Banana farming

One feet deep hole enough for planting sagin or bananas, they said. We had lakatan or yellow banana before. Now we found new kinds of; tundan or small yellow, fit for kids; kardaba or cooking banana; balangan or green; salibagyo or small. Still I want to find amorado or red banana. Have to hit the mountains to get one.

Word of the day: sagin = banana

Fly on the wall

Mayor built a nice park at seaside downtown. Tax money well spent. Restaurant in compound has become popular amongst local and kano. Separating the park from market stands a wall painted with marine motives. Really impressive actually.

They were in a hurry to make it ready before governer coming for inauguration ceremony. No time to let the concrete dry upp means it is cracking and the painting falling apart. So pitty.

Word of the day: pintura = paint

Ukay-ukay

Everywhere You see them, clothes, shoes, bags for sale. Price is reaaly cheap, from 5 p up. Second-hand is big business. Little they know, well meaning aunties in 1st world who donate clothes and things to various organisations who say they will hand over everything to the poor in 3rd world. Little they know that nothing is free.

Also this business has made local cloth industry to collapse 'cause they cannot compete with "free" clothes. Free trade. Not fair trade.

Word of the day: ukay = stir, move (here: dig in a pile of clothes)

Tropical paradise

Night temp is freezing +26 C! Cats always find the place to warm up.

We have three cats and two dogs. Dogs are to guard the house. They are still puppies but alarm good, too soft to attack. Expect the white one to grow up as a good guard. The bitch welcomes anyone; take a number, one by one boys...

Word of the day: bugnao = cold, init = hot

American standard

Once again my ISP is failing, going two weeks with bad, cutting connection. They have a customer service, always very polite, and imbecill, same standard procedure Yes, Sir. Connection comes when it comes. Annoying? Yes. First world guy in third world. Get a life.

Major companies brag with American standard. Well, we in Europe dont buy Made in US 'cause of bad quality. A long way to go.

Lot of old bikes, Honda Cup and other ancient models, nicely kept and still rolling strong. Also many 'homemade' bikes. How they can drive of police. No plates either. This is a free country.

Word of the day: wallako kabalo = I dont know

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Chinese community keeps low profile here 'cause of bad experience before. The leading class is however of Chinese origin which You can see during Chinese New Year. Many shops closed on January 23, and those open, like Metro, show up typical Chinese pling-pling. Hmm, much more fun where big China towns, like in Krung Thep or Singhapura -  a Chinese state.

New Year greeting is the south Chinese: Gung Hay Fat Choy - prosperous new year. In mainland China, the real China, they say: Xin Nian Kuai Le - happy new year. It is Year of the dragon.

Gaisano South in Colon burnt down. It was already old so good to make a new with insurance money LOL

Word of the day: mongo = bean, also bean brain

Butong and buko

Young coconut is full coco water which is refreshing to enjoy when weather hot. It is also believed to heal Your kidneys. Folks believe when drink buko, You can drink more alcohol. Many also believe it is aphrodisiac. Whatever, I sometimes drink it. It is a little sweet but mostly fresh. I also know how to open butong, that is not to spill all over but a clean cut. Butong has only little coco flesh inside, which is a favorite candy for all and sister. Coco flakes to make coco milk, are made of mature coconut or lubi.

Butong is also called a firm buttom of a young girl. To all You feminazi, this is a big compliment.

Word of the day: butong = young coconut, buko = coco water/juice

Fruits in plenty

Fruits are many of kinds and plenty. Many times so much they let them fall down for animals to eat. That goes for the cheap ones like tampis or papaya. Manga, however, is mahal and always guarded. Dont think that manga tree, just growing out in the bush, is Yours to pick. Every single manga tree in owned by somybody. Manga is often wrapped in paper (like in pic) to protect from insects and to speedy up maturing. Pomelos grow huge.

Word of the day: simbako = godforbid, hope not happen

Freedom of

This is a free country. You can do basically what You want. And tea money gets You out of most trouble. This is good and this is bad. They have all the laws, much same like we have. It fails in implementation.

Multinationals "own" this country. They can, same like shamans in mercado, advertise their products with whatever hype. Folks are very much brainwashed with ads in tv or in other media. Like people say golgate when they want toothpaste.

Alcohol policy? No rules. School kids drink tanduay or redhorse in bar after school still wearing school uniform. No problem. Wonder what the parents say. Do they care. I dont know. Look at the ads below. Would never pass in my country. Note, I am not complaining. Just wonder.

Now coming too much bulinau, resale price 40 p per kilo, only. Before 120 p. Supply and demand.

Worl of the day: usa, duha, tolo, upat, singko = 1-5 in cebuano

Malunggay magic

Malunggay or kamunggay in bisaya is a magic tree. All tree can be used as food or medicine. Mostly, You use the leaves, put a handfull last when cooking so vitamin C wont get destroyed. Malunggay contains, gram for gram, four times the calcium, two times the protein in milk. Likewise, it contains three times the potassium in bananas and four times the vitamin A in carrots, and seven times the vitamin C in oranges.

It is cut annually to 1-2 meters for easy harvesting. New pods and leaves come fast. You only need one tree in Your house. We have three. We use it basically in every food. It has no specific flavor, some green flavor (chlorophyll) when raw, no flavor when heated, cooked.

