Chasing Sunrise in Cambodia

Oh, what a grueling sched I have nowadays that I wish it's gonna be 26 hours a day!  (Before, I was only wishing for 25 but with the over overload, another hour extension is greatly desired.)  I am just too busy with my senior high school and college loads that maintaining this blog ended up last on my priority list.  Huhuhu.....  Forgive me, my dear blog readers but I will really really try to do my very best in keeping up with this as this is my passion.  

So without further ado, I'd like to share with you a snippet of me and my friends' tour in Cambodia last week!  As with every travel, I have some "travel goals" and for Cambodia, I aimed to be chasing sunrise and sunset!  Sunrise!  Huh!  For a sleepy head like me, it's a whole lot of sacrifice albeit the challenge!  Hehehe.....  With only 4 hours of sleep, I woke up first among the four of us to my alarm at 3:30 AM Siem Reap time.  Hallelujah!  Being always the last to wake up, it was indeed a victory for me!  Praise be to God for the determination to get up and go out there to meet Angkor Wat's most celebrated sunrise!

Now here it is!  My very first travel vlog!  This is also the very first selfie video I've ever taken, raw, no edits, a very amateur one but filled with love and laughter!  For the nth time that I've watched this, it still gives me the stomach-achingly laugh!  Just bear with us, guys!  Hahaha!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed that one!  Hehe.....  Watch out for my next post as I bring to you the enchantment of Angkor Wat!  #tosomtravels

Tweet

Feature Friday: Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

Stumbled upon this over-the-counter-sort-of-carenderia resto in a certain mall in Manila during our last visit.  I was enthralled by the long line of people so I guessed that there must be something good about the place.  Then I told Papa to take a seat as I joined the others in the queue.  Looking up at their menu, they mostly serve chicken in whatever way cooked but their specialty is the Pugon Roast Chicken, traditionally roasted in a pugon.  If anything is being cooked in a native way, then it must be really, really good!

Cheesy Chicken Croquetas, Chicken Livers, Spicy Wings, and Pugon Roast Chicken

When our orders came, that's the time I realized that this fast food restaurant is actually owned by Chef Lau.  Remember him?  He was one of the judges/coaches of Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition way back 2011-2012.  So I got thrilled to finally have a taste of his very own Filipino recipes with a twist!

The Pugon Roast Chicken is super gingerly as I remember, giving it a hint of Chinesy taste.  It's crispy in the outside, juicy in the inside, and talagang nanunuot sa buto ang lasa.  My fave Chicken Livers has a unique taste too.  It is too flavorful with my also fave nacho/chili-con-carne taste.  Until now, I couldn't decipher what herb/spice is that.  Definitely it's not paprika, oregano, or curry.  My apology.  I really haven't discovered it yet.  Anyway, Papa had the fried bangus sinigang which surprised us 'coz there's really no sabaw in it.  Kaya nga, "fried".   Hehe....  For take-out, we had Cheesy Chicken Croquetas and Spicy Wings that tasted the same as the Chicken Livers' "unknown" herb/spice.  Mama and Auntie Lourding didn't like it as they also always do every time I cook Mexican-style spaghetti with the taco mix, nachos, and tacos.  They just can't understand the smell of it.  But for me, it's heaven to my sense of smell and taste buds!  So I gobbled up everything instead!  Haha!

I felt so lucky to have had discovered Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters!  It was not part of our itinerary and we discovered it by chance.  That's what you call "serendipity" in science.  Chance discovery!  So thanks to the long line which called my attention and indeed, the place is not only a fast food resto but also a fast good resto!  I guarantee you, the food is really, really good and good to the pocket too!  Visit Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters in their branches in Sun Mall, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Light Mall in Mandaluyong ('coz we stayed in Light Residences), SM City San Lazaro, and McKinley Hill in Taguig.  This may be a little bit late but congratulations to you, Chef Lau for bringing Filipino food to a higher level so we can experience and enjoy Fiesta Araw-Araw!  #tosomeats #tosomtravels

Related Posts:

Mad Mark's Creamery and Good Eats

Albay's Best Eats

       

Tweet

Filipino-Style Pad Thai

             Serves:  5                                                                  Cooks in:  15 minutes

             Preparation:  15 minutes                                              Country of Origin:  Thailand

             Ingredients:

             1/4 kilo mongo sprouts                                              salt          

             1/2 kilo flat noodles                                                   pepper

             4 eggs                                                                      paprika 

