The Filipino Department of Tourism invited Korean bloggers for a tour of the Philippines, paying for transportation, lodging, and most of the food. The goal was to highlight areas that were under the radar of tourists and to check out attractions that were being developed. This is my diary of that trip.

We got up around 4:30 and jumped on the bus at 5:15. Breakfast was some rice with longanisa (yes!), nicely flavored fried fish, chicken, and egg. We also grabbed some McDonald’s coffee. The ride this day was to some docks with narrow crowded boats.

When we got there, we were bombarded by porters wanting to take our luggage. The guides made sure our luggage was properly placed on board. We balanced our ways onto the boats. I’ve been wary of my sense of balance lately. Remember, I had that fall in the sauna last week. Plus, I was carrying a heavy sidebag with my computer and cameras. But I was able to tiptoe onto the boat. You had to get in to your bench by climbing through the window.

The benches were so narrow that I had to sit with my legs spread the whole time. It was a cramped two-hour ride, but it was beautiful.

At the port of Caramoan Sur, we were taken to a quaint house/hotel across from a 16^th century church. After some time to unpack and rest, we immediately went to Rex Tourist Hotel to eat lunch.

Another amazing meal! We had bright and sour fish sinigang, pork adobo, these giant ass shrimp, and Laing–gabi leaves and pork cooked in coconut milk. I loved the gabi leaf dish so much that I could go vegetarian with it. I made sure to heap on seconds.

Our big activity today was island hopping. We got into another narrow boat—a lot less cramped this time—and headed to a small island out of many. This was used for the TV series “Survivor” for many countries, most recently the USA version. We jumped out and went under a tree. I took a few pics, kicked off my shoes, put down my glasses, and joined Joanna in the water. It was so invigorating. I hadn’t gone swimming since my unfortunate surfing scene in Jeju Island. And before then, I guess it was over ten or fifteen years since I’d gone swimming. I thought I had lost my skill or that my body was too old and crampy. But no, I took to swimming once more. It was so relaxing.

After a good time swimming, we boarded the boat for the next island. I decided to leave all my stuff on the boat this time. We were also able to coax more of our group into the water. We wandered around the rocky edge of the island to a more secluded place. We found a starfish there. There was a father teaching his young daughter how to snorkel—I want to do that. Can’t wait for Jian to get older. That was such a perfect father-daughter moment.

Before we got to island number three, we stopped in the middle of the water. It was around 20 feet deep here. I jumped in and swam. We all had been casually holding on to life preservers just in case we wore out. This time, I felt more confident. No life preserver for me. I got in, and I swam a long way. The trouble was that I assumed we were going to the beach right in front of us.

But we weren’t.

I realized this when I was almost at the beach. So I had to swim all the way back out to the boat. Great exercise! I noticed some people standing up in the water. Turned out there was a little coral reef there. We took turns putting on a pair of goggles and looked at the colorful fish swimming in the reef.

Our last stop was a nice small leisurely beach. I want to do this again with my family. This is something I’d come back for.

We got back all sunned and tired. I took a shower and decided to eat my fruit. Remember I bought fruit yesterday? Well, I think it sat out a bit too long, and the ants found it. But I did get to try my first dragon fruit and jackfruit. Liked the jackfruit. Tart like a pineapple but with a bit of that custardy durian texture.

Oh, I want to get some durian! I would have bought some at the supermarket, but I have no way to open it.

Back at the Rex Tourist Hotel, they had made us some crabs. They were okay but not as good as the lunch we had that day. I did try a new beer and a new vegetable.

Red Horse is the stronger version of San Miguel. It reminded me of Cass Red–like a shot of soju had been dumped in it. I decided to stick to the trusty San Miguels.

Now this was the interesting one. Sea Grapes. I had seen these floating around while we were swimming, and it was fun popping them like bubble wrap. They dressed it in tart calamansi juice. Joanna and I liked it. The Koreans didn’t. I was surprised since they eat so much seaweed anyway. The texture was fun. Pop! Pop! Pop! The flavor was tart and salty with only a slight iodine and fish flavor. Mostly tasted like the ocean but very intensely.

