BORACAY (2nd of 2 posts)…modus of some hotels & the “irk-ies”.

Picture

Whether you’re on a morning’s much needed fresh air intake
to replace the carbon-mono laden oxygen in our lungs
(vehicles’ emitted and/or secondary cigarettes’ smoke)

Picture

…or on an afternoon serene rest by the beach front

Picture

“killing time”
(what a “Pinoy” way of expressing ” to pass the time”)

Picture

or honing your photography skills

Picture

(Oh my. Hands of this old man are still controllably un-shaky
with this 15 meter upward handheld [up]

and this 10 meter [below] shots
with D300 70-300mm zoom)

Picture

…or stroll peacefully eagerly awaiting the “coolest” sunset ever

Picture

Picture

Picture

A minute WON’T  pass without you NOT saying “NO THANK YOU” to vendors of ALL types of wares. From sunglasses to “balut” (un-hatched boiled duck egg) to boiled corn to ice cream to rice cakes to island hopping tours to pearl necklaces to free dinner offers pirating you from your current hotel to theirs’ to  ALMOST EVERYTHING.              
WHEW!…and again… WHEW!
I see no wrong in that instance. BUT it’s ANNOYING. Authorities had managed to assemble thousands of former ambulant “masseurs”, in strategic locations, to be in tent-sheds with open-view massage beds where they wait for clientele to engage their services. This is PERFECT!
Why can’t they do that to these pestering “ants’-like vendors” plying every nook of the island. My own counting, during my wife’s & my short visit, revealed: there were 80% Koreans, 12% Americans & Caucasians, 3% Japanese & 5% Filipinos.
And the ratio is, 1 vendor : 10 tourists.
You could imagine that with your every 2-steps by the beach-one is to offer you “something”-where you will keep on saying NO THANK YOU as well.
Suggestion: stack them out in strategic sites like the “masseurs”.
SMOKERS: they don’t follow signs. All of them smokers. FYI, there are notices pasted everywhere & reminders even before your plane starts initial descent THAT SMOKING & EATING ARE PROHIBITED IN BEACH AREA.
                      WHEW, WHEW & WHEW. This broke my ecstasy for a nice vacation the most.

Picture

Check that guy selling sunglasses.
He will pass by you 2-3 times in an hour.
How many of them kind will make you say “no thank you” in a minute.
Also, see if you can identify the vendors in this shot below.
More irritating are the convergence of “istambays”
(people who have nothing to do but assemble in a corner & do nothing, still)
then make FUN of anybody (tourists or locals)
for anything or something that they deem to make fun off.
Laughing loud, screaming jokes towards any “shortcoming” or “anything” of the passer(s) by
they feel happy doing so.

Picture

OOPPPssss…was at 2nd floor of this joint…”REAL COFFEE”
upon suggestions of my kids for us to try their vaunted coffee concoction,
“calamansi muffin” and “Marc’s Sandwich”- plain heated loaf bread
wedged with tuna topped with abundant melted cheese and LTO
(lettuce, tomatoes & onion which I asked to be on separate plate for me to really dissect what’s in the filling).
And I had this:

Picture

Hat’s off, I salute their “real coffee” recipe: a jigger of espresso added to freshly dripped one.
Plain. Simple. No added bottled flavor concentrates.
THE BEST COFFEE I’ve ever had
after testing over a hundred preps including those known worldwide & national brands.
Highly recommended.
But the sandwich is nothing new as canned tuna was just abundantly mixed with
CHEVITAL or KRAFT or MAGNOLIA quick melt cheese. Stuff unto loaf halves-toast and that’s it.
Had to sprinkle a lot of salt though.
“Calamansi muffin” is like a regular “kababayan” (a kind of local muffin)
which dough is poured with an “extract” or juice of “calamansi” (our local lemon).
Methinks it’s more of little juice extended by bottled flavor.
And I loved my fresh LTO.

Paging the Department of Trade & Industry: most bit high-end resorts and hotels in Boracay DO NOT EXTEND senior’s discount. Discovered this when still booking for our trip. One staff (over the phone) even irritably said: “if you will ask for senior’s discount, we will NOT extend to you the free breakfast. (FYI, under the law, citizens 60 & above are extended 20% discounts on medicines, single served meal, hotels, 20-30% or at times FREE at cinemas etc. & 5% for some basic needs’ groceries)

Which is why I ended up cancelling 3 bookings and took our billeted one which extended such discount, with free breakfast and dinner. What a bargain. But not fit to mention. Some services are bad, including the food. That’s the trade-off.