             1/2 kilo shrimps                                                         peanuts  

             1/2 kilo squid                                                             lemon

             3 cloves garlic                                                           dried chili

             1 bulb onion     

     Method:

     1.  Saute garlic and onions.     

     2.  Add shrimps and squid.     

     3.  Add the eggs and mix together.     

     4.  Add flat noodles.     

     5.  Mix in mongo sprouts.     

     6.  Season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.     

     7.  Serve hot and garnish with peanuts, lemon, and dried chili.

Though Filipinized, also see to it that this dish still has its authentic Thai taste.  So when in Thailand, don't forget to bring home some local spices to conjure up memories from a flavorful trip!

  

See my World Nomads recipe entry here for our story behind this very famous dish in Thailand, Pad Thai!  For an authentic recipe, visit The Royal Budha's site here.  Click also below for related posts on Amazing Thailand!  #tosomtravels #tosomeats #tosomcooks

Related Posts:

10 Things Thailand

Damnoen Saduak: Floating Market

Literally Street Fooding

#tosomeats in Thailand

Utan Bicol: Our Family's Very Own Recipe

Tweet

10 Things Thailand!

Amazing Thailand as their tagline

Off to the country considered divine

Come and see

Some things to be

A few quick facts

For guided acts

Now get into the maze

And set ablaze

For Amazing Thailand!

1.  Elephant Trekking

The elephant is Thailand's national symbol and one of their most revered animals.  One should not miss having elephant encounters once in the country and I recommend Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai for an animal-friendly experience.

Damnoen Saduak:  Elephant Village

2.  Temple Hopping

Thailand is devoted to Buddhism and there are 40,000+ Buddhist temples in the country!  Each temple has its own style, reverence, and story.  You can definitely visit one since these temples are scattered around the country!  But the must-visits are Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and Grand Palace.  Just take note of the time or you'll get barred like us.  There'll be no entry from 3 PM onwards.  Curfew is really early for these temples.

Wat Intharawihan, Grand Palace, and Wat Benchamabophit

3.  Altar Offering

Unlike the Roman Catholics, Thai Buddhists are very showy of their faith by putting up altars everywhere in the streets, outside their houses, establishments, etc.  Their stone gods are the different personas of Buddhism, elephants, and snakes.  They offer food and drinks to them as well as incense.  I may not understand each representation of symbolism especially with the Banyan  tree but I just considered the work of art instead.

4.  Monk Alming

Monks play a great role in religious Thailand.  They are considered as holy people who make merit for their respective families.  We see them in the streets early in the morning for their daily alming for food, drinks, and toiletries.  They don't have any source of income so they greatly rely on alms.  This also coincides with the country's tradition to give alms not only to the monks but also to the poor. Thai believe that it is good karma to give for them to receive.

Another Group Asking for Monetary Support from People

5.  Tuktuk Riding

We, Filipinos won't be surprised in this 'coz we do have motorcycle rides like this.  We have 'em as traysekel in Tagalog, rela in Cagayan de Oro, payong-payong in Lanao, motor in Ozamiz, or habal-habal up in the highlands.  So this isn't new to us.  Ours is even more thrilling and exciting!  By the way, tuktuk rides are really expensive for tourism purposes.  The drivers charge really high and even the locals discouraged us to ride one.  Better hail a cab than go around on tuktuks 'coz we have motorcycles here anyway around our city!

6.  Thai Massaging

Nuat Thai and Thai Boran.  These are the only two massage parlors in our little city.  Common denominator is, they both have the word "Thai" in their names.  That's because, Thailand claims to be the country of origin of massage.  So massage chairs are everywhere in the country!  You can have a relaxing foot massage anywhere even right on the streets!

    
7.  Bangkok Shopping

The country's capital city is the shoppers' haven!  There are lots of malls and they have 'em specialized like one whole mall for gadgets only, another whole mall for ladies' wear only, and another for appliances only.  Like, can you imagine it?  You go from mall to mall 'coz you can't find a one-stop shop.  Plus, they have plenty of bazaars and night markets.  The biggest is Chatuchak which is a bit outskirt of town but they do have the total package!

Damnoen Saduak, Gems Gallery, The Platinum Shopping Mall, and Royal Thai Handicraft

8.  Food Tripping

Foooood trip, my favorite part every time I go visit a place!  There's nothing much to say here 'coz you have to taste it for yourself.  Eat all you can while in Thailand 'coz you'll surely miss the distinct flavors of authentic Thai food!

