Jaunted

Food Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Philippines Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: 'Boy Bawang,' the Corn Nuts of The Philippines

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

You're drunk and you're in Manila, Philippines and looking for a late-night salty snack to absorb some of the liquid sloshing around in your belly or at least kill some hunger pangs. One of the most popular quick, pop-a-handful-into-your-mouth options is called Boy Bawang. A little bag of these things, like a Filipino version of Corn Nuts.

The Taste: "Bawang" is actually Tagalog for "garlic," so you've been warned. This flavor we've got is "super garlic," and after two handfuls, we can barely stand our own breath let alone venture outdoors to talk to our friends. Best to keep "super garlic" a strictly at-home indulgence. The crunch, solid like biting into hominy, is extremely satisfying and it's easy to gobble up to the whole bag and reach for another. This time though, may we suggest the chili cheese flavor to temper the garlic?

more ›

Flight Attendants / Philippines Travel / Airline News / Airlines / Cebu Pacific / Dance Travel / → All Tags

The Dancing Men and Women Flight Attendants of Cebu Pacific Airlines

Okay, so you've probably already wasted a couple minutes this week watching the viral video of the female Cebu Pacific flight attendants performing the flight safety briefing to the tune of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, complete with dance moves, but now that a male version has popped up, it's time to watch again.

In this newest video, you can see three male flight attendants dancing their safety briefing to "The Safety Dance" on another Cebu Pacific flight. Just so we're all clear here, these videos are done by Cebu Pacific and the plane is at cruising altitude during the performance; heck, even the seatbelt signs have already been turned off.

Check out the first, female FA one, below.

more ›

Dance Travel / Philippines Travel / Michael Jackson / YouTube / → All Tags

Could the Jail With the Thriller-Dancing Inmates Become a Tourist Site?

We've all seen it and thought it the weirdest/awesomest thing ever: the prisoners who perform the full dance routine for Michael Jackson's Thriller in the prison yard. Back in July 2007 when this video hit YouTube, it took the world by storm and now has garnered over 38 million views. We're sure we're not the only ones to wonder exactly where this prison with rhythm is, and thanks to a little digging, we've discovered its location.

Although it could probably become a tourist destination if the prison was open to giving performances, we doubt there are any plans for that happen—so long as they've still got access to YouTube.

See where the inmates dance to Jackson, after the jump

more ›

Disaster Travel / Philippines / Philippines Travel / Disasters / → All Tags

Lava Spews From Mount Mayon in the Philippines

Already battered by typhoons in recent months, it doesn't appear that Mother Nature is easing up on the Philippines, a destination that holds a special place for those of us who have traveled there in recent years. On our last trip, we had the opportunity to trek up an active volcano on horseback, but even the most adventurous of tourists will have to abstain from getting close to Mount Mayon, which is currently spewing lava "half a kilometer downslope," according to a report from The Philippine Star.

Located on Luzon, the largest of the Philippines' 7,000-plus islands, Mayon's seismic activity has triggered "43 volcanic quakes" in recent days, says Business Mirror online. Suffice to say, now is not optimal for visiting the area, though the holidays are a particularly popular time of year for tourists and Philippine expats to travel there.

more ›

Floods / Philippines Travel / Philippines / Disasters / Travel Warnings / → All Tags

Hope You Aren't Planning A Trip To The Philippines This Month

We hope not too many Jaunted readers were traveling through the Philippines over the weekend because it hasn't been pretty: a tropical storm hit the north of the country and caused the worst flooding Manila has seen for more than 50 years.

Almost half a million people have been displaced by the floods and sadly, at least 86 have been confirmed dead, with the final death toll expected to be a lot higher.

What this means for travelers: right now is clearly not a fantastic time to be landing in the northern Philippines. Apart from the fact that the locals are busy with more important things than entertaining tourists, with such widespread flooding there's also the danger of disease outbreaks. Postpone your trip if you can. When you do get there, remember we've also warned you to be wary of ferries, okay?

Related Stories:
· Storm Kills Dozens in the Philippines [NY Times]
· Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dan Saavedra]

Accidents / Philippine Travel / Ferry Travel / Ships / Travel Safety / → All Tags

Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines

Well we made it through a very hectic Labor Day weekend for travelers without any major mishaps, that is, unless you were spending your three-day weekend in The Philippines, where a Superferry sunk on Sunday after a mysterious clunk was heard and the ferry began listing. As a result of the tragedy, nine people lost their lives although 957 others were saved—you can even see them heading down the ladders on the side of the ship in the picture above.

As if we weren't already wary about boarding vintage-looking vessels, The Guardian UK has this to say:

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations. Last year, a ferry overturned after sailing towards a powerful typhoon, killing more than 800 people on board.

more ›

No Reservations / Television Travel / Food Travel / Tony Bourdain / → All Tags

Anthony Bourdain Gets Back to His Roots in the Philippines

After a couple of low-key stateside weeks, visiting Chicago and reliving his favorite food moments, Anthony Bourdain is back to what he does best this week, discovering little-known hole-in-the-walls serving weird-as-hell grub in far-flung locales.

Tony visited the Philippines this episode and trekked literally all over the country, finding genuine lumpia spring rolls down a dark alley in Manila; slurping down beef buffalo soup in Cebu City; and tentatively trying boiled pork face in Angeles City.

