Part 2: The Philippines Travelogue

Feasting and Exploring the Motherland

Greetings from the Philippines!

We are now well within our second full week during our stay in the Philippines and a full 34 years since the last time I visited. I can honestly tell you that I love it here! It has been joyous and life-affirming to be surrounded by my people and to roam through lands where my family and ancestors built their lives.

We had to cancel some plans due to my mom getting a little sick. I also opted to get a root canal and cavity fillings with the local dentist. But this week, the adventures began to happen once my mom started feeling better.

FOOD! GLORIOUS FOOD!

We are staying at our 70-year-old family house in the town of Zaragoza (on the main island of Luzon). Unless we are traveling, every meal is a home-cooked feast and happens at the dinner table where we laugh, tell stories, and plan what we will eat for the next meal (which usually involves deciding on various dishes and figuring out what we need to purchase from the public market just a quick five-minute walk down the road).

For those of you familiar with Filipino food, the dishes I have devoured so far are dinuguan (my favorite made out of pork and blood), tortang talong (my favorite egg breakfast dish), pork sinigang (a sour stew that carries my childhood in its flavor), kare-kare (an oxtail dish in a heavenly peanut sauce), buro (a pink-colored fish delicacy that might be an acquired taste for the uninitiated, but the locals love it), paksiw na bangos (a savory fish/vinegar dish), pinakbet (a flavorful vegetable medley mixed with a traditional beloved shrimp paste), hito (fish roasted over hot stones in the market), kalamansi (a lemony fruit used to flavor just about anything), pansit (Filipino noodle dish), and lots of pandesal (traditional small bread rolls). Every dish has been served with lots of fresh veggies from the market including ginger, garlic, onions, potatoes, cigarillas (winged beans), eggplants, cabbage, string beans, carrots, and leeks.

Outside of daily meals, I have joyfully consumed halo halo (a layered dessert mix), siopao (savory meat mix tucked inside a white, fluffy bun), juice from fresh coconut (along with pulp), mangos, bananas, apples, and a few delicious small fruits I have never eaten before.

During one of our excursions, we stopped at a Jollibee (the Filipino version of McDonald’s but with lots more rice) and had breakfast (pictured below). I enjoyed another Filipino staple called longanisa. It is a form of sausage that packs a rich, juicy punch.

To offset all this feasting, I have gone on daily two and three mile walks and have limited my consumption of rice. Despite these efforts, I am pretty sure I have tacked on a pound or two. I will return to my mostly vegetarian diet when I get back home, but until then, I will gratefully take in all that the Motherland has to give. The food culture here is so rich.

WATERFALLS AND A MOUNTAINTOP GROTTO IN PANGASINAN

One of our big excursions thus far has been to a neighboring province about three hours to the west called Pangasinan where they speak a completely different language called Ilocano. This region is home to a gorgeous mountain range called the Zambales Mountains. My sister-in-law and nephews were born and raised there. Upon our arrival, we were treated to a feast of Filipino food at one of their main family houses in a small village. Then we headed over to the local waterfalls. A half–hour walk along hillsides and into the mountains led us to a vision of paradise. The water was cool and crystal clear. During the middle of the week in the current dry season, this place is not bombarded with visitors, and we had the place all to ourselves. I wet my hair, washed my face, and soaked my feet in the refreshing water.

We stayed for as long as we could before heading to our next destination.

Just a couple of miles away, we drove to the bottom start of a path leading up a mountain to a religious grotto. None of us were prepared for the grueling, near-vertical climb up more than a thousand steps to the top, but somehow, we managed.

Every time we reached the top of one set of stairs, THERE WAS AN EVEN LONGER ONE right after it!!! UGGGHH!

We drank lots of water. Huffed and puffed. Until finally, it felt like the world opened up when we reached the end. The view from the top looked out onto the entire valley . . .

Then of course, the statue at the top is magnificent and huge.

Yesterday, we took our first foray down south to the country’s capital of Manila. We arrived early to meet up with my first cousin Carol and to visit the Chinese district called Divisoria. This place is the home of one of the largest public markets in the country. Hundreds of vendors line the street selling all kinds of fruits and veggies, clothing, housewares, fabrics and textiles, and just about anything else.

My mom had a long shopping list of stuff to get, and I might have snagged some new threads to wear at my shows . . .

My last visit to the Philippines happened while I was in eighth grade, and I remember being mystified by everything I saw. Now, as an adult, I can appreciate everything on a much deeper level. The way of life here is completely different from the walled garden of the United States. Without the trappings of first-world wealth and modernity, people here still live wholesome lives despite their own set of struggles.

I did not know it was possible to be more proud to be a Filipino, but I certainly am now.

In the coming days, the biggest adventures are yet to come!

See you again next week as I wave “hello!” from the Pearl of the Orient Seas!

—Roqué

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UPCOMING SHOWS:

Jane’s Hideaway
Nashville, TN
Tuesday, February 25, at 8 PM
Writer’s Kitchen: Solo Songwriter’s Round

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