Mindanao: Super Squid and Singkil ( part 3 )

Singkil

Hola Readers,

We ended our last night in Dakak with dinner.  We ordered squid galore: tempura, calamari, and sizzling squid.  While eating, we watched a cultural show.  I was drawn to the last dance involving ornate golden attire, sequined fans, and bamboo logs.

According to my cousin, this dance is called Singkil.  It's a traditional ritual dance before marriage.  Looking at the picture, the golden girl is probably the bride and her maid of honor is the girl holding the umbrella.  Islamic aesthetics are present especially in the intricate patterns of the dress ( avoidance of imagery? ).  Something about the movements and poses reminded me of Egyptian statues: very rhythmic, stylistic, mannerism-esque, and regal ( perspective about the body different from the Renaissance point of view ).

I drank fresh buko juice and tried the watermelon shake.  Since it was my birthday ( 10/15 ), we received a complimentary cake; it was great to be sang to as well.  The strong winds blew out my candles; waves pounded the shore, rain falling, crabs out of their holes combing the beach.  "Wonderful World" played on.

The night wouldn't be over until some drinking occurred.  I knew I reached my limit when I became splotchy ( alcohol poisoning or allergy? ).  I was still able to wake up at 5:30 am the next day, and jogged along the shore.  Bubbles and foam hissed and fizzed as they sprint up for the sandy finish line; some receded back into the waves, while others popped in ecstasy.


Singkil: Elegant dancers skillfully amble across snapping bamboos.



Mindanao: Divine Dakak ( part 2 )

Hello Readers!

Have you ever wonder, what it's like to have your own island ( with all the amenities and luxury of civilization )? For half a day, I had my own island ( not only in the metaphorical sense, but an actual physical island )!

We arrived in Dakak Beach Resort ( 1 hour away from Dipolog City, Mindanao ) around 11 am.  I saw the green-blue waters, and I just wanted to jump in despite of the stark sun reaching its apex.  After checking in our room, we ate picnic food for lunch ( Baon aka BYOF [bring your own food]: cornbeef, hot dogs, rice, dried Guyabano fruit [Sour Sop in English], and potato chips ).  Then I applied sunblock.

I sauntered along the shore with my cousin and collected sea shells.  Later I walked the foot trail ( easier than the Majayjay River Trek ), where I encountered bugs, tree lizards, butterflies, and native birds.  In the end, I found a stone chapel. 

Running along the coast, I felt the warmth of the sun ( not in a burning way ), and the rolling waves would try to trip me.  It felt good running, cartwheeling, and leaping over lapping waves.  Dancing in the sun; dancing because no one is watching ( at least no visible audience anyway ).

I rested on a yellow-netted hammock,  one or two ants would tickle my skin; I looked at the horizon, wondering how people, like Magellan and Christopher Columbus would ever think the earth's flat, how the sea will fall off the earth's edge.  If it weren't for the next island, the illusion would be complete.  Off season traveling rocks!

Mindanao: Guts for Chicken Gut ( part 1 )

Que Pasa Readers,

Right now, I'm in Mindanao, the southernmost group of islands in the PI archipelago, and also infamously known for its terrorists ( Muslim extremists ).  But readers, we always have to be careful about broad generalization.  I'm blogging this, so presently, I'm still free from danger and in such a gutsy place, nothing is more captivating and so Beyonce's Sasha Fierce THAN chicken gut/intestines ( Bituka nang Manok ).

If time slowed down in Manila ( maybe because of traffic and heat intensified by smog ), pacing in the coastal town of Dipolog City is even more chill.  I've yet to try Dipolog City's famous sardines, but I've seen their famous orchids ( at wow ang ganda, c'est hermosa ).

We rode mopeds to the Boulevard ( like Manila's Baywalk ) to get dinner passing by couples sitting in benches listening to the crash of waves and watching the moon's golden smile glimmer and trail on the coast.

Our hungry stomachs convinced us to sample several dishes/ulam, and of course rice.  While Europeans have their wines, it seems that Pinoys have their Coca Cola.  Among the 7 ulams, we had seaweed salad ( fresh off the coast ), and chicken neck ( spicy with broken bones included - I tried it of course but I still spit out the bones; I've been told that others eat it all ).  A band played in the background, singing songs from Journey, Beyonce, Jason Mraz, and more.

For a post dinner appetizer; we ordered chicken gut/intestines ( Bituka nang Manok ).  My dad used to buy chicken gut/intestines during rainy short trips para hindi magutom sa daan ( in order not to get hungry on the way because of traffic ).  And guess what, chicken gut tastes like chicken with a bit of  fillings inside.  I was so full I didn't have the stomach, the gut to try Chicharon Bulaklak ( which I mistranslated as fried flowers, BUT in reality, it's pork intestines that look like blooming flowers ).  The others played puzzle games with sticks ( a favorite game to play while drinking )...

Chicken Gut grilled as a band played songs from Beyonce and Journey.

Laguna: a yoga scenario ( part 5 )

Hey Readers,

After trekking the mountain side, we reached what our leader considered the end.  Beyond this point, the source of the waterfalls is diminished into a trickle.  Before our lunch and our hot chocolate mixed with instant coffee, I had fun doing yoga poses for the camera.

Scene:

She stood there waiting for me.  "Hold on, I have to find my balance." I was on top of the rock, almost flat, but still had its slippery spot.  My knees shook as I looked for my balance doing one pose at a time.

When the pictures were taken, I went down to preview the pics.  I explained how difficult it was to find balance.  Mistranslation could be funny.  One responded with a giggle: "Ang hirap naman ng buhay mo kung kaylangan mo pa hanapin ang balance ( your life is so difficult that you have to find balance/ your life is so difficult that you can't stand on your feet because you constantly have to find balance )!"

We laughed.  Finding balance became the on-going joke on the way back...

I like doing the middle pose a lot.  The side plank to the far right is the easiest.