Christopher Bennetts

There are many things we take for granted back home and one would be getting something simple like a cup of tea.

While the situation has improved significantly over the past 20 years since I first started travelling to the Philippines getting a cup of tea can still be a challenge. Filipinos are coffee drinkers and hot tea is not very popular.

I suppose I am a bit of tea addict.   I hear many say they cannot even start their day without a cup of coffee but for me it’s a cup of tea.  At home I make myself a pot of tea each morning and add my quarter teaspoon of sugar with fresh milk (real fresh milk as opposed to the mislabelled UHT which I do not like).

The difficulty in getting a cup of tea was brought back to me when I recently visited Cebu.  I had breakfast at what one would describe as an up-market restaurant.  I ordered the Full English breakfast which included coffee and asked if that could be substituted for Tea.  They said yes.  I was then asked to select only two items from the Full English breakfast description which made it really only a half English breakfast.  I switched to Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce.   

When the Tea arrived I could tell from the color and smell that it was not right.   My suspicions were confirmed.  They had served Korean Green Tea and that is all they had.   I pulled a Lipton Yellow Label Tea bag from a small packet in my pocket as when I am  travelling I am always prepared for such eventualities.

In another restaurant I ordered Tea only to be supplied with ICE tea which is actually very popular in the Philippines.  You really need to stipulate “hot tea” or there is a good chance you will get served ICE tea.

On another morning I visited McDonalds for breakfast and found no difficulty in requesting they substitute the included coffee for hot water so that I could use my own tea bag.  I have also found JollyBee to be just as accommodating.  

I did not have the same luck on a recent overnight ferry trip to Mindanau.  I had my trusty teabag with me only to discover that yes they served coffee but used the 3 in 1 type where the “creamer” or milk powder and sugar are included in the premix.   They did not have those items available separately.

So to be fully prepared you need to bring small packets of Coffe Mate or Creamer and Sugar as well as teabags.

At the SM shopping mall there is a popular chain of Bake Shops with attached restaurants called The French Baker.   In the Cebu SM French Baker I also was not able to get a simple cup of tea despite them having a Box of exotic teas on display. They must have about a dozen varieties of Tea but all are herbal.  They do not have a simple black tea.   

In the provinces most of the better Hotels also do not have Tea available.   In one city I recently visited the best hotel that served the finest international cuisine could not give me a cup of tea at breakfast.  This hotel prided itself on being International and catering to foreigners.   So a quick trip back up to the room to fetch the tea bag I had assumed I would not need in that establishment. 

In the same city I also had trouble finding a place to buy teabags.  The local supermarket simply did not have them.  They only had something else I am loath to try called Milk Tea which I suspect is the tea equivalent of the 3 in 1 coffee premix. Eventually I was able tofind tea bags in a pharmacy.

While getting a cup of Tea can be a challenge in the Philippines if you bring your own tea bags, creamer and sugar you should not have too much trouble getting hot water.

Getting a pedicure in the Philippines is inexpensive compared to most western countries.  The cost is typically between $1 to $2 and back home I have seen parlors wanting to charge up to $100.   There are many very good pedicurists in the Philippines but there are also some that are not.

Many of the attendants working in these places only receive on the job training and some have a tendency to try to cut too deeply into the nail resulting in ongoing problems with ingrown nails.   I suffered from this problem for a couple of years after a visit to such an overzealous pedicurist.

My advice is if you do NOT have a problem with an ingrown nail then make sure you do not let the attendant cut in too deeply.  Find one that understands or will follow your instructions and do not be shy to insist.  Watch what they do and don’t assume they have fully understood your request even if they clearly said they do.  If the parlor caters for Koreans then there is a good chance they will know as Koreans generally demand that pedicurists do not cut into the nail.

If you do get an infection as a result of a pedicure then the first line of defense is to apply an anti-biotic powder.   I was able to buy this solution over the counter in the past but it seems to have been withdrawn from the market.