The Filipino Department of Tourism invited Korean bloggers for a tour of the Philippines, paying for transportation, lodging, and most of the food. The goal was to highlight areas that were under the radar of tourists and to check out attractions that were being developed. This is my diary of that trip.

I got up around six. Only around three hours sleep. Got ready and went downstairs for breakfast. They had a Filipino-Western buffet. Out of the breakfasts I’ve had all over the world, I’m finding the Filipino one to be one of my favorites—especially if I can get loads of longanisa.

Our first stop was a behind-the-scenes look at a tourism destination that’s still under construction, Haciendas de Naga. We started with the gardens, where we picked, shucked, and ate some pili nuts. The texture and taste made me think of walnuts without the bitter tannins.

We caught a glimpse of a Spanish-style model home that would be for people who want summer homes in the area. We then went down to the main amusement section of the park. One of the only finished parts was the wave pool, and a few people were in it. There was a golf course with goats running around it. Only four holes had been completed. I saw a helmet diving building under construction. There were also horses, which drew carriages for riders.

After grabbing some mango shakes, we took a drive to where they’re building a “Jurassic Park” and an ecological preserve. The only things completed here were some dinosaur statues, a rock climbing wall, and a zipline. I really wanted to try the zipline, so we all stopped, and almost all of us rode it.

It’s an ambitious development, and I’d like to see how it does when it’s completed.

We ate lunch at Bob Marlin. It was a restaurant themed after—guess—Bob Marley. We sat in the covered patio section with some buckets of beer.

Out came some amazing dishes. The Crispy Pata was pig trotters cooked so the skin was perfectly crackly on the outside and moist, drippy, fatty on the inside. It came with a tart soy dipping sauce. Just ate it with my fingers.

Beef Kare-Kare was beef stewed in a spicy rich sauce with coconut.

Another one we loved was Sinugbab, barbecued pork served with chilies and vinegar. It was like North Alabama barbecue, where we put spicy vinegar on our pulled pork sandwiches.

We were then dropped off at SM Mall to do some shopping. I used the opportunity to explore the supermarket. People don’t know that a supermarket is a great place to get acquainted with a culture and grab souvenirs. I loved the produce section. All these tropical fruits that would fetch a high price in Korea. I grabbed some bottled sauces, some candy, and other treats. I also got some sliced fruit—some I had never had before.

Our tour guide, Crisma, was a perky young woman who grew up around here. So she was chatty with all these details, mostly about stuff she did as a kid. We drove up to Panicuason Hot Spring Resort, where she said she used to go to all the time as a kid. And she still does. The hot springs were nicely divided into four pools of ascending temperatures, hugged by a steep jungle-laden cliff. I hung out with Crisma, Joanna, and Harry. We didn’t get all the way up to the fourth pool, but we had a relaxing time.

Crisma then took us to a buffet restaurant she liked a lot. The owner was an older woman with a sharp edgy wit. I was pointing to some gabi leaves, asking what they were. She laughed and said, “Marijuana! Mary Jane!”

We had a full spread of food. I particularly liked a chopped liver dish that was mixed with garlic. Reminded me of haggis. There was also a fried fish with a sweet ginger dipping sauce. Another one of marlin cooked in coconut. Another interesting one was a cut of pork from near the skin of the belly that one wrapped around vegetables with a smear of shrimp paste. Reminded me of BoSsam. There was nothing I didn’t like. In fact, I’ve had only one disappointing meal experience so far in the Philippines, and that was at a rest stop late at night.

The Filipino Department of Tourism invited Korean bloggers for a tour of the Philippines, paying for transportation, lodging, and most of the food. The goal was to highlight areas that were under the radar of tourists and to check out attractions that were being developed. This is my diary of that trip.

Another traveling day. We packed our things and went back to Goodchow for breakfast. I went for the Longsilog. ___silog is a breakfast of a main, fried rice, and egg. The “long” in my Longsilog was sweet garlicky longanisa sausages, which I could eat every day for breakfast.