Fried Insect, Pad Thai, Steam Boat, Thai Fruits

9.  Sightseeing

Aside from the usual sightseeing, marvel at the capital city on top in a 360-degree revolution!

Check out Baiyoke Sky Tower for this!

10.  Backpacking

Backpacker hotels are never as good as Diamond City Hotel, our home away from home in Thailand!  Our rooms are very spacious with king-sized beds and cinema-sized tv's.  Apart from the daily breakfast buffet, coffee, juice, and biscuits are unlimited 24-7 in the dining room.  Just serve yourself as you please!  Additionally, the staff is very accommodating.  And oops, include the Auntie owner who is already very old but still entertains her guests very well by talking to them even in not-so-fluent English and dancing with them if they might do the honor!  I just loved our stay here so thanks to Rulyn's Travel Hub for picking this hotel for us.  For travel bookings, like their FB fanpage here!

So these are 10 things about Thailand I learned, experienced, and couldn't ever forget from our country visit two months ago!  Watch out for more travel posts only here on The Other Side of Mae! #tosomtravels

Related Posts:

Damnoen Saduak: Elephant Village

Damnoen Saduak: Floating Market

Damnoen Saduak: Royal Thai Handicraft Center Company Limited
Wat Benchamabophit: Marble Temple

Wat Intharawihan: The Temple of the Standing Buddha

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Bangkok Shopping

Literally Street Fooding

#tosomeats in Thailand

Barred

Tweet

Barred

off-shoulder jumpsuit and sling bag from pratunam, brim hat from floating market, and sandals from mama.  location at Grand Palace, Bangkok.  FFF

Related Posts on:

Thailand

Tweet

McDonald's Kiddie Crew Grand Graduation

Here's what made our baby-no-more Ella Venice's summer busy - being a kiddie crew at McDo!  For 5 days, she learned how to greet customers, assist in drive-thru, get order, and make burgers at a certain McDonald's branch in Cagayan de Oro City.  She was filled with excitement as she told me her story because she also got to meet new friends, learn a new song and new dance moves.  For apart from the daily routine at the store, the kids also underwent other workshops and training for personality development.  With that, being a McDo kiddie crew can make your child grow in a healthy environment for holistic progress.  After 5 days, they'll get out as different individuals who can stand on their own as they are being exposed to the real world.  So a grand graduation day is what they deserve!  On May 18, 2016, all kiddie crew from all branches of McDo in CDO gathered at The Atrium of Limketkai Center for a fun-filled day!  And I was so happy to have witnessed it together with Tatay Don2x and Nanay Karen!

The grand graduation started with a registration for all kids.  Then a program followed hosted by Ronald McDonald and company with Ms. Jacky Lou Blanco as the surprise guest.  Alonzo Muhlach also graced the event by chatting live with the kids through Skype and showcasing his talents.  Afterwards, the kids danced and took their oath as a McDo kiddie crew.  And for finale, they sang the McDo kiddie crew theme song, Make It Happen which gave me goosebumps.  Here's a snippet of the last part of the program:

But the fun doesn't end here!  There were also booths like face painting, glam me up, and dance revo.  Ella together with cousins Amber and Jan2x visited and enjoyed the booths.  I also enjoyed following them around and wished I was also a kid.  But secretly wishing I was a mom too.  Haha!  The event was one big party with plenty of burgers, games, and prizes!  And to be purposeful in my end, Karen and I also discussed on how to expand Fascino as a total party business.  Needs a whole lot of work though.  But who knows!

Thank you so much Don2x and Karen for bringing me with you!  Thanks for sharing with me another milestone of your unica hija, Ella.  Really makes a proud tita here!  Congratulations to our baby langga!  Yes, you've indeed grown up already but stay sweet as you are! :)

  
Being a McDonald's kiddie crew is truly a great experience for your child to remember as he/she grows up.  Make their summer worthwhile!  Sign him/her up next year at the nearest McDo branch in your place!  For more information, click here.

Related Posts:

Milky Mitch School of Dance

MUHS Summer Classes 2012 

Tweet

Feature Friday: Wow Panaon!

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

Panaon, Misamis Occidental is a budding municipality located north of Ozamiz which is only three quarters of an hour ride through private transpo.  However if in public, an additional of 15-20 minutes won't break your neck 'coz there's never traffic jam here in our laidback province.  With that, I'd like to be called as a probinsyana (dreaming of Coco as my probinsyano).  Hehe.....  Anyway highway, enough about him and just allow me to start raving to you a place that surprises me this summer!  

