I am a 30-something Filipina involved in development work. Much as I am in love with traveling, meeting new people and having new experiences, I find more passion in using my skills and talents in helping shape a better future for other people, especially the rural poor. It's a bonus that I get to travel while I do just that.
And oh, I'm a real sucker for good food, especially the ones that look great in photographs. And yes, I really do want to change the world. :D
After the spelunking, trekking and daredevil waterfalls jumping in Sagada, I found myself awed with the sunset and surfing scene in San Juan, La Union.
I love sunsets. Really. And the one in San Juan is made even better with the surfers and surfboards lining up the horizon!
And, beginner or pro, the beach and the waves in San Juan offer spots for surfers. The beginner surfer’s area is where most of the surfing action happens. There’s a place on the right side of the beach that is for the pros and for the surfing instructors who wish to just chill and play with the waves.
So, if you’re someone who just wants to chill and surf at the same time, you should probably head out here in San Juan. I’m still at the Circle Hostel and if you find me, I’ll buy you a beer and we can just chill by the beach after surfing and watch the wonderful sunset of San Juan.
If you had an old 1000 peso bill right now and take a look at the back of the bill, you’ll see the Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Philippines’ greatest treasures.
Or, if you’re feeling like that’s not enough, then I suggest for you to see the Banaue Rice Terraces yourself!
Yeah, it takes a butt-numbing 10-hour bus journey. So what?! They say that things you worked hard for gives you the greatest rewards. Believe me, seeing the Banaue Rice Terraces before your very eyes is all worth it!
I love eating and it’s my favorite part of work-related travel. You get to savor sumptuous and delicious dishes like fresh vegetables and oh-so-fresh-it’s-still-moving seafood! So, whenever we go on the field, we make sure to always sample the local specialties of the place and when we were in Capiz, it’s always seafood that we craved for!
Are you hungry?!
You can find almost any seafood in Capiz. For how else can Capiz own the bragging rights of being the seafood capital of the Philippines?! From fish to oysters, squids to clams, shrimps to seaweeds, crabs to lobsters.
Craaaaabs! (ginisa or boiled???) I once brought home an entire basket of these, alive, through the plane!
You name it, and you’d probably get the seafood of your choice. Unless of course it is of the “illegally for sale” kind. That’s another story.
Enjoy the sea breeze while indulging in seafood
Located in Western Visayas at the northeastern section of Panay Island (where you can also find Ilolo and Aklan), Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea in the north and has numerous fish ponds in the locality.
Sugpo (big shrimps) (ginisa? buttered?)
A lot of seafood being enjoyed in Manila comes from Capiz, with the extra hundreds of pesos added per kilograms of course. Here are some of the great seafood dishes I’ve tasted in Capiz. I hope you enjoy the visual chow time! (Disclaimer: I like eating but I am not that good in describing. I’ll try my best but please use your imagination or previous foodie experiences!)
Coco Grove
This is perhaps the most famous and the “fanciest but still looks like casual dining” seafood restaurant in the Capiz bay seafood restaurant area. It’s a bit more pricey than the “dampa” choices down the coast. I can’t tell you how much exactly coz I didn’t really pay for the food. Another perk of field work travel! Anyway, Coco Grove is also the place where celebrities and personalities visiting Capiz usually go to for their quick seafood fix. Photos below are what they offer (or at least what we tried).
Sinigang na Isda (Fish in Sour Soup) with radish and some greens (I’m sorry, my fish taxonomy is limited)Inihaw na Pusit (Grilled stuffed squid) with tomato, onion and ginger fillingsInihaw na Isda (Grilled Fish), I think it’s blue marlin or tanigueCalamari (deep fried squid rings)Lato (Grape Seaweed) in tomato, onion and vinegar
There were probably other dishes we enjoyed that I forgot to take photos of coz I was already hungry. I think we also had nylon clam soup which is quite tasty! And perhaps some scallops too. Plus, you can order beer or coconut, which you’d drink from the shell itself!
Aling Bebing’s Seafood Plaza (Dampa style)
Since we were doing a series of farmers’ training at that time, we also had the chance to go for another round of seafood dinner by the Capiz bay area. This time, we went for the Dampa style at Bebing’s seafood plaza.