Catching my attention is this resort below. They present interesting line up of Korean dishes for buffet (well, 98% of their clients are of that nationality), live band music and middle of the ground dancing to your heart’s content in between your spoonful (or chopstick) take of food. WOW! So vibrant atmosphere.

Picture

Will try next time even for just the vibrancy of ambiance.
But I have to bring my own food, under corkage fee, as I am not a fan of Korean dishes (pardon me).
OR
maybe just a quiet dinner, again, over my fave “beer” with Pangs at the hotel’s veranda.

Picture

Ngee.
My face is really red after the 3rd bottle.
Love it.

In search for a Valentine’s Day venue to date Pangs.

Even if I and “Pangs” (slang of Panga-Palanga, a Visayan term
meaning “dear”, “my love” or a “loved one”) always make it a point
to take dinner out, being just 2 at home, in lieu of dwelling-cooked sharing,
last night-we decided to scout for a place where to spend the day of hearts.
One time, chanced upon this new site that looks “cool” in my opinion
and so we headed to it post office work.
Having a bit romantic dimly lit dinner in a mid to top class chophouse
on the 14th was out of the question as the nite, itself,
will be gigantically hovered by traffic jams everywhere.
And many will definitely be on the “waiting list” by the door of the resto.
This place we chose is new and not known to many as of yet-that we thought it to be just right…
in addition to its close proximity to office.
The place:

Picture

…a diner present in more than 20 countries specializing on different types of chicken offerings.
Not dim ambiance but well lighted-very bright-surrounding (check the brightness of the inside signage on top)
Got in with about 3-4 tables (out of 20+) occupied (not counting the capacity of the 2nd floor)
It was quiet at first

Thank you for the menu:

Picture

I love chicken, plainly marinated-cooked-garnished chicken, and I ordered:

Picture

…plain oak wood smoked 2 chicken pieces.
I LOVE IT.
I will surmise that it was just plainly cured by sodium nitrite, salt and very little sugar via marinade.
GRILLED. NO EXTRA FLAVOR. SIMPLE but heaven for me.
Did not touch the rice and consumed total of 3 cold pale pilsen with it.
Further, ordered 4 pieces take-out.
WHILE FINISHING MY 3rd BOTTLE, THE NOISE STARTED TO TRIPLICATE...
and everyone who came in seemed to know all, each one and everybody.
Pangs ordered:

Picture

Not much of a bestseller for me.
Un-marinated chicken cuts, dusted with flour then deep fried.
Generously poured fried pieces with heated water-soy sauce-salt-honey (maybe)
BBQ sauce mixture plus lots of crushed fresh garlic & thickener.
We both ate a piece and took-out the remaining 2.
I kept on hearing lots of different voices in all tables
as if each one talking was “trying to sell” something to the other 1 or 2.
Until the whole area turned out to be like a “cock fighting arena”.
Voices tingled in my ear. I asked for the bill. I can’t take the noise any longer.

I learned the people inside, almost all, were from “a pyramiding-style items-selling outfit”
and each one was convincing the other 1 or 2 or 3 to be one with them.
HUWAH. So noisy.
OUR DECISION…NO. WE WON’T BE THERE THIS 14th.
Will just stay home and share dinner.
BUT, and again BUT…WILL BE BACK FOR THE WOOD SMOKED BBQ CHICKEN.
…either cover my ears with my competition-proven electronic ear muffs then sip my 2 cold bottles
or take out na lang.

A convergence with revolting flavors fighting for time. 

Got up a bit late today. Had to hurry for early morning meeting with clients.
Marilyn prepared a “united nations” of breakfast for me prior to take off.
Processed from Canadian pork belly fried bacon strips got burned along sides.
Dried baby squid were oven toastered for few seconds to enjoy super crunchy appeal…overdone.
Sunny side up egg yolks got broken that they appeared semi scrambled.
Abundant citric acid-laden Chinese canned orange juice seemed like taking vinegar.
Never mind my high blood glucose condition, added 3 teaspoons of cane sugar to neutralize.
…and the rice…and the rice. WAIT!
Not yet done.
Oh well. At least, we’re together.

Picture