Exploring Siquijor

The highlight of the Philippines this time was the island of Siquijor, a 1 hour speedboat ride east of Negros. This small island is famous for witchcraft and sorcery - many Filipinos won't go there - but sadly I didn't come across any of it. It was stunningly beautiful, with green paddy fields, turquoise waters and idyllic village scenes. I wouldn't say it was on a par with Palawan, where I went two years ago, which was truly paradise, but utterly beautiful nevertheless.

I stayed at Villa Marmarine, a hotel owned by a Japanese couple, Dagman and Marmarine (their nicknames). After retiring from life in Japan and abroad (Dagman was an elementary school teacher, and worked at the Japanese schools in Kuwait, Lebanon and the Netherlands too) they decided to emigrate to somewhere cheaper and more exciting, and ended up in Siquijor. Their hotel is experiencing a boom in business, and it's well-deserved. They have a series of cottages with private verandahs, overlooking the sea. There are Japanese touches and on the menu they had some Japanese dished too. It felt quite bizarre find this pocket of Japaneseness, including sashimi and hotcakes (pancakes)) in this small island in the Philippines.

Days were spent hiring a motorbike and exploring the island, stopping off at beaches, villages, waterfalls and generally whatever else took my fancy. This freedom to go wherever I wanted, whenever, was just the perfect antidote to the contained life in Kabul. I realise that greenery and open spaces have a very calming effect on me.

 

My first sunset seen from Villa Marmarine

 

Kalasua beach - not a soul in sight

Filling up with gasoline

A typical road in Siquijor

Roadside stall

Cambugahay Falls

 

Paliton beach

With Dagman (aka Toshio Harada) at his hotel, Villa Marmarine.

Negros Oriental (Philippines)

I took advantage of Philippines Airlines' great fares and service with a smile to fly to Negros, one of the large islands in the Visayas region, just north of Mindanao. Negros is divided into Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental; I went to Oriental. It is not an area that sees huge numbers of tourists, like Boracay or Cebu.

The main city of Dumaguete is a pleasant, breezy city facing the sea. The Rizal Boulevard that follows the East coast was a great place to walk (something not possible in Kabul!) and meet a selection of vendors, beggars and - after dark - young females keen to chat.

Rizal Boulevard

As a university city (the Silliman University, which occupies much of the centre, is apparently a prestigious one), this city attracts a range of students from developing countries keen to learn English in a fairly cheap place. So, somewhat bizarrely, Somali and Iranian students are a common sight.

The markets were a treat. There was the main market in the centre of Dumaguete city - where I feasted on mangosteens, buko (young coconut) and lanzones (not sure what the English is. They are sweet-sour little brown fruits that look like longans).

Dumaguete main market

I took a bus to Malatapay, where a huge weekly market takes place every Wednesday. There was nothing there I actually wanted to buy, but often the most interesting markets are like that. I have long been a fan of markets and bazaars, and always enjoy wandering around and looking at all the different produce on sale. Not being able to wander around bazaars in Afghanistan is one of the most frustrating things, where I'm sure the bazaars must fascinating.  Here, there was everything here, ranging from clothes to fish pastes (the smell hits you long before you see it), from pigs to bananas. The animal section was thriving, with all sorts of creatures being hauled onto trucks and driven off to their fates on other parts of the island.

Malatapay market

Having feasted on some succulent pork lechon (roasted suckling pig) with the hottest chilli I have ever experienced (it was a mere one centimetre-long, and I was told to crush it in a soy sauce and vinegar mixture to go with the pork. The little fella had more kick than a bottle of Tabasco), I got a jeepney back towards Dumaguete, stopping off at a scenic mountainous area around the small town of Valencia, 6 km south-west of the city. With waterfalls, jungles and ravines it was the kind of place I would like to spend several days. The climate was deliciously cool - a welcome contrast to the heat of the coast. The area often smelled of sulphur, from the natural hot springs that are evidently abundant here. The Japanese - big fans of hot spring or onsen - would surely love it here. The real treat for me was a swimming pool next to the Pulang Bato falls, where I refreshed myself before the ride back to Dumaguete city.

The swimming pool next to Pulang Bato

Some great photography

Just come across some amazing photos by this photographer, James Morgan. Never heard of him before, but some are breathtaking! Click on 'Singles' and there are a range of exotic locales to choose from. http://www.jamesmorganphotography.co.uk/ 

The Balut experience (Manila)

I recently made a short trip to the Philippines. It was my second visit and it grew on me more this time. One of the more memorable experiences, not in an entirely pleasant sense, was BALUT. This is a partially fertilised duck egg that is a popular snack in the Philippines. I also saw them in Cambodia, where it was chicken, not duck, egg. There is an embryo inside, so it's a snack full of protein.

My friend Lydia, upon finding out I had never tried a balut, decided that it had to be experienced. So she got three warm balut, sold in a basket in the market, and brought them home. They were temporarily forgotten about for an hour or two (not by me, but I was happy not to remind her) but then she remembered and brought them out with some salt. The photos below tell the story...

Cracking the shell, one sees a dark and murky interior...

Having drunk the juice first with a pinch of salt (like a tequila slammer), you peel more shell off, which reveals a bizarre, veiny colourful blob...

 

 

 

About to tuck in - the point of no return...

But the sight of the duckling's skull and beak was the biggest hurdle. It was rather crunchy. But the feathers were silky smooth...

In terms of taste, it was better than a normal boiled egg, by far. But although Lydia then asked me to eat the remaining two, I think one balut in a lifetime was enough for me...