7 Philippine cuisines – Halo-Halo, Adobo, Kare-Kare, Balut, and more

Feb 132012
 

While the Philippines certainly aren’t known for their food, below are 7 Pinoy dishes that stand out from my month in the country, and one that I absolutely would not try (it’s a duck fetus – scroll the bottom to see Bourdain eat it).

1. Halo-halo! – it’s #1 not for the taste but for the joy people get just saying the name. It might be impossible to pronounce it properly without smiling. I’m serious – I heard it spoken dozens of times in my month in the Philippines, and each time I’d see a wider smile than the last. I really wanted to like it!  Despite the welcomed enthusiasm, I found it to be disappointingly not that tasty.

Halo Halo! Filippino dessert (Visit50.com)

Halo-halo! Filipino dessert from my first day in the Philippines

What’s in halo-halo?  The name translates in english to “mix-mix” and it’s fitting. It’s always made of shaved ice, evaporated milk, and sugar, and then it appears to be whatever they have to throw in. Red beans, coconut gel, jackfruit, tapioca, corn flakes, jelly beans, yams, plantains caramelized in sugar…yeah throw it in!

You may remember Halo-halo! from Top Chef:  Read more... (544 words, 19 images, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

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Don’t go to the Philippines – you’ll die!

Dec 262011
 

When asking about visiting the Philippines, I kept receiving the same ominous warning each time.  ”Don’t go to the Philippines – you’ll die!”  Based on that advice, and considering that it’s not really near anywhere I was going,  I was planning on avoiding the entire country. But is it true? Is the entire Philippines country dangerous?  I kept hearing about the crime, that tourists actually get kidnapped (OMG!), and between that and how far it was from everywhere else I was planning to go, I initially wasn’t even considering going.

Boracay sunset, Philippines

Sunset in Boracay, Philippines, in March 2011

Spoiler Alert – I lived, and I’m glad I went! The Philippines ended up being one of my favorite countries I visited. They weren’t even on my initial Asia trip plan, but there was so much I wanted to see and do that I stay there an entire month! That’s longer than anywhere else on my trip.  I give a special thanks to Amanda (from Canada) – when I was diving in Sipadan, Borneo, she raved about her experiences there. Then I met Jesper and Louise (from Denmark), and they loved it there too, specifically Bohol.  And on and on. So are the Philippines really dangerous?  Here’s what you need to know:  Read more... (974 words, 11 images, estimated 3:54 mins reading time)

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Confronting my worst fears – 1st a shark, then Killer Bees (I’m allergic). ahhh!

Jun 302011
 

Bohol Bee Farm – I’ve always been a meticulous planner, but when you’re traveling, sometimes you just have to let go. So I did, and I stumbled upon some great experiences that I ordinarily wouldn’t have ever experienced

It was a cloudy day at Panglao Beach, so we (Helene and Calluna, both from Denmark), started exploring the island. We found the Bohol Bee Farm, which at first might sound moderately interesting, until you realize that I’m DEATHLY ALLERGIC!

Naturally we joined the tour for closer look.


Helene at the Bee Farm in Bohol, Philippines

Bohol Bees Farm in Bohol, Philippines

I'm scared just looking at these (allergic!)

The highlight for us may have been the food.  The influx of tourism is great for the selection of food in Bohol, but somehow most of these restaurants aren’t big on vegetables.  Bohol’s Panglao Beach is the one place I’ve been to that made me crave veges. Enter the Bohol Bee Farm, with their delicious Spicy Flower Salad  (below).

 

Spicy Flower Salad at the Bohol Bee farm in Bohol, Philippines

Calluna models the Spicy Flower Salad

$4 / PhP 170
Made with very thin slivers of chicken, assorted ground nuts with flower petal topped with stir fried onion. Dressing: Mixture of chilis, ginger, calamansi juice, fish sauce and honey. And be poured over before serving.  Read more... (341 words, 22 images, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

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Philippine Tarsiers – world’s cutest primate?

Jun 252011
 
Tarsier in Bohol, Philippines | Photo by Todd L. Cohen | Visit50.com

For a moment I thought I met real Gremlins!  Introducing the extremely rare Philippine Tarsier, one of the smallest primates on earth.  Tarsiers have enormous sized eyes, which are as large as their brains. Some call them the cutest “monkey” on earth. What do you think?

Tarsier in Bohol, Philippines

Other fun facts about these cute primates:  Tarsiers are very shy nocturnal animals, but I managed to get a few photos for you. Look at those eyes!

Tarsier wrapped up in a bed of leaves, in Bohol, Philippines

Tarsier wrapped up in a bed of leaves

Photos taken by Todd L. Cohen in Bohol, Philippines!

