Philippines

Best of Philippines

February 22, 2013 /

We visited the Philippines for thirteen days and although we only got to explore 3 of the 7,107 islands that comprise the country, we were fascinated by the history, language, food, karaoke, nature, culture, and people of this nation. Their current society reveals the history, resiliency, and the mix between eastern and western cultures.

The Philippines’ history is a testimony of the impact of years of colonization by Spain, the US government, and Japan during WWII. Tagalog, the national language, is a fusion between native words, Spanish, and English, in which most organic and abstract words (soul, trees, water) are in Tagalog, object words (lapiz, mesa) are in Spanish, and English brand names and companies were adopted and converted into verbs or actual words (kodak, coke).

After 300 years of Spanish colonization and strong influence of the Catholic Church into the government, Catholicism is by far the major religion practiced in the Philippines. We were shocked by Filipino’s devotion and high level of attendance to Sunday mass by people of all ages to the Santo Niño Church in Cebu city. Since the Church has been so influential in government matters, the Philippines are just on their way to creating more liberal laws regarding divorce and reproductive/sexual health. Despite the strength of the catholic church, we were excited to learn about the existence of other dialects, beliefs, and practices that survive the colonization, for example the beliefs of the hanging coffins of Igorot tribes in Sagada.

We now believe that Filipinos and Latinos share more than the Spaniards invasion and the US imperialism as common aspects in history: we are warm, carrying, and happy people of resilient spirits that continue growing while overcoming many tragedies. This is why, despite poverty and oppression, Filipinos sing and karaoke to celebrate life with the same passion Latinos dance.

We “shall return” to the Philippines one day, 7,104 islands still pending on the list as well as many other delicious dishes to taste without feeling any guilt of gaining weight 😉

Below are other great things we enjoyed about the Philippines:

Food and Drinks

  • San Miguel Beer

  • Red Horse Beer

  • Pork chop

  • Pork skewer

  • Star Apple

  • Mangosteen

  • Sinigang Shrimp Soup: sour lemon soup

  • Pig Lechon

  • Sisig: Pig ear, cheek, and snout

  • Coconut

  • Green Mango with shrimp paste

  • Sutukil: Parrot fish cooked 3 different ways: soup, grilled, and raw

  • Coconut based shrimp

  • A Typical Filipino breakfast: rice, sausage, and egg

  • Pinangat: coconut based fish wrapped in taro leaves

  • Halo-Halo: shaved ice with milk, fruit, tapioca, and jelly

  • Bicol Express: pork in coconut sauce

  • Banana-Q: sugar and barbecued bananas

  • Balot: 16 or 17 day fertile duck egg

  • Caldereta: goat in a tomato based sauce

  • Garlic Rice

Favorite Sights and Activities

  • Chocolate Hills

  • Tasier Sanctuary

  • Climbing down Samanging Cave in Sagada

  • Hiking around the Batad Rice Terraces

  • Enjoying all the Live Performances

People

  • Jaime: we were fortunate to travel along with our friend who made sure we were delighted every second by the beauty and delicious food of his country.

  • Jaime’s Family and Friends (Jaime’s grandma, aunts, uncles, Kuya Andrew, Kuya Sang, Tata, Abner, Kuya Erning, and Eunice): they all made us feel at home and we enjoyed great times
    Jaime’s grandma, aunt, and uncle; Kuya Andrew; Tata; Abner

  • Randy: our tour guide in Bohol

  • John: our tour guide from Legazpi to Donsol

  • Che, Jojo, Jimmy, Evelin: we enjoyed their company in the Banaue, Batad, and Sagada tours

Animals Viewed

  • Goats

  • Tarsiers

  • Fire Flies

  • Water Buffalo

  • Bats

Native Words

  • Chong = Buddy

  • Buko = Coconut

  • Kuya = elder brother

  • Ate = older sister

  • Salo-salo = eating together

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