[Philippines] The Island Nation

This turquoise corner of the globe has risen to the top of my favorite places to explore. In my brief time, this country keeps revealing how a first-impression can change. My first trip, for instance, was spent entirely in the capital of Manila. Later I found out, that is not the ideal place to play. Though I’m sure the cities have something to offer, they don’t compare to the bewitching beauty of the Filipino islands, where Whale Sharks fist-bump Sea Cows, and you’d swear there were mermaids. It’s enough to dazzle Aquaman.

Being a country of over seven thousand islands, one quickly sees how much surface area is nothing but beach, where aqua-blue mingles with sand. Though the national animal is a water buffalo (reminiscent of Filipino Ox Tail soup), the animal I think of most is a seahorse. First of all, there are a buttload of seahorses. That said, there are also a lot of humans sea-horsin’ around, snorkeling, diving, or boating through the glassy water. Finally, just look at a map: it’s as if the Philippine islands were sprinkled from an enormous invisible hand, resembling a profile of a seahorse. Even if you disagree, giddy up!

It wasn’t until I ventured beyond the sprawl of Manila, that my love for the country blossomed. The Philippines is a unique Asian country, truly in a class of its own. Sometimes it resembles other Asian countries, such as Thailand, in terms of bargain-shopping and indulging in massage-shops. On the other hand, it seems more Hispanic and similar to Costa Rica, or even Mexico at times. I suppose this reflects the Philippines colonial history under Spanish rule.

Like much of Latin America, many Filipinos are deeply Christian. Though there may be fewer Mother Mary portraits as Mexico, it is probably reasonable to say that most Filipinos are churchgoers. As a result, Sunday afternoons (and even Saturdays) can be low-key for visitors, when shopkeepers flip-open their Open Signs and take to the wooden pews. As a Westerner, someone culturally Christian, this national personality trait makes it easy to relate with the locals, compared to a Muslim country or polytheistic culture. The English fluency of the Philippines, also makes it easy to connect the people.

Returning to the analogy of Latin America, if the Philippines resembles Costa Rica, then Manila is St Jose. Both cities are similar in that they often appear disorganized. Therefore, running errands on a tight schedule can be frustrating. Although there are always ample security guards, and the average workday of a Filipino begins at 3 am, long line-ups and slow check-out lanes are typical of the city. Don’t be surprised if it takes a full two or three hours to exit the airport, for example. On that note, make sure to have an extra $850 Pesos (in cash) for the airport fee on your return. Don’t fall prey to excessive airport line-ups!

Ultimately, my advice for those visiting the Philippines is to maximize your time outside the cities. Touch-down at the airport. Exchange your money. Convert your $1000 Peso-bills into smaller notes —and dive into the countryside. That said, it’s not all speedos and water balloons. There are also forests and countrysides to enjoy, too —as well as the mouthwatering Filipino cuisine. This article will introduce you to this magnificent travel destination. Here is how we have enjoyed this Island Nation.

 

Filipino Cuisine: Foods and Draaanks

Let’s start with the food. I’ve been pleasantly surprised on numerous occasions, while familiarizing the local menus. At first glance, you may conclude it’s all about fresh fish, pork, and western items, like burgers and pizza, but it’s much more. When I came across Pancit, a fried noodle dish, my curiosity was forever piqued. Since then, it’s been an onslaught of meals like Sisig, Kare Kare, Adobo, Paksiw na lechon, as well, as desserts such as Leche flan and the omnipresent Halo Halo. Basically, I’ll never be caught dead in a Filipino McDonald’s again. On top of that, the portions are quite substantial, and spices are used generously. You’re also in for a special treat if you like coconut.

Pancit

“Pancit” meaning “noodles” was introduced by Chinese Filipino settlers and was originally intended to be eaten on one’s birthday. Nowadays “Pancit” refers to a variety of noodle dishes, although Pancit meals customarily use rice noodles. When in doubt, I order on menu-item with the word Pancit. It has never failed.