Originates from India, name of tamili marunggay. Now cultivated all over the archipelago. They call it poor mans vegetable but it is a top healthy veggie all times. Bunch of 3, tolo singko, in market 5 p.

Word of the day: inasal = roasted

Ding-dong

All kids and me, we like Ding-Dong; a bag of 5in1; peanuts, peas, corn, beans. Oh, thats 4. But this is Philippines. One bag 1 peso. Comes in a string.

Word of the day: kuripot = stingy

Tricycle is big

Tricycle is tuk-tuk in pinoy land. Used to all transport from people to baboy. You must have one. You want one? Easy, they are made everywhere. And every shop have their own design.

Ours is a light service type, welded in town, painted in Tunga, polstered in Ronda, texts in town. Took 5 weeks, when raining, cannot work 'cause workshop is out in the free. Cost 28k. Driving a trike is different. Have to learn how wide it is when taking corners. The 3rd wheel has no brakes, so breaking in the trike want to go left. Very nice experience.

Word of the day: asaka = where You go?

Believe it or not

This country officially catholic. However, like in whole East Asia, people believe in spirits, things, bats, koan. Dont talk of White Lady, they get scared. Bats, kwaknet, very bad sign. Looks like they want to see a bat, but mostly it is a butterfly or a bird. Siquijor witches famous.

In mercado You find shamans, or medicinmen/women from mountains. One guy brings a big pyton which works good as people magnet. Their elixiers and plants, herbs, oils, people have bigger trust than in any doctor. Also these medicines cure every known sickness from cancer to black skin. Well, advertising is free in this country. US multinationals also promise in their adds whatever, no need proof, tests. White skin in 10 minutes.

Word of the day: koan = whatever, gizmo

Mercado

Go early to market so selection wider. Especially fish market. Best fish You get early in the morning, or after 4 PM when piskador return. Fishermen or piskador are specialized, some work night, because squid and bulinau they catch night time. Also they follow season, now is a lot of bigger tuna and maquerell. Pic is 8 kg sailfish.

Common seahorses for sale in market.

Word of the day: malasugi = sailfish, seahorse = kabayo-kabayo, horse = kabayo

Frutti di mare

Always interesting to check the markets for new things, or things I dont know, never seen before. I always ask name and what taste and how to make. Tindera happy to tell. Many kind of seaweed for sale. Usually seaweed served with dressing of vinegar, kalamansi. Sometimes they cook the seaweed too long and it looses taste. I like it fresh and crispy. It doesnt hurt that seaweed also very healthy. One portion 10 p.

Sometimes I bring home from the sea lato or seagrapes. Very lami. They have in Mactan island lato farms and export to Japan where lato or umibudo is highly valued.

This weed also very common, called guso.

Word of the day: lato, guso, lokot = seaweed, tindera = salesperson

Public road

Highway they call this coastal road. Well, rural road better name. Or, public road 'cause this highway is also livingroom, basketball court, kids playground, cows feeding half-out the road, roosters with too long rope, dogs sleeping place etc.

When somebody die, family must mourn 2 weeks and they take half the road and set up tables where playing, eating, drinking day and night. Funeral processions walk from home to cemetary long way outside town. It is not good habit to pass this prosession, and many times impossible. So all line up after. Worst I remember was in Carcar where it is always a jam, with prosession took one extra hour. Some wiseguy said people want to join the prosession and walk the walk only 'cause when done they get snack; drink and eat. And snack is holy in this country.

Season for tampis or roseapple, a crispy snack. Sometimes green ones more sweet, not this time. Price only 20 p per kg. We just planted tampis, and get 5 pieces fruit and the plant is small.

Word of the day: patay = dead, tampis = roseapple

Traffic jungle

Traffic is a mess. Many swear they never drive motorbike here, that is after smthing happened (and they survived). Most of them yankees with Harley, that is replica from China; same as the driver: overweight, underpowered, horrible mileage. Driving a motorbike in kitchen...Lot of harleys for sale in cebuclassifieds...

Then they change to car. Well, cars IMHO more a danger 'cause always stuck in traffic, and more situations all time along the road. Motorbike You are more flexible.

Dont know what most dangerous, dogs, kids, animals, jeepneys, pot holes... They share the same, lack of sense, they never look when crossing, walking the road. Back mirrors, forget it.

Ofcourse when You hit a dog with motorbike and You are down, it is a serious case. But after seeing what damage a car can make, I am not so sure want to get a car (I will, I know). When Librando (bus) hits You, doesnt matter You have a car or a bike. You are dead, patay.

Pinoy praxis is never stop when You hit smthing, sbody. When in Rome...

Word of the day: patay = dead, baka = cow

Happy every year

New year started with rain. Locals say keep Your money tight if january 1st is rainy.

Health center is standard pinoy style, built so bad it rains in. Here they dont fix it, they put a bucket or five to save the situation, and hope the rain stop soon.

Take it with humour, and think of Your health. Doctor wanted after lunch to play majiang for two hours, so all and their grandmother just wait. Phils national sport is - waiting.

Word of the day: hulat = wait