Close encounters of the Durian kind

I've had a few helpings of durian in the past. But it was not the actual fruit. It came as candies and sweets as pasalubong. True to its smelly reputation, even the candied variety has the unique ability to make my officemates' noses twitch. Inspite of that, I did like the candies.

I did not think much about having durian in Davao. In fact, I was even 50% looking forward to it in the first few days. But the build-up of this treat, like it was an event all by itself, made me feel cautious as the dinner to Em's place neared.

So I was glad to have a durian product first before the actual fruit. After one of our hearty dinners, went to Blugre', a local coffee shop that offered Durian coffee. Hmmm... intriguing. Everybody except the locals in our group ordered this concoction. Cheers!
It smelled and tasted ok. It actually tasted more like coffee with a hint of durian candy. I was enjoying my cup when I felt a pulpy consistency when the cup when I was four-fifths done. Intrigued, I slurped the remaining pulps, munched, and swallowed.

I was perspiring soon enough. It was very uncomfortable. I don't know if it was the remaining coffee that had a concentration of sugar and cream that hit me (I perspire profusely when I eat candies and sweets), or the power of the durian itself. At any rate, the group had a field day about my sweating session. Aaaargh.
When we visited Princess Em's house for dinner, I was delighted not to see any trace of durian on the table. Just watermelons and mangoes. But when everybody was already contentedly finishing up the remaining seafood tidbits on their plate, some yellow, roundish things were served on the table.

Everybody stared at me, with smiles on their faces.

One of our companions (a local) took some and took huge bites. "This bright yellow variety is the best one!" he declared. It would be foolhardy to refuse because it might offend the host, so I took one. So did our other companions, who haven't had durian before too.

It's best served refrigerated, so I took a moderate-sized lump, ready for this challenge. After the others took a bite off their smaller portions, I had mine. It had the consistency of soft ice cream. But the taste ... I cannot quite place it. It's difficult to describe. But I knew then and there that it will take a while for me to finish off my piece. It was not that wierd actually, but I can tell you it's no orange or pineapple or watermelon either.

After some time, I finally laid down the seed on my plate. When asked if I wanted another, I respectfully declined. Incidentally, I did not sweat profusely as with the coffee version, though I read in wikipedia that durian does cause sweating.

It was a unique experience for me. I'm not picky with my fruits. I even chomp down on an occasional chesa, the yellowish fruit that I'm not really fond of. But the durian is quite something. It must be an acquired taste.

I think I will settle for the candies for now. But if the occasion calls for it, I will take the challenge and eat a lump. Hope it will come fresh from Davao, though :-).

In search of Pag-asa and Waling-waling

Mindanao is blessed with abundant natural resources. The sad part is, these are being threatened to extinction by deforestation. The Philippine Eagle (or monkey-eating eagle), once proudly flying across the blue skies where it is king, is now kept in cages for breeding and preservation (though a number are being introduced into the wild). The waling-waling is also on the verge of extinction. This unique orchid was once found only in Mindanao, but are now being cultivated in other countries as well. Ironically, it is a threatened species in the Philippines due to its sensitive nature and the desctruction of its habitat.

The trip to the Eagle Sanctuary was a memorable one. I originally thought that there were only a handful of the eagles left. I was surprised that there more more. Over fifteen eagles, I think. Wait, that is indeed a handful. I do hope more are on the way.
The eagles were magnificent. Even from afar they are a sigh to behold. They would mostly perch silently on trunks and trees inside their cages, but when they would fly off to perch on another branch, we would stare in awe. Such huge wingspans! Here's a photo of Pag-asa's cage. I believe the original Pag-asa has long since died; he is a second-generation eagle with the same name. Can you spot where he is?

Hmmm... the eagle wouldn't look at us so let's not look at him to. Let's see who will budge first...
We also visited a butterfly garden at Malagos (which, sadly, is also in various states of disrepair; it must have been a wonderful place to visit when it was well-kept). The place ws huge, and plants were tagged with their names. An educational stroll overall.

Debbie wanted to kiss the frog. But that's no frog!

This fern is an endangered species, though we did also see some at the Waterfront Hotel where we had our conference.Butterflies fluttered in close proximity. It was mesmerizing, the way they glided about.

And there were also fowls of various shapes and sizes at the Paradise Island. Ostriches remind me of the good old movie Swiss Family Robinson.
Too bad I forgot to bring Visine.

I was not able to see a waling-waling up close and personal, so I settled for other breeds instead. Read the myth of the waling-waling in Filipino here.

It was wonderful doing the nature trips in Davao. There's another spot we weren't able to visit because it's too far away. It's called Eden.

I can only imagine how the eagles flew beyond the horizon from days of yore, and how the waling-waling thrived in the forests, and captured the imagination and awe of many a people.

Happy weekend everyone!

Davao food!

And now we come to a subject matter that's close to my heart. FOOD! Lots of them!

Davao is heaven for food lovers, especially seafood! And it's inexpensive too! Lapu-lapu and crabs are common table fare here. In Manila, it will cost you an arm and a leg to dine with these delicacies.

Just how affordable is the food in Davao? Here is proof of this amazingly delicious surprise: P50.00 buffet breakfast! P99.00 per head for catering!
They didn't scrimp on the breakfast food choice either. There's plain and fried rice, pancit, scrambled eggs, chicken adobo, mushroons, spanish sardines, and tapa.

Indeed, after work we needed to unwind and we had one of our breakfasts along the shores of Paradise Island. After all, how often can you dine by the beach, and take your time just enjoying the scenery and being away from the hustle and bustle of urban life?

Here we are before...
And after.
But wait, let's have desert!


In most of our meals, we had this dish called kinilaw. It's basically diced raw tuna mixed with vinegar and pepper. Delicious. Em is quite fond of it (including that ice cream delight in above photo). But with fish so fresh, who can resist?

Here is a photo of the meal we had in Ahfat (a Chinese restaurant) along Victoria Plaza Mall. Look at those crabs! The soups were delicious too. There's sweet and sour fish too. We were eating near the display window where their chefs cook up mouth-watering delights. Occasionally a waiter would be rushing off to the small window and hand over a bowl with something struggling to get out. Yes, the fish is very fresh in these parts.

Then there's the coconut juice, served with the entire husk. Sip the sweet water, then grab a spoon and scrape off the translucent, soft coconut meat inside.


Here, we have a photo of our dinner at Princess Em's house. Look at that! Crabs, grilled tuna, squid, shrimps. It's seafood smorgasboard! It was quite a silent dinner, I tell you, each concentrating on their food.

I had the most wonderful serving of shrimps at the Harana Restaurant. It's called hilabos na hipon. I was already halfway done when I took this photo. The meat was sweet, and it had a buttery, salty flavor to it. I couldn't resist eating the whole bunch and didn't share it with my tablemates. I don't think they minded anyways, as they were quite busy with their meals as well.

They have these small peppers that belie its spicy strength. As I sat amused and started to crunch these to mix with calamansi and soy sauce for my shrimps, Em wondered if I wanted indeed to have two of those. Why not? They were too small actually, I replied. Em warned me that they were quite hot.

A couple of dips later, I was grabbing for my drink. It was hot indeed. But it complemented the shrimps at the same time. I loved it.

And so I end this post with this photo of my plate at Em's house:
Look at those claws!