Sizzling Sisig Babi

Perhaps it is better to try Sisig before you learn the ingredients —or you may wince at the idea of eating pig head and chicken liver (spoiler alert). Still, this delectable dish is a must-try if, for no other reason, than the sizzling presentation. While “Sisig” refers to its cooking process, this particular meal, with its combination of crunchy meat, soft rice and lightly cooked egg, is my very Filipino favorite.

Kare Kare

This is a thick savory peanut sauce soup named “Kare Kare”, which was derived from the word “curry”. While the vegetables and seafood ingredients are indisputably awesome, the chewy texture of oxtail may be a little strange for the uninitiated.

Adobo/Adobar

This meal is what happens when you stew raw meat in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, black peppercorns and bay leaves. The result is a very salty yet sour meat dish swimming in a shallow pond of vegetables and/or rice.

Paksiw na lechon

Granted the image of an entire pig roasted intact looks rather barbaric, when you actually eat Pakswi na lechon, your reptilian brain will quickly embrace the savageness. If you are not in the company of two or three (or four or five) other friends to help you purchase and consume an entire swine, then you can purchase it by the kilo —with plastic gloves if you’re lucky.

Leche flan (“Crème caramel”)

Think of crème brûlée —without the flame-hardened caramel sauce. Think of eggs, sugar, and the stuff dreams are made of. Put it your mouth.

Halo Halo

Halo Halo is probably the most popular sweet-tooth item in the Philippines, for good reason. After all, it is colorful, cold, and inevitably conceals sweet surprises. Though ingredients such as coconut, purple yam, fruits, ice cream, and even “Leche flan” vary, Halo Halo always has shaved ice, milk, and sugar. To be sure, it seems that no two Halo Halo bowls are the same.

Bakery Stuff

In addition to the aforementioned snacks, the Philippines also has many bakeries and even more bakery goodies to try, including “Ensayamada at tsokolate” (cheese-bread with sugar and cheese) and all kinds of other French-like croissants and donuts.

 

GETTING AROUND:

Now that you’re well fed, let’s move on to transportation in the Philippines. In a sentence, you’re looking at public pimpmobiles (called “Jeepsies”), Thai-looking “Tuke tukes” (called “tricycle”), taxis, and, of course, Uber or Grab.

When I call the public buses “pimpmobiles”, I mean that aesthetically-speaking. Unlike “real” pimpmobiles (I presume), many of these busses have Christian scriptures displayed with typical sayings, such as “He Made the Stars Also”, and so on. Even despite such celestial declarations, boarding one of these things can feel a little cosmic. First, you have to pre-determine what number bus you need and where it may stop. Ask a local. After flagging one down, jump in the back and find a seat. Sometimes they’re quite crowded. Then, ask the attendant (or other passengers) how much money it costs to reach your destination after which, you will be expected to pass the payment, person by person, until it reaches the money-guy at the back. On that note, you may need to pass someone else’s payment at some point, too. With the jubilant atmosphere of other guests and especially loud music, these pimpmobiles can resemble pub-crawl bus. In any case, when it’s time to depart, bang the ceiling handrail with your ring (or a coin).

While the pimpmobiles have a standard fare, the “Tricycle” are entirely based on negotiation. Similar to the advice given in our [Thailand] Many Elephants in an Alluring Room, this is no occasion to be meek or mild. After specifying your destination, urge them to make you an offer, then make an counter-offer at half that price.

Lastly, taxis in the Philippines is an entirely different animal. The negotiation is even more aggressive than the Jeepsies, and it’s certainly more expensive than the pimpmobiles. I recommend finding a taxi-driver who is willing to use the meter. In any case, in many places, like Manila, using taxis is considered dangerous (as they are known to kidnap tourists for ransom money!). Therefore, you are encouraged to follow the advice of locals and use Uber or Grab, instead.

