Foot and Fire

Appetizers are appetizing. I really wanted to make a pomelo salad but either I have no othet ingredients around when pomelo is in, or we all devoured it by just pairing it with salt. But I got a chance one time and I did it. Fresh tuna to go with this is my other goal.... Canned Spicy Tuna flakes, reserve oil Cucumber, cubed Pomelo, peeled and separated Salt  Pepper Mint leaves Mix first three ingredients in a bowl. Mix lightly. In a jar, place the reserved oil, salt and pepper. Shake well. Add to the mixture. Garnish with mint leaves and served chilled. 

With no much ado, I am immortalizing the pasalubongs here by photographing them (Of course, they're wiped out long before this post): From Up to Down: Pineapple from Polomolok, banana from Tampakan, Asparagus and dried fish bought from KCC Mall in Koronadal City, durian candies from Davao City, Eagle Kite we bought outside the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City, T-shirts bought at Aldevingco Mall, Bling-blings courtesy of a friend in Tampakan and Pomelo from one of the many stands in Davao City. ***

A vacation is not a vacation if there is no proof. And the proof is not the megapixel alone but PASALUBONG, a treat for those waiting at home. Part of the Filipino culture is to bring something home. To celebrate such tradition, we allotted a day to buy Davao's best: durian candies, pomelo, malong, bags, wallets, keychains and other goods in Aldevingco Mall. But before we hit the mall, we roamed around the city hall of Davao, the Sanggunian Panlungsod hall, the San Pedro Cathedral, and the Museo Ng Dabaw. We had a great time that at the last minute we decided to head to Crocodile Farm which is located outside the city proper (You should do this on a Friday and weekends as they feature Tribu Mindanao fire dance on those days) and we ended our day there with a sumptuous meal at one of the restaurants.  The City hall of Davao. *** A pose by the big painting on the making of the city.  This is in the lobby of the city hall. *** With the ch...

The efforts of the Monfort family to preserve this Bat Colony is admirable. What's in this Bat Colony? With no trace of sarcasm, it's the bat, load of them! There are many fruit bats every square foot of the cave. This is the largest colony of Fruit bats known as Geoffroy's Rousette Fruit Bats; they cover 75% of the ceilings and walls of their 245 ft (75 m)-long cave. And the effort of the Monfort family to preserve the same is admirable. The best time to go in this place is from 5pm to 6pm as it is the time when these nocturnal creature go out of their cave and hunt for fruits and they flew out of the cave in colony too. According to the guide, these bats help in the pollination/flowering of the Durian, a fruit for which Davao provinces are known for. Wikipedia notes that "the Indigo-Monfort family has maintained the area since the 1900s. Norma Monfort is the current owner of the 57 acres of land including its 1.8 million fruit bats. She enclosed the property to...

Strawberries. *** Grapes. *** Grapes, Banana, Guavas. *** Bananas, strawberries, Guavas. *** Banana *** Not a pomelo, I'm sure. *** Jackfruit crossbred with Marang. The peelings look like jackfruit but it peels like marang. The smooth texture in the mouth is marang while the smell is jackfruit. Awesome best of both world. ***  Papaya and Guavas *** Papayas. *** Must be sugarcane wrapped in some dry leaves? ***