What the local parlor attendants do if during a pedicure they happen to cut inside the nail causing it to bleed is use a general antibiotic from a capsule.  They simply open the capsule and then push the powder into the problem area. This normally prevents infection.   Of course an attendant that causes your nail to bleed is one to be avoided in the future.   If the nail starts to get infected later then you can do the same thing purchasing a generic antibiotic from a pharmacy and compact the power into the inflamed nail.

If the infection has progressed to the stage where it is an infested weeping wound then you need to treat that with a Betadine and hydrogen peroxide mix.   This will bring it under control very fast but you have to be careful applying this combination.  A drop or two of the Betadine solution into the woud then a drop or two of the hydrogen peroxide.  The two substances will react together causing a slight bubbling or foaming.  Be careful to try to contain the application to the infection as all uninfected areas exposed to the solution will also dry out and die.  When the infection has cleared you will be left with a lot of dead skin and it’s time to go back for a pedicure but this time find someone that will be extremely careful and be prepared to have “fixed” over a few weekly visits.

While living on Mactan Island I would go to a beauty parlor at the local shopping close to the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ 2) for a haircut, pedicure and manicure.   In Filipino they were my “SUKI” meaning I was their regular or loyal customer.

This is a picture I took during one of my visits

In general Filipino’s do not like to take life too seriously and look for any opportunity to introduce enjoyment into what is otherwise a mundane task like getting a pedicure.   You can see the lady in the background holding a microphone in her free hand singing karaoke while her other hand is being worked on.

In the foreground a gentleman is receiving a short in-the-chair massage after a haircut. This was a standard inclusion in the cost of the haircut which is approximately $1 but generally a tip around twenty pesos is given.

After feasting on fresh fish cooked over a native charcoal fire washed down with fresh coconut juice (buko) and taking a stroll along the beach we visited the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary which referred to as the Olango Bird Sanctuary by locals.

The first thing we encountered was a sign with the cost of entry from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the apparent discrimination between foreigner and local.

Being from a western country where such a distinction would not only be illegal but also considered by many to be morally wrong I can imagine how many foreigners would be offended by this on a matter of principle.  The money is not the issue here.

A better approach would be to have a price for local Residents and a price for non-residents.   This is actually accepted even in western countries based on the idea that local residents are already contributing to the upkeep of the reserve via local taxes and should be entitled to a subsidy.

I implore the Filipino authorities in charge of setting such entrance fees to adopt a similar approach to help improve the image of the Philippines as a Tourist friendly non-discriminatory destination.   They don’t even need to be too diligent in enforcing the local resident rule with Filipinos but it does remove something I know many foreign visitors would find offensive.

As I mentioned it is referred to by locals as the bird sanctuary because the main attractions are the many species of migratory birds than flock there at various times during the year.  You drive into the main administration area where park the car and then proceed on foot to the observation points where you can view the birds from a distance.

Around the walls are pictures of the birds found at the sanctuary and information about them.  We were only able to identify a few of them but apparently it was not the best time of year anyway.   I did not even bother to try taking pictures of the birds so far away as my small digital camera was totally inadequate.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources are to be commended on setting up and maintaining this sanctuary protecting these birds.

A visit to Olango Island is just 5 km east of Mactan Island and a short ferry ride away.  I took the family there a couple of years back for a day trip taking the car on the Trans-Olango Shipping Corporation which is only Ferry service.

The cost of taking the car was a bit of a rude shock considering the short distance involved.  It was comparable to taking the car on other much longer Ferry rides around the Philippines.  I suppose you get to dictate the price when you have a monopoly.

When we got to the island we did notice there were very few cars there.  I thought to myself I know why with what they charge to bring a car across.   It may however be a good thing for the island holding off the over development than many other islands have been subjected to.

Olango Island did have a peaceful untouched feel about it.  Despite the fact that most of the roads were unmade they were flat and sandy.

We were actually there visiting the island on the recommendation of one of our housemaids that came from that island and went to the place where her family lived.  Fresh fish are always one of the major attractions for me when I visit provincial islands in the Philippines.

There is nothing more delicious than fresh fish cooked over a native charcoal fire.   The charcoal is usually made from coconut shells.