Sideway, I never thought that my first write-up on Panaon's Punta Meriam would be such a hit!  Even after a year and a half, it's still on my popular posts list and I do get a lot of queries every now and then about it.  Some of my readers also asked other resorts they could visit in the area so I thought that I must do a follow-up post on it.

To start with, we checked into La Playa Azul (formerly Regalado's).  It just changed management so renovations are still on going.  Honestly, we found the place unwelcoming to guests because the staff was not accommodating.  Sorry to tell you this but I have to since I don't want to mislead people by "all praises" on this blog.  However, we understood and considered since the owner is not from the municipality and is residing in Cebu.  And when the cat is out, the rats always play, right?  So that's understandable.  But aside from the poor staff administration, the resort doesn't serve food too.  There's no resto so you better bring your own food.  The restrooms are also far from the cottages which is rather inconvenient.  Though the garden is still under reconstruction, the pools are not well-kept.  Hopefully the next time I'm gonna visit the place, renovations are done, personnel is already trained and prepared, and amenities and facilities are complete for the convenience of the guests.  Because with all honesty, we were not happy for the price we paid during our visit ('coz every move = price to pay).

      

In spite of that, we still enjoyed our day 'coz we went on a banana boat ride and island hopping!  Banana boat was P85 per pax and the pump boat ride to an island was P800 round trip.  But we waited for an hour for the captains of the ship to arrive.  The manang still had to call for them 'coz there's nobody on standby.  You can't also make bookings ahead of time as we inquired.  Tsk tsk.....  Actually, I got a little impatient 'coz I was only doing the outing on my 9 AM - 5 PM MWF class break.  Gladly, Rio was a speedy driver so she sent me back to school on time!

On the other hand, we also checked into Dela Paz Beach Resort.  It's a public one and it's just like Rama Beach in Clarin, another municipality in Misamis Occidental which is adjacent to Ozamiz.  The only entrance fee here is P10 for whatever car you're bringing including all passengers inside.  If by foot, you're not gonna pay for anything.  It's open to all so the beach is crowded.  The place is not really clean as expected but there are lots of water activities that are already in waiting.  There are more banana boats and pump boats with the additional kayaks and jetski.  However, they said that the jetski was privately owned and who knows you could talk to the owner to have a ride.  Haha!  Additionally, they also have this ride wherein you cling on to a big salbabida on your stomach and face down then you'll get tugged by a fast-moving motorized banca.  The ride was hilarious and would surely give you adrenaline rush.  My cousin Matoy even stopped the manong for she couldn't move forward clinging on to dear life anymore.  This ride was P100 per pax for an hour and oh, by the way, the pump boat ride to the island was only P20 per head here roundtrip so I guess La Playa also charged us more than the ride actually cost.  I feel like they snipped a big chunk of the P800 we paid.  Poor banca owners....

Now here are quick vids on what to expect of the water activities!  

With prices affordable at Dela Paz, our little cousin and nephew did the island hopping twice-thrice during our outing last Sunday for JP's birthday.  Everybody really enjoyed swimming with the fun water activities that are plenty in the place.  So there's no need to go to Boracay for white sand (though the island here is not as white) and watersports 'coz we already have 'em here in our nearby town, Panaon.  I just hope that one day, they're gonna also add parasailing.

So this is my local summer adventure!  I never thought I could experience summer this year for our school's second semester also covered April and May.  I am just glad that Panaon gave summer to me so hail to the municipal government officials for making the place a tourist destination!  Let's explore Misamis Occidental further, friends!  #tosomfeatures   

P.S.  Follow @exploremisocc on IG here! :)

I Heart Panaon!
(c) Rio

Related Posts:

Punta Meriam Beach Resort and Spa
Alona's Dreamland Beach Resort

Oklahoma Island Rafi's Resort

 Beaches Up North!

EOS Destination #1!