Choosing and haggling for seafoods. More fun in the Philippines!
If you are unfamiliar with Dampa style of eating, it’s where you choose the seafood that you want to be cooked, haggle for the price, and tell the kitchen how you want them to cook it. It’s quite fun. I didn’t do the haggling per se but it’s fun to watch, and request for the food you want!
My choice for the night, inihaw na daing na pusit (Grilled Dried Squid)I think these are nylon clams. They make for really good soup!Sinigang na Isda (Fish in Sour Soup), I think this one is lapu-lapu?Grilled Scallops with Butter (this one is REALLY good)Aphrodisiacs, I mean, oysters, anyone?!Time to savor the inihaw na daing na pusit. Best with spiced vinegar and a bit of soy sauce
Eating at Aling Bebing’s seafood plaza is more casual than at Coco Grove. Both places have a great view of the beach/shore and you can feel the wind gushing. Aling Bebing’s Plaza’s style of bamboo flooring a little above the sands and closer to the shore was more breezy though. Making the seafood dinner more authentic and enjoyable.
Happy diners, I mean, farmer trainers!
So, what are you waiting for?! Book your flights to Roxas, Capiz or fly to Iloilo and Aklan and take a road trip from there. Or, if you really have a lot of time but not much budget, maybe try the 2GO ship option (I should try this too) or take the Roll-on, Roll-off (RORO) buses. I know it seems like great effort but hey, if you really want the freshest and finest seafood, there’s no other place to be than Capiz, the Philippines’ seafood capital!
In my CouchSurfing profile, I shared that one of the most amazing things I have seen in my entire life is the sunrise at Mt. Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas. Mt. Kangchenjunga is the 3rd highest mountain in the world at 8,586m (28,169ft).
Mt. Kanchenjunga. Amazing.
No, I did not climb Mt. Kanchenjunga but I watched the sunrise from the Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, a popular tea estates tourist spot, in West Bengal, northeast India. Darjeeling has an average elevation of 2,050m (6,710ft). Tiger Hill in Ghoom, where you can find the world’s highest railway station, is about 11kms from Darjeeling.
Welcome to Darjeeling!
In order to see the sunrise at Kanchenjunga, Julie (my VSO co-vol, friend and travel buddy in India) and I had to wake up at bloody 3:30AM at an “I-don’t-know-how-cold-nut-I’m-freezing” temperature! Being in India for a while by then (October, 7 months in!), we didn’t really expect them to be serious about the pre-arranged shared jeepney to Tiger Hill, the viewing point, to go by 4:00AM! But yes, they did and even called us up before 4 to make sure we were on our way.
With the number of shared jeeps, vans, cars and other vehicles heading that way—there’s like about 200 vehicles at the parking lot and that’s a conservative count—the traffic was really bad especially when it was already nearing Tiger Hill.
Vehicle options for the Tiger Hill (aka Three-Point Tour) tour. We got a jeep like the green one for 10 people
Upon alighting, we were told to just go to the ticket booth to pay for the Rs 10 entry fee to the hill’s “viewing deck” area. Since we thought we could rough it out anyway, Juls and I decided not to go for the extra Rs 20- and Rs 30-rupee tickets for the viewing deck that’s inside a taller building.
Tiger Hill Viewing Deck and “Viewing Deck” – take your pick!
We joined the multitude of jacket- and sweater-clad (sometimes with bonnets too coz it’s too freaking cold!) of local and foreign tourists first on the right side of the building for an earlier view of the sunrise, you know, ala-Breaking Dawn!
Breaking Dawn with strangers. And electronic devices!
I thought that was it! That we were unlucky to see Mt. Kanchenjunga because it’s too cloudy! But I was wrong! Because, the sun’s rays are to hit Kanchenjunga in the opposite side of the viewing deck. Juls was the one who saw it just when we were about to walk down!
Up in the clouds! Cotton Candy, anyone?!
Forgive the photo quality here (click to enlarge; I can give you original resolution ones if you’d request) but I assure you, the white snow-capped mountain peaks of Kanchenjunga turning into varied hues of orange is indeed a sight to behold.