My other favorite is fresh coconut juice which is called Buko.   One of the house maids relatives climbed up a tree to get some for the family.

After feasting on fresh fish and buko juice the family took a leisurely stroll along the beach before checking out the famous Olango Island Bird Sanctuary.

We did not visit any of Beach Resorts on the island so I cannot comment on them or beaches.  The beach we visited was not what you would call a resort class beach but it was still a beautiful spot.

In the Philippines very few houses have centralized hot water systems and when providing hot water for showers the small units on the wall that plug in to the mains are the most common.

I was taking a shower recently in a new apartment I recently moved into and all of a sudden there was a flash of blinding light and huge bang following by the sensation of small debris falling all over me.

I jumped out of the shower realizing that it must be related to the hot water service and fearful of electrocution. Upon surveying the damage I saw that the wire to the wall socket has exploded yet the hot water service seemed to be unscathed.

This was the same hot water service I had installed in my last place and it had function fine for twelve months.  The question is why was there a problem now and why near the wall socket.  I discovered the reason later when I quizzed the guy that had installed it for me.

In the Philippines they have certified electricians but it’s more common for people to do their own and the guy I used claimed to be proficient at wiring as well as many other handyman tasks. He had connected the unit in the last place so I thought nothing of giving him the task in the new place.

So what was the problem? On my instructions he had left the previous wiring in place which I thought and easier and cheaper solution to patching up the wall if the wire was removed.  He did not advise me that he needed new wiring instead using some discarded internet cabling.  I was using the shower for more than two weeks before it exploded.

The inadequate wire could not handle the voltage and eventually turned into one huge fuse which blew.  Seeing that there was now a one foot gap of space between the mains and hot water unit I decided it would be safe to finish the shower.

After obtaining suitable electrical wiring and a new plug I got him to test the hot water unit and it was ok protected by the fuse I suppose.  A day later I was back to having hot showers.

I had assumed that the guy had the basic electrical knowledge to know about the type of wiring needed for connecting up a device to the mains.  Assumptions can be a dangerous thing.

While living in Lapu Lapu Cebu we had two housemaids but I preferred to make dinner for my children and over time started to enjoy cooking and became adventures with trying out new ideas.  

In the beginning I would try to follow recipes but obtaining the required ingredients was often a challenge and required substitution. I soon discarded fixed recipes and found that it was better to trust my own instincts about what would work.

When I wanted to make a dish I was familiar with I would consult the internet and read a few different recipes for the dish and then devise my own making use of the ingredients I had.   Sometime the end result was nothing like the original dish but it always seemed to work in that it was tasty and quickly devoured by my children.

I had been making my own Salsa for a long time after being frustrated that it was out of stock one day when I wanted to have a Mexican night.  One night a followed my instincts creating a new dish that my children loved and it became a bit of a favorite. The dish is inspired by Mexican but is not like any Mexican dish I am aware of.   

The dish does not have a name but here is how to make it:

Make a bed of Corn chips on a large plate.

Brown some chicken cubes and then mix in a Salsa sauce (in this case my own home made Salsa)

Layer the Chicken Salsa on to the bed of Corn Chips

Deep fry some cubed potatoes until golden brown

and layer them on top of the Chicken Salsa

Next make the tropical fruit sauce for the final layer.  

You can use just about any tropical fruits you like.  I normally use Pineapple, Mango and Bannana.  

When making the fruit topping the order of cooking is important so start with the Pineapple which is the hardest of the three

and when its start to get soft add the Mango

 and a little later the Bannana and cook until they are start to fuse.

Layer the fruit sauce on the top of the fried potatoes.

The dish is now finished.  

Enjoy!  

There is a great infusion of flavors and is actually very representative of the Philippines but not of Filipino food.  

We have a base of Mexican corn chips and Salsa sauce.  Most people are aware that The Philippines was a Spanish colony but not so many are aware that it was actually administered from Mexico.

We have potato fries that are synonymous with American fast foods.

We have tropical fruits from the Philippines.