Tarsiers have little tiny hands and feet | Photo taken in Bohol, Philippines

Tarsiers have little tiny hands and feet

The Philippine Tarsier diet is nearly exclusively insects, which they catch by jumping at them (on occasion these little guys also eat birds, snakes, bats, lizards). They’re quick jumpers. Tarsiers look asleep at one moment, and then jump to another branch the next.

Tarsiers are really small | Bohol, Philippines

Tarsiers are really tiny

As you can see, the Philippine Tarsier is really tiny – they fit in my hands!  Just 4-6 inches.

Sleeping tarsiers - they're nocturnal primates | Bohol, Philippines | Photo by Todd Cohen | 50and50by50.com

The Philippine Tarsier is a nocturnal primates. Very sleepy!

They say a visit to Bohol is not complete without seeing the famous Philippine Tarsier, and I’d have to agree. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen (besides Gizmo from the Gremlins!).  Read more... (349 words, 18 images, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)

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Mighty Python!

Jun 252011
 

Snakes! Most of my photography is from my adventures in the wild, but this was a departure from that style to play with Pythons in Bohol, in the Philippines.

Python in Bohol, Philippines
Portrait with a python in Bohol, Philippines

It wasn’t the first time I was seeing wildlife in my trip – the baby orangutans, baby elephants, and baby monkeys in Borneo were adorable!  I also saw other types of animals in the wild - tarsiers, macaques, proboscis monkeys, sharks, and more!

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Jumping over the Chocolate Hills

Jun 242011
 

The Chocolate Hills were a great spot for my trademark jumping pics!  In these photos, I’m leaping right over the Chocolate Hills.

Jumping over Bohol's Chocolate Hills in the Philippines -3

We have lift-off

Jumping over Bohol's Chocolate Hills in the Philippines -5

I'm flying! - airborne over the Chocolate Hills

Wondering why they call them “Chocolate Hills” if they’re green?  In the dry season they look like perfectly formed little Hershey Kisses. Explained here, with more photos.

Chocolate Hills on the island of Bohol, Philippines

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Chocolate Hills?

Jun 242011
 

Bohol, Philippines — They call this area the Chocolate Hills, and while the name sounds like something out of Willie Wonka, it’s actually a collection of more than a thousand (1,247-1,776, depending on who’s count you go by) limestone haycock hills spread over 20 miles on the island of Bohol, Philippines. During the dry season, the green grass turns brown and looks like endless rows of Hershey Kisses, hence the name Chocolate Hills. I guess Muddy Hills just doesn’t have the same ring to it – or tourist draw.

Bohol Chocolate Hills - Philippines
The Chocolate Hills are cone-shaped or dome-shaped hills and are actually made of grass-covered limestone. The domes vary in sizes from 100-160 feet, with the largest ones going to nearly 400 feet. Trees grow on the base of the hills but the rest of them are bare, filled only with grass (which turns to dirt in the dry season).

Bohol Chocolate Hills - Philippines

The legend on how the Chocolate Hills formed is a bit more fun.  There’s a romantic story of a giant named Arogo who was extremely powerful. Arogo fell in love with Aloya, who was a simple mortal. Aloya’s death caused Arogo much pain and misery, and in his sorrow he could not stop crying. When his tears dried, the Chocolate Hills were formed. Full story of the legend can be found here.  Read more... (327 words, 14 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

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My 1st cockfight

Jun 232011
 

I went to my first cockfight, or “Sabong” as they call it (“tupada” if it’s an illegal cock fight), on the island of Bohol, in the Philippines. It’s as brutal as you might imagine – truly inhumane. Two roosters battle until death, or can’t fight anymore. These gamecocks are specifically bred their entire life for these fights. Each cock has a razor sharp blade (“gaff”) that’s 2-3″ long attached to their left leg. They’re fenced in a cockpit, and there’s a referee that seems to have exclusive authority on when to call a winner.

Cockfight - the aftermath. This is all that's left of this rooster. | Bohol, Philippines

Spoiler alert – this isn’t going to end well for one of the gamecocks. After this cockfight this is all that’s left of this rooster

People gather around the fenced cockpit cheer the cock that they’ve just bet on. And as you’ll notice from the below video clip, the betting is frantic!

Cockfight - betting and prefight sizing up | Cockfight in Bohol, Philippines

The predominantly male crowd frantically hustling to get their pre-fight bet in for the upcoming cockfight. There’s also kids in the crowd too. 

A guy standing next to us during the fight was telling us how the next fight on the card would be a good one, since both owners are known to raise birds that are tormented into significant aggression. He was visibly excited as he mentioned this. Umm…awesome (sarcasm).  Read more... (286 words, 13 images, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

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