We drove to the ferry terminal and quickly said our goodbyes. Like last time, it was crowded. But this time it was much better. We had a nice place with the breeze coming in and a nice view of the flying fish skipping across the water. The trip only took two-and-a-half hours to Lucena City on the main island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd1-dpK980U

We met the team for our second leg of the trip in Bicol province and piled into the bus. We had lunch at Buddy’s in a shopping mall, but I still tried to eat as many Filipino dishes as I could.

The rest of the drive was pretty long. We didn’t get to the Avenue Plaza Hotel in Naga City until 1 a.m. But it was really nice. Comfortable. I finally had a chance to break out the single malt I bought at Incheon duty free.

MORE PHOTOS HERE

The Filipino Department of Tourism invited Korean bloggers for a tour of the Philippines, paying for transportation, lodging, and most of the food. The goal was to highlight areas that were under the radar of tourists and to check out attractions that were being developed. This is my diary of that trip.

Saturday, March 30 2013

Excess Baggage

We had two Korean bloggers on this trip who complained the whole time. They were a little stuck on themselves and demanded that every part be the height of luxury. Rather than bring everyone down, I suggested to the guides to let them go home. So we dropped them off at the tourism office, where they took them back on the ferry.

Good riddance.

The Bat Cave

When we got back in the van, we high fived. One of the men said, “The bad guys are gone.”

Immediately the mood improved. Our first stop was a cave that is just starting to be developed for tourism, Ka-Amon Cave in Barangay Bonliw, Torrijos, Marinduque. Most caves you go to as a tourist have manicured steps and railings with colorful flood lights and signs. Not here. This is a real spelunking adventure.

We made a detour to Santa Cruz to grab some crabs and shrimp at the fish market. Then we drove off to the cave.

We ate the burgers from Goodchow that we had packed. I was impressed that they were pretty darn good. Joanne said they took a long time to make because the cook sliced each vegetable and cheese per order. The meat itself had a hefty crust.

We donned our helmets with lights and trekked up the mountain. It was a short climb. We went into the cave. Since it was used for burial a long time ago, there were still some human bones in there. Going further required some good balance and a good bit of squeezing. We reached a point of no return because we would disturb a chamber full of bats. Every now and then one would fly out and scare everyone. It startled me, too. I knew they wouldn’t hurt me, but anything flying straight at your face is going to make you flinch. One brushed up against my hand. I found the bats to be the coolest part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvgqYlDFtGA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4F9jxNbGA

When we emerged, some folks were waiting for us with some buko. I had asked Dindo before what buko was. I had seen signs advertising buko shakes and buko pies. He said it was young coconut. So while we were spelunking, he got some people to get us some buko. A machete was drawn, and a hole was carved. We each had our own coconut to drink. Then he sliced it in half and fashioned a spoon out of one of the pieces. The meat was soft and gelatinous. Mild and sweet. My new addiction!

I think we all started to relax and enjoy ourselves at this point.

Beach Party

Dindo was worried. We were on our way to Poctoy White Beach (Puting-Buhangin Beach in Tagalog). He said he got news that the beach was crowded. In Korea, when you say that, it means that you have only inches between yourself and other people. But in the Philippines, people are used to having entire beaches to themselves. The crowd at this beach was no bigger than an average beach in Florida. It was the holidays.

We luckily had a hut all to ourselves, I met the diving instructors, including the most hilarious character, a middle-aged mustachioed man named Freedom. He laughed at my jokes, which instantly makes anyone a friend of mine.

They took the seafood to an open kitchen at the rear of the beach, and I filmed them cooking our catch. Click here to see the video. The scent of charcoal and shallots filled the air. Dindo kept supplying me with bottles of San Miguel. We definitely were starting to enjoy ourselves.

The group devoured the shrimp. And the crab—so surprised at how simple the preparation was because it was full of flavor.

We also had skewers of barbecued pork belly and chicken feet.

The sun set, and the bands started playing. Everyone was having a good time, and they were all cool and friendly. One guy was getting a henna tattoo on his back. We had eaten so well that we decided to skip dinner. We had one more order of business. It was tour guide Harry’s birthday, so we made sure that the MCs on stage did something special for him. They got him to go onstage, and everyone cheered for him.

It was still early in the evening—around eight or nine. But we all fell asleep in the van on the way back.

See also:

Day 1, Getting There

Day 2, Nailing Jesus