Reuniting With Family and Enjoying Great Food and Adventure in the Province of the Golden Friendship

Cagayan De Oro - the first of our five stops in our Philippines trip - is nicknamed the Province of the Golden Friendship. It was my first time back in 21 years and I had limited memories - mainly bits and pieces - of my few visits to Cagayan as a kid.

I really enjoyed our three-day stay here, because it was a wonderful mix of fun adventure, delicious food, and most importantly, catching up with family - many of whom I had not seen in 21 years and even those who I met for the first time.

We were picked up at the airport by my uncles and were whisked off to enjoy a delicious Filipino lunch, where I was reunited with my cousin Isis, who had just visited Canada a few weeks back. I also met my cousin Apao for the first time.

We stayed at my fourth uncle's house, a place I often visited as a kid. We stayed in our late grandma's room. I enjoyed looking at old photo albums, especially of when Ma was younger.

On our first night, we celebrated Andrew's 30th birthday (above). My uncle took us out for another delicious night of Filipino fare and then we enjoyed yummy desserts baked by Isis. As an aside, oh my God, we ate so much in Cagayan. Every meal has rice. Not that I'm complaining, as the food was delicious.



Another highlight of our trip - aside from our many adventures, which I'll post about next - was visiting the cemetary where my maternal grandparents were buried. I vividly remember the last time I was there, in 1987, during my grandma's death. I remembered exactly where I stood and facing Ma, with Sa placing her hands around her shoulder, as she cried. We also got to see my great-grandfather's grave, just a few feet downhill from my grandparents.

On our last night, the entire family came over and my third aunt, who I saw again for the first time in 21 years, made a delicious dinner for us, including diniguan and pansit. My uncles also bought a lechon (roast pig). Cagayan's lechon is well known for its taste; the pig was stuffed with lemongrass. The crispy skin and tender meat were as delicious as I remembered.

Province of golden friendship? I can definitely see how Cagayan has earned that reputation. Every moment Andrew and I were here, we were treated to such amazing hospitality. As we left Cagayan this morning, I told my uncles and cousins how much fun I had and that it definitely won't be another 21 years before I visit again.

The Food Thread - Part 1: Rediscovering local snacks

I love food and the second I arrived in the Philippines, I knew I was going to gain at least 10 pounds by the time our three week vacation was over. We've been doing a lot of eating - and every meal has rice! But I ain't complaining. I love rediscovering the local cuisine and the local fast food - including Jollibee.

I'll talk more about the local cuisine and fast food later. But for now, I'm going to indulge in some of the local snack foods I've been having fun rediscovering - some of which include:

Banana Q (above) - Street vendors in Cagayan De Oro sell this deep fried banana on a skewer on the streets. It is delicious - and uses a special small but tough banana (Asian banana, haha).



Quezo Ice Cream - I love weird and unusual flavours - be it chips or ice cream. And this Selecta Brand cheese (quezo) ice cream - with real cheddar cheese chunks - was delicious. We only have the Magnolia Brand Filipino ice cream in Canada, which doesn't have quezo.



Polvoron - This Spanish shortbread snack has always been my fave as a kid and I only get to have it when relatives visit from the Philippines. Simple but delicious. The best Polvoron is still from the Goldilocks brand. I'm bringing home an empty suitcase of this stuff.



Chicharon - Pork rinds. Always loved pork rinds as a kid (one of my uncles even had his own pork rind business). No one makes them like the Filipinos do.



White Rabbit - Pa loved this butter toffee snack. The ones we had as a kid were these melt-in-your-mouth white gooey stuff. The one now is different, but still good.



Clover Chips - Sa used to love these chips and so did I. Simple but tasty corn chips.

And of course, there's lots more to indulge in, which I look forward to enjoying and sharing in the coming two weeks.

Reuniting with Brother over Filipino food at Abè's.

Green mango slices dipped in bagoong (shrimp paste). Kare kare (pictured above - beef slowly cooked until tender in peanut butter). Lechon kawale. These are just some of the much-beloved and missed Filipino dishes I had for my first lunch in Manila.

You really don't know what you have until you don't have it anymore. That is so true when it comes to Filipino food; so many delicious dishes that I haven't had in ages - especially the green mango with bagoong.

On our way to Boracay from Hong Kong - on Friday - we had a 5-hour stopover in Manila. We met up for lunch with my cousin Ryan and my brother. Having not seen my brother since 2004, it was nice to catch up - especially given the recent events in our lives.

We ate at Abè - a fancy Filipino restaurant (think Spring Rolls style). By the way, that is how you pronounce my name the correct way Filipino way - with the accent. Ab. just Americanizes it. So if you want to refer to me in the way my family does, call me Abè next time.