For questions, invites, and collaborations, direct message me on Facebook.  For updates on my whereabouts and whatabouts, follow me on Twitter and Instagram! :)

Tweet

#tosomeats in Thailand

Oh, how I love street food!  As far as my memory is concerned, I've been enjoying fishballs even before fishball carts started to roam around Ozamiz in the 80's.  Well, I just had them in Lipa though Mommy Becky always restricted us to eat street food for we might get Hepatitis out from it.  But together with my sister and cousins, we always sneaked our way to Bahayang Pilipino's assortment of fishballs, balut, scramble (the milkshake), halo-halo, etcetera, etcetera!  And when kwek-kwek came in the early 2000's, Harley and I were the first avid fans of manong kwek-kwek in Lipa Medix Medical Center.  That was the time when Gpa got always confined though.  Anyway, may my love for street food sprang from Lipa City, Batangas, it's always with me and grows even stronger as I take it away with me wherever I go!

Apart from Vietnam, Thailand is also known for its thousands of varieties of street food.  I was so glad that we happened to pass by a rather "clean" sort-of-bazaar-makeshift market beside MBK Shopping Center where we had our exotic fried insects and hot steamboat.  Aside from the photos below, also click here for my vlog on it.  And aside from having the country's famous Pad Thai at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, we also had some street food in the literal streets of Bangkok.  Here, sanitary don't care!  I would always care less when it comes to food!!!

Now here they go!  Pardon me for not knowing all the names of these foods but just allow me to make you hungry by flooding your eyes with these photos.  It also added to my happiness that the vendors in Bangkok are not rude and fraudulent as in Hanoi so I took photos as I pleased.  Fresh fruits are also abundant everywhere in the streets but not all kinds are available especially the ones that we had in 5-star Baiyoke Sky Hotel.  Happy salivating (or yuckying for some), everyone!

Though we had unlimited street fooding, we also had real meals in Thailand.  We just didn't have much 'coz brekky was covered at our hotel.  Here are some of the carbodydrate-based dishes we like/love/dislike (according to taste preference).

Our First Meal in Thailand

Looks can really be deceiving.  We can never judge a book by its cover.  I underestimated this small carenderia right beside our hotel.  The noodle soup tasted really good, a comfort food after our long travel from Manila.  The pork toppings was like humba but it is more tender yet crispy.  These are the only two dishes the carenderia offers and each only costs 50 Baht (P93.50).  The serving is quite ample that can be shared by two so more value for your money.  It's like being transported to Vietnam where we felt like millionaires spending our peso.  Hehe..... 

Eating on a Mat Right on the Street

This was the most memorable eating experience we had in Thailand!  This is my favorite even!  This made my Thailand tour if I may add.  Hehe.....  We really enjoyed selecting the ingredients and cooking by ourselves this steamboat soup.  It's like Japan's shabu-shabu that costs an arm and a leg in any Japanese restaurant but this one is very affordable as it is being served by the streets.  This complete meal only costed us 195 Baht (P364.65) for 5 pax!  Cheap as it is but it is beyond compare with the expensive ones.  The broth is really tasty with spices I couldn't really figure out.  I'm not much of a foodie but I can guarantee you that this is a must-eat in Bangkok.  This make-shift eating place was located right beside MBK so if you're lucky enough, you may catch them there.  Do cross your fingers though.  Hehe.....
   

Satisfying Lunch

From MBK to City Complex Pratunam, we had lunch in this mall's foodcourt.  Again, I didn't note for the names of these dishes 'coz they're unreadable.  I just pointed out to the pictures on the menu when I ordered.  Gladly, each combo tasted right to all our taste buds so nothing was left on the plate!

A Rather Expensive Meal

I think it must be the aircon that made Zaab Ver expensive.  For quite small servings, a 675 Baht (P1,262.25) total cost is not worthwhile for me.  But if you want to really amp up the spice of your life, do try their spicy squid.  Promise, it made my tongue and whole mouth on fire!  I was about to cry because the dish was super hot and spicy that even I, who have a higher tolerance for spicy food couldn't deal with it.  It was indeed, punishment to the taste buds! 
       
So from the streets to hole-in-the-wall  restos to decent air-conditioned ones, you can truly get a fair share of authentic Thai food experience (with lotsa lemongrass) around Bangkok.  If I enjoyed me and my JCI bestie's Vietnam food adventure last year, I enjoyed much more in Thailand for I shared another great fooding experience with my family!  Though some of them are a bit picky and not adventurous enough, they were also game to do the feat with me!  Wishing for more family bonding OOTC's in the future! #tosomtravels #tosomeats

Related Posts:

Literally Street Fooding

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Damnoen Saduak: Floating Market

#tosomeats in Vietnam

Oh, My Foodness!

Treating the Tastebuds at Jalan Makanan     

Tweet