Ironwulf En Route
Serangoon Road in LIttle India
After my walk in China Town, I took an MRT to Singapore’s Little India. Immediately after stepping out of the MRT station up in the streets, I was greeted by a faint scent of incense and unknown spices in the air. I walked towards the Serangoon Road, the main road which intersects the community, is also one of Singapore’s oldest roads.
Portuguese food at Portugalia, D’mall, Boracay
It’s always a treat to the palate to taste something new and delicious, especially dishes from other countries. Chef Antonio of Portugalia Reastaurant, managed to satisfy our taste buds with authentic Portuguese Food.
The best tasting squid dish I’ve tasted in the island of Boracay can be found in Escondido Resort, Station 1.
Taho (Geerlig’s cheese in english, Filipino’s popoular street side nutritional beverage
Tahoooo! Tahoo kayo dyan! Hehehe.
This Soy packed protein-powered drink has been somewhat a regular beverage for me in the morning. Yeah it’s cheap and delicious as well. Sometimes to add variety, I add some flavored powder like strawberry. You should try it. It taste great!
A walk into Sagada’s Pine Forest
Three nights have passed and just when it has begun, we realize we are about to leave. You’ll never get dull in this place as there are more to do and discover. I could have stayed longer but work beckons. I would gladly like to walk more on the pine forest and feel the cool fresh breeze. Or just lie down on the grass by the church and read a good book. Watch the glorious sunrise on a cool windy morning at Kiltepan or the scenic sunset while having a picnic at Lake Danom (Lake Bana-ao to those who live in Besao). Or further more discover more hidden secrets Sagada holds. We were conversing with some elders at a store and found that beneath Sagada there are more cave systems waiting to be explored.
Breathtaking view of Kiltepan
I will miss those cheap but full dishes (Chicken, vegetables and a large serving of Red Rice) at Sudimay, the vegetable rice at Shamrock Cafe, the Chicken barbecue with matching acoustic music at the new Bamboo Grill and those tasty Yogurt meals at Yogurt house. I regret having not bought a bottle of those Blueberry Rice Wine I was able to taste. Or to zip on the aroma of a mountain tea.
Sagada’s Dap-ay. They have these “Palay” altar in the middle. It was a sign for the farmers to stop the harvest for a given time and they are not allowed in the ricefields since the “Anito’s” are the ones doing the harvest at that time.
People of Sagada still practices their old traditions and rituals. A walk through their native village of Demang, you’ll sure to pass by a number of Dap-Ay’s. Dap-ay, also called Ato by different tribes is a low-roofed, windowless structure with a small door. In front is a circular structure where improvised stone stools surround the edges and a hearth at the center where they burn fire. This is a sacred place for them as this is where the council of elders makes major decisions regarding socio-political issues, religious rites, settle disputes and where young boys are passed the lessons about disciplines, customs, traditions and taboos.
Speaking of Taboo, women aren’t allowed to go inside the Dap-ay for some reasons. I wasn’t also allowed to take a photo of this ongoing Dap-ay for harvest. They were asking for “Wine” for every shot taken (Ok That was a bit suspicious). which eventually I didn’t give them as I don’t have any at that time.
Preparing a Pinikpikan chicken. Blowtorching the chicken after it has been beaten up to death. Had to cover up her face since they really didn’t want their pictures taken doing this. Have to go really far and use my cams maximum zoom to take this shot.
Another interesting thing in Sagada are their food. A tasty meal I heard is the Pinikpikan Chicken, which have a unique way of preparing. It’s actually a ceremonial dish where they patted (more of like beat) the chicken until the blood clots and die. Then they burn (torch) off the feathers after. Animal rights may scream “Torture” on this preparation, but we must understand that this is an old ritual. Originally, before the chicken is broiled or cooked, they slice it open and the blood would reveal a “Reading” which every villagers share.
Bak Kuh Teh. I was so hungry that it took half of my meal before I could take a picture. hehehe
It’s one thing to experience adventures of a particular locale, but like icing to a cake, tasting native food is another adventure of the palate kind.
So how does your Bak Kuh Teh taste like? Honestly, it’s a wierd sounding name, but it’s one of those authentic Malaysian foods you may come across on many of their food or restaurants here. It’s highly customizable to your taste buds, you can choose a combination of spices, with either beef, chicken, or lamb on a bowl of herbal soup and there you go. Instant Bak Kuh Teh. Later I learned (from googling of course) that Bak Kuh Teh is really Chinese in origin. Its recipe was brought here and became really popular due to it’s therapeutic qualities as well.
Satay! The dark one’s the lamb and the light one is the chicken. I prefer the lamb!
And what better to add on its side is Satay. It’s actually a barbecue but with a choice of either a lamb, chicken or pork. And add to it is the kinda sweet and spicy Satay Sauce! It’s delicious and cheap.