Lechon kawale

Green mango with bagoong (shrimp paste)

Diced kang kong (left) and ox tongue pie dish (right)

Giant Buddha and Gellato on Lantau Island

The cable car ride to Ngong Ping on Lantau Island - on Wednesday morning - gave us our second consecutive day of an awesome aerial view of Hong Kong and its mountains and skyscrapers. As the 15-minute ride neared its end, the Giant Buddha - which sat on Lantau Peak, the second tallest peak in Hong Kong - emerged.

Whether from far away on the cable car or up close after climbing a series of 200 or so steps to reach a circular ledge atop the peak, the Giant Buddha is very striking.

Completed in 1993, the Giant Buddha is the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha and symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. It is a major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong (thanks, Wikipedia).

A woman made the climb to the top by stopping every few steps to bow down to Buddha.

On the perimeter's ledge are other stone statues that are equally striking. In an indoor area below the Buddha, the walls are lined with small memorial tablets - purchased by families in honour of deceased loved ones. Among them is a tablet for late Hong Kong actress/singer Anita Mui - who is considered the Asian equivalent to Madonna. Her tablet area is particularly decorated with flowers and news clippings. Many visitors stopped to observe.

We were blessed with another great day but the morning was also quite hot and sticky. As I put my first scoop of green tea and chocolate gellato - purchased on the mountain top gellato store - in my mouth, it was so nice cold and refreshing. Just what Buddha prescribed.

Skyscrapers and sushi at the Sky Terrace

You haven't really seen Hong Kong until you've seen it from the Sky Terrace on Victoria Peak - which humbles the city's tall skyscrapers.

On Tuessday morning, we travel to the peak by first taking the ferry from Kowloon to the Central area of Hong Kong Island. It was a fun ride - and again, we were blessed with amazing weather. Then you take a bus to the Peak Tram Station and take a tram to the top. This was also fun.

One of the things that really struck out at me was just how tall the buildings here are; bigger than back in Toronto for sure. While there are many generically designed buildings, like in Toronto, there are also many buildings with cool architecture.

And seeing it all from the peak is just the best way to experience Hong Kong's state of development. I only wished we could've come up at night.

We end our visit with lunch at the Sky Terrace's sushi restaurant. It was a bit pricy - but the view made it worth it. And how was the sushi? Put it this way: you pay for the view.

Flying Business Class to Hong Kong

After we presented our boarding pass, the Cathay Pacific staff member pulled us to the side. I thought, "Oh crap, what now?" He then informed us that we have been upgraded to business class. It was like we had won the freakin' lottery.

Having never experienced something like this before, Andrew and I were like the Beverly Hillbillies discovering electricity for the first time. We kept taking pictures of our cabin from every angle; the staff probably thought we've never seen a plane before. We were having so much fun that I told Andrew to stop or we were going to get bumped back down to economy.

Some of the perks included:

Getting served a glass of orange juice upon boarding and given a hot towel. Andrew joked: "What's this for?"

Being addressed as "Mr. Velasco" and "Mr. Thibideau." Staff are required to memorize the names on the seating chart.

A great breakfast that began with fresh fruit and pastries, then a bowl of chicken and beef congee with a sesame beef puff pastry. I joked to Andrew that we ate better on the plane than during our stay in Beijing.

Food served with real table cloth, plates, glass and cutlery.

Best of all, lots of leg room and a reclining seat with foot rest. Andrew easily passed out right after his meal.

Being the simpletons we are, we were laughing so hard at our unexpected luck that we almost teared at one point. As I was enjoying my fresh fruit, I turned to Andrew: "These grapes have seed in them. Should I complain?"

Suffice to say, the plane ride just flew by - and looking out the window as the plane dipped below the clouds, Hong Kong greeted us down below.

Fear Factor at Donghuamen Night Market

At the Donghuamen Night Market, a popular tourist attraction in the Wangfuijing District, deep fried silk worm larvae (pictured above), centipede, beetle, snake, sea horse, and star fish are just some of the local delicacies you can enjoy.

I was so gung-ho about trying this after hearing stories from my friends. But after seeing them displayed raw in person, I couldn't help but rudely make a vomitting noise in front of the cook.

I've put a lot of strange things in my mouth, but these critters belong at the bottom of my shoe, not my belly. And sheep penis? I'd rather eat my own first - at least, I know where mine's been.

For the less adventurous, there are more digestible treats - and you can easily make your way down from one stand to another and fill up on cheap but satisfying skewers - like beef, lamb and fruit. There's also bowls of noodles and dumplings to enjoy.

What does silk worm larvae taste like? I wouldn't know. But supposedly - it tastes like liver - with a hard exterior shell.