It was an amazing moment for me. Like, really amazing. It’s not everyday that we get the chance to witness a natural beauty, some say a testament of God’s gift to humanity, and be blessed with the feeling of a better day unfolding before our eyes, sharing it with strangers from all walks of life. Sunrise at Mt. Kanchenjunga is amazing, isn’t it?
Panoramic view of sunrise at Mt. Kanchenjunga
After the sunrise,I think Juls and I descended from the main viewing deck and found our way to the shared jeepney. Yes, the day has just begun as the Rs 150 tour is good for three points of interest in Darjeeling (Tiger Hill, Ghoom Monastery, and Batasia 360 degree loop), stories of which I will tell in my next posts.
How can you not be amazed?
For now, I leave you with memories of my time with Mt. Kanchenjunga and experiencing cloud 9, perhaps figuratively and literally! Happy wandering!
Banderitas / Flaglets with Buddhist prayers/text line up the road at Tiger Hill
I realized that during my “Bicolandia Exploration”, my first solo backpacking trip in the Philippines in late March 2011, I have taken several photos of the majestic Mayon Volcano (Mt. Mayon) at different angles and locations.
Of course, the first photos of Mt. Mayon that I took were at the famed Cagsaua Ruins.
Mayon Volcano and Cagsawa Ruins
On that day, the majestic Mayon decided not to show herself to me. No matter how much I pleaded.
It was a cloudy day and Mayon shied away!
I don’t know if you’ve heard of this myth or folklore that the Mayon only shows herself to people she likes. Of course, my Japanese boss will not hear of it but hey, that’s what people believe in!
Paddy fields at the foot of the volcano. I wonder how the rice grow with the quality of the soil…hmmm
My first encounter with Mt. Mayon was in Grade 6 (long time ago!) as part of a field-trip-cum-retreat at Acquinas University, a Diocesan school, in Legazpi. I could still remembered how I fumbled with the instamatic film camera when sitting out in the soccer/football field, “she showed herself” to us!
Mayon Volcano from the Lignon Hill viewing deck
So, you could probably just imagine my frustration when, even after climbing Lignon Hill, Mt. Mayon still hid from me! Ugh.
trying to be creative
I mean, WHY?! It was a bright sunny day. No threat whatsoever of raining. Or typhoons. And yet, the Mayon volcano still wouldn’t let me behold her in her full majesty!
Photo taken while ziplining (flying fox) at Lignon Hill. Warning: Kids, only “professional buwis-buhay travelers” can do this. Do not try at home!
Neither did she reveal her beauty while I went ziplining at Lignon Hill nor when I did a short trek at the lava flow/ash floored area. Even with the effort!!!
Getting nearer but not clearer at the lava flow/ash trek area
I know, I probably sound like a disgruntled customer right now but when you have a DSLR and a digital camera in place of a slow and manual film one, you kinda hope for the best shot possible!
It was only after four days, when I was heading back to Legazpi from a great beach time in Tikling Island at Matnog, Sorsogon that Mayon decided to show up! And I was on a moving bus!!!
I had to suddenly move to the back of the bus to take this shot of the Mayon! Effort!
I mean, cmon! The bus was moving and I didn’t know yet how long it will take until we stop at the terminal. Or if Mt. Mayon would still be clear and “picture-perfect” by that time! So, hard as it was, I snapped away without thinking much about composition, lighting, creatives, etc.! That was the moment and I had to capture it!
Mt. Mayon’s crater used to be of a perfect cone shape. Even with a little deformation, it’s still beautiful! The “steam” looks hot and dangerous though!
I even managed to take a photo of the crater, once said to have been perfect—which is also why Mt. Mayon, an active volcano, is among the most famous in the Philippines and the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Waiting at the terminal for your ride while reveling at Mt. Mayon isn’t so bad, is it?!
Luckily, when I got off at the central bus and shuttle van terminal in Legazpi, she was still waiting for me to get my shot—and have it done right! Capturing the different images of Mayon volcano and seeing it from different angles was definitely one of the highlights of my first backpacking trip!
Life is short so take a leap of faith. Let’s wander, explore and discover. Come and journey with me.
The Diarist Wanders 