The Wandering Leon

After a fun filled afternoon of sightseeing, eating Ivatan delicacies and perfecting their jump shots in Basco, Batanes, the lucky bunch of bloggers who were on winter tour of the province, decided to relax and hang out at Shanedel's Inn and Cafe.

Thrifty adjective ( thriftier , thriftiest ) 1. using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully:   he had been brought up to be thrifty and careful Oxford Dictionary  My friends, classmates and almost everyone who knows me, know that I am very thrifty dude and a certified cheapskate. So in everything that I buy I make sure to get the most out of my money, specially when it comes to my buying my lunch.

March 6, 2011 After a whole day of listening to lectures and presentations of other countries who participated in the seminar (I was one of three sent by our office to represent the Philippines) we decided to go out and see downtown Kuala Lumpur and see something else apart from the view of the Petronas Towers from my room. We first went to the nearby Pavillion Mall which is like our Greenbelt, only with more high end shops, brand name conscious shoppers would have a field day in this mall. The cheapskate that we are, or should I say, that I am, we were just contented looking at the things we cannot buy. My colleagues and our friend Deepika from New Delhi Issey Miyake Tree? The Fountain with Hibiscus design (in front of Pavillion Mall) Sticky: Traditional hand made candy Street sign: Jalan is Malay for road (Interesting, in Waray, road is called Dalan) It was a good thing that my grade school classmate Lalin works in KL so we decide to meet her so that she can...

If there is one vegetable that I would not get sick of eating it would be Paco, an edible fern (Scientific name: Diplazium esculentum) that grows in most of Southeast Asia. It is not really a popular vegetable and I seldom see it being sold in the public market so when I do get a chance to see it, I make sure that I buy a bunch or two. Most restaurants use this fern to make a salad but I (or should I say my Mama) still prefer to cook paco in coconut milk. I am from Eastern Samar and Warays like me love to cook veggies in coconut milk and paco definitely goes well with it. My mother was lucky to buy paco from an ambulant vendor in Muntinlupa public market last weekend, good thing there was some left as one guy almost bought everything that the vendor was selling (hoarder alert!). At Php4.00 per bunch, it was definitely a good buy. Just like other leafy vegetables, you just need to    take the tender sprouts and remove the mature leaves and stalk before cooking. Sa...

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. -- Mark Twain (RIP Lolo Marcelo, He was 105 years old) On our tour of Chavayan in Sabtang Island, Batanes we had a pit stop in the house of Lolo Marcelo Hostallero, who at 104 years old is still a strong, able bodied man. He is quite a local celebrity as everyone who goes on a tour has to stop by Lolo Marcelo's abode and do a meet and greet with the jolly centenarian. I don't know if I will reach Lolo Marcelo's age or even half of it but I do hope that I will be like him when I am old and gray. I don't want to be like those old folks who suffer dementia and do not remember the people around them. When we had a refreshing drink of buko (coconut) juice courtesy of Lolo Marcelo's daughter, Nanay Tiding, there was a joke that the buko juice was the secret to his long life. Gay Backpacker (that's her beside Lolo Marcelo) and I quipped that we were just aiming to reach at l...

When we think of traveling, what immediately comes to mind are exotic locales, white sand beaches, the off the beaten path etc. Basically we think of places that are far from the place where we live. But just in case you are thinking of going out this weekend and you do not want to go to the mall, the best place to go to is the Rizal Park. Why Rizal Park? I know it is such a cliche place to go to, citing the fact that it is on every tourist's list of must-see destination in Manila and that it has been there since time immemorial but the refurbished park is worth a visit or two dear readers. I work in Intramuros and pass by the park on my way to work everyday but I still stop by when I can. Situated in the heart of the city of Manila, it is at the northern end of Roxas Boulevard, overlooking Manila Bay. According to Wikipedia, while the social and business activities during the Spanish rule were confined in nearby Intramuros, a small area south of the walls was cleared to pre...

As I mentioned in the previous post, our flight which was supposed to be at six in the morning was rescheduled at 10 am. We arrived in the capital town of Basco, 30 minutes before noon and with the overcast skies and chilly weather we knew that we were really in the country's northernmost province. Batanes was no longer on my mind, let the fun begin! First Stop: Hiro's Cafe Since we arrived close to lunch time, stopping at Hiro's Cafe for our much needed nourishment was very much welcomed by our group of five. The Gay Back Packer and Silent Mike were still in Manila and would just join the group on the second day. Hiros' Cafe is owned and managed by the very friendly and oozing with boundless energy, Ms. Lydia Roberto. A very busy lady, she took the time to welcome all the guests who were also staying at the Batanes Seaside Lodge. Steamed Dibang (Flying fish) and Beef and Camote Fries Hapa, the Ivatan style laing (taro stem and leaves cooked in coconut mil...