The Backpack Adventures

The sandoricum koetjape  or cotton fruit  is  one of my favorite fruits. This fruit is "lovingly" called  santol here in the Philippines. It's perfect with salt with chopped chili or when you dip it in soy sauce. However, I was surprised to discover that the santol is actually used as the main ingredient in a Filipino dish which is obviously named after the said fruit - sinantolan .   Sinantolan It was during my first day of the Experience Quezon 2016 Media Tour event that I got to see and watch the actual preparation of the dish and not to mention taste it for the first time too. Upon doing research about the dish, I discovered that  sinantolan  is a popular delicacy not only for the province of Quezon but also in the province of Laguna and those provinces in the Bicol Region.  Here's the newly cooked sinantolan ! A must-try! The fresher the better The different ingredients of sinantolan Yummy! Looking at the main ingredients of the dish, it clea

Lemons are uncommon in the Philippines. As a matter of fact only a handful of farms with lemon trees exists in the country today. Majority of the lemons sold in the market are imported. Well, it is not a big surprise... The demand for lemon fruits surged only recently after the Filipinos were "awakened" to healthy living. That is why, it is quite surprising to find a food establishment in the country that is well known for selling lemon pies. What's more surprising is that they are doing this for a decade now... (not to mention, this business is located in the mountainous regions of the Philippines. Ladies and gentlemen... meet the famed lemon pie Our food trip today, takes us to the Sagada Lemon Pie House in Sagada, Mountain Province.  Those wall deco gives the place an ethnic feel. tsk... this place gets crowded fast... Sagada Lemon Pie House opened in 2008. Sadly, it wasn't much of a success back then. The persevering owners didn't give u

Located in California Village, Brgy. Tuburan, Ligao City in the province of Albay, Kawa-Kawa Hill is a 236-meter landform (hence a hill) that got its name from its unique features. The word " kawa " means cauldron in the local dialect. From afar the hill seems like any ordinary hill but when you reach the summit, you'd be amazed to find a six-hectare crater. Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Station 6 Station 7 Station 8 Station 9 Station 10 What I find interesting in Kawa-Kawa Hill is the Stations of the Cross. Each station has larger than life statues portraying the events leading to Christ's final moments. The Stations are lined up in the 500-meter path to the crater then extends up all the way around the 836-meter rim. I also like the idea that the local government included recreational facilities on the hill. You'd find horses and ATVs for rent, not only that, but you'd also see eagle

Located in A. Luna St., cor. Timbol St. the town of Concepcion in the province of Tarlac, Aquino Ancestral House is an old Pre-war mansion owned by the (highly political) Aquino clan.  Aquino Ancestral House Aquino Ancestral House History The Aquino clan, as most of us know, is a political clan known for producing generations of politicians. The most famous (and last occupant of the house) is Benigno Aquino Jr. also called Ninoy by most. He is the senator turned martyr during the Marcos regime. His wife would then become the 11th President of the Philippines after his assassination and the subsequent  EDSA People Power Revolution that toppled Marcos from his seat of power. Several decades later his son Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III would become the 15th President of the Philippines. Aquino Ancestral House - Concepcion, Tarlac The house is surprisingly well maintained Aquino Ancestral House NHI Marker The beautiful maiden in the garden Check out the rooms in the hou