 

What to do:

By now, you should vaguely know how to get around and what foods to look out for. With those necessities out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the natural world. The flora and fauna. The Philippines has much to offer.

Meet the Tarsier: Our Petite-Carnivorous-Nocturnal Monkey Cousins

These little creatures are the inspiration behind Yoda, as well as the source of ageless lore, regarding elves and little “forest humans”. A cousin of the Slow Loris, these fascinating beings are only found on the Southeast Asian islands, though they used to frolic as far as Europe and even North America. It is truly a wonder that they are our relatives, given how different they are from us. For instance, they are nocturnal. They are also completely carnivorous, hunting nocturnal insects. Basically everything about them can be deemed alien in the primate world, including the bizarre cries they emit, their freakishly huge eyes, long rat-like tails, and the way they rotate their heads like owls. Tarsiers somehow look nightmarish and cute, at the same time. As nocturnal animals, however, you’ll have to reserve yourself to watching them sleep. It’s a cruel thing to wake them up as many do.

Chocolate Hills: The Breast-Shaped Anomalies

On the island of Bohol, a three-hour ferry ride from Cebu, are the iconic Chocolate Hills. Apparently there are anywhere from a thousand to two-thousand of these chocolate-colored formations. As you might expect, plenty of visitors frequent this area all times of the day, especially those who plan to visit the nearby Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary. Though it may be enough to view these hills from the lookout, locals will also offer you quad-rentals. In my opinion, that’s a highly risky endeavor, unless you have experience riding a quad! Don’t kill yourself on a geological chocolate breast.

Swimming with Sardines, Whale Sharks, and Giant Turtles

Though there are probably various places to swim with sardines, we did so at Moalboal —three-odd hours southwest, in the opposite direction from the Bohol ferry. This is truly an incredible experience. Imagine yourself snorkeling in the middle of a million fish, a school of sardines. As you can imagine, a plethora of Filipino peddlers will offer you expensive tours and boat-trips, but you can easily swim a stone’s throw from the beach and find them yourselves. Evidently, this was also how we came across Sea Turtles, reminiscent of Taiwan’s Xia Luoquio Island. If you want to swim Whale Sharks, however, you will need to book a tour-guide and set your alarm clock for an early start.

 

Experience Filipino Culture

Putting Mother Nature (and food) aside, let’s conclude by addressing the human dimension: the people. In the introduction, I described Filipino culture as deeply Christian with a curious fusion of Hispanic and Southeast Asian elements. Many things intrigued me as, for example, the loud “kissing” sounds —rather than whistling or shouting to get someone’s attention. Once I noticed this trend, I started seeing it everywhere. For instance, bus passengers would “kiss-call” a window peddler from the bus-window.To that end, don’t get offended if a man addresses you in that manner. It’s not misogynist. It’s probably not misogynist.

Another thing I found interesting is the prevalence 90s Pop music. It was a delightful walk down Memory Lane, reacquainting with my childhood rock’n roll, with the onslaught of Third Eye Blind, Nirvana, and Dance Mix tracks. The experience will either make you feel young again —or old.

Finally, as someone perpetually interested in racial origins, I found it very interesting that many scientists believe Filipinos (preceding Spanish influence), were descendants of one of Taiwan’s fourteen indigenous groups. Even more interesting, is the way this bloodline may be described in terms of as the Polynesian empire. To that end, I will conclude this article with a quote from someone much more capable of articulating their legacy:

The Polynesians became the world’s water people. Polynesia comprised more than one-quarter of the planet Earth. The great West Coast mountain ranges and deserts slowed both the North and South American coastal, raft-landed colonists’ eastward migrations. Landed at many North and South American coastal points from Alaska to Chile, these raft-landed Polynesians separated into many groups as they moved eastward over many routes to both North and South America, to become known as the American Indians.

— Buckminster Fuller (Grunch of Giants, 1983)