CP6ykzsK0M
PS The Vietnamese call makahiya: old virgins due to its shy nature.
Hi Pebs,
Yeah, people go nuts over Pili nuts (and everything made out of Pili) in Bicol, it's too bad I still have another month to go or I would have brought them back home. They are delicious, especially the tarts. As for the halo-halo, I believe it is leche flan and a different kind of ube. What makes bicolano halo halo different? I'm not quite sure, but it's definitely not as tamis as the one at Chow King (which I could argue could be one of the better halo halos I've tasted while here). I'm glad Anjah liked the bidyo of makahiya, tell her I liked the bidyo of her trampoline and bumperboat. It looked like she had a lot of fun!
Hi Hoang,
That's pretty cool that "sipa" or other forms of it is so widespread. I wasn't very serious about the hackeysack reference. I think I only wrote it because I just wanted another opportunity to make fun of white hippies. I can't wait until I see a poncho or someone doing "aura massages". Anyway, I'll try and check out the youtube thing soon, but it's banned here on campus, most likely because people are spending too much time watching sipa tournaments instead of studying. Take care!
G-face A = the best face A. i'm guessing i have matt to thank for that photo.
i would have to agree, chowking halo halo is one of the best. i'm craving one of those bochi sesame balls from there too! if/when you are in manila halo-halo at razon's is pretty damn good too. you can find razon's at market!market! in fort bonifacio, near serendra.
Marites-Yeah Matt loves that picture. For obvious reasons. I'm not quite sure who's idea it was.
Carmel-Chow King's only worth is the halo halo, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe less. BL (biro lang) I'll check out the balls there next time I go to a mall, which, considering my pattern lately, tomorrow or today. I'll be in the big city soon, so I'll definitely engorge myself with Razon's delicious halo halo.
the big city huh? gonna upgrade from the 8pesos trike to the 10-15peso MRT/LRT of maynila. don't forget to check out some of those places in the citi-atlas especially kozui, they have this halo-halo concoction there too, with green tea ice cream.
i used to like those pili nuts but i'm now hooked on peanut brittle. Dont forget to buy me those mouth watering peanut brittle.BL. no not really. Anyway i used to be the king of Sipa back in the days. And your friend is right on the money RAZON is where they have the best halo halo. You can also find them at Mall of Asia and Glorietta. Say hi to our Relatives and see you soon bunso.
nice blog! glad you enjoyed your stay in Legazpi. :-)
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