Tony's got the info for all those restaurants on his website, but what we really want is an invite to one of those gigantic pork roast parties he got to hang out at. Now that would be a one-of-a-kind Filipino meal. How come we don't get any info on that? What gives, Bourdain?

· Philippines Travel Guide [No Reservations]
· Anthony Bourdain travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Philippines travel coverage [Jaunted]

Photo: [Travel Channel]

Jellyfish-Invasion-Map / Jellyfish / Killer Beaches / Dangerous Travel / Animals / When Animals Attack / → All Tags

Killer Beaches: Jellyfish Hung out to Dry... For Now!

The incidence of jellyfish events this past week has dropped ever so slightly, heightening our paranoia that the jellies are amassing before a final virulent strike in the last weeks of summer.

While there were no out-and-out invasions this week, two smaller incidents deserve note: A fisherman died of cardiac arrest after being stung in Barangay Tiling, Philippines while out swimming with his brother. And on Hilbre Island off the coast of England near Liverpool, a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old girl were rushed to the hospital after incidental stings when one of them went into anaphylactic shock.

But! Just weeks after suffering more than 60 jellyfish stings, a Canadian long-distance swimmer is back in the water to swim the distance from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick today. The seriously brave lady, Jen Alexander, is completing the 22-hour swim to raise awareness for type 1 diabetes, which she has had for 20 years--she'll even test her blood sugar en route. Go, Jen, go! Before they strike again!

Our Jellyfish Invasion Map helps you track this summer's trendiest menace.

Related Stories:
· Jellyfish stings girls near Hilbre Island [Wirral Globe]
· Fisherman Dies from Jellyfish Sting [Inquirer]
· Marathon swimmer makes second attempt [Metronews.ca]
· Jellyfish Panic Continues Worldwide! [Jaunted]
· Bikini Travel: Bar Refaeli Braves Killer Jellyfish in France [Jaunted]

[Photo: marialynn]

Geeky Travel / Cult Travel / Wii / → All Tags

Geeky Travel: Guitar Heroes in Manila

Next time you're in Manila and need a gaming fix, the obvious choice is FriiSpirit, a Wii-focused hangout in Quezon City. Fully stocked with projection screens, beanbag chairs and cheap eats, it's an always-busy student hangout, says PSFK.

After hours things get even more interesting. Friday nights, one of the owners whips up fancy food to serve alongside movies (recent picks included "I'm Not There," "The Godfather" and "Dirty Dancing"), pancake suppers happen every Thursday night and other evenings friends stop in for Rock Band competitions.

To get the full schedule of events, check FriiSpirit's blog, natch.

Related Stories:
· FriiSpirit: Videogames Going Beyond Gaming [PSFK]
· The Nintendo Wii Cruise Sets Sail [Jaunted]
· Geeky Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Seven Wonders of the World / Philippines / Chocolate / Asia Travel / → All Tags

Enticing-Sounding Destinations: The Chocolate Hills

We admit we don't know everything about every destination in the whole world, but we sure are surprised that we hadn't heard of the Chocolate Hills until now. They're found in Bohol in the Philippines and have hit the headlines because they're in the running to be one of the new Natural Wonders of the World.

But before you book your ticket, don't get too excited: They're not actually hills made of chocolate, as we'd hoped. Instead they are a weird set of over 1,200 cone-shaped hills, all of a similar size, and because the green grass that covers them turns brown during the dry season, they were named the Chocolate Hills.

Two of the chocolate hills have resorts on them, and at one there's a special viewing station which is part of the Chocolate Hills Complex. They've also got a hostel, swimming pool and a restaurant: Here's hoping their menu features lots of chocolate.

Related Stories:
· Chocolate Hills Back in Race [Cebu Daily News]
· Can You Afford A Natural Wonder? [Jaunted]

[Photo: crazyegg95]

Safety / Travel Safety / Asia Travel / → All Tags

Travel Safety: Seriously, Don't Drink the Water

You probably already know to stick to bottled water when traveling in developing nations. But a recent outbreak of typhoid in the Philippines is really driving this home. Over 2,000 people in a city just 30 miles outside of Manila have become seriously ill, and it's a nasty bug.

According to the World Health Organization, typhoid symptoms include high fever, malaise, headache and rose-colored spots on the chest. Typhoid is a bacterial disease caused by ingesting food or drink contaminated by the feces or urine of infected people. So now you're wondering, how does that get into the water supply? Blame it on the weather, says a WHO official:

Flooding during the wet season and typhoons cause open sewerage drains to spill, enabling effluent to seep into wells and water pipes and spread diarrhea-causing diseases such as gastroenteritis and cholera.

Make sure to look out for tap water in its other, commonly-overlooked form: ice in your drink. Play it safe by brushing your teeth with bottled water as well. And if you want to be really cautious, you should just drink beer the entire trip.

Related Stories:
· Philippines Typhoid Outbreak Sparks Probe [Bloomberg]
· Travel Safety coverage [Jaunted]
· Asia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: 96dpi]

Festivals / → All Tags

Philippines Flower Power

Baguio City, Philippines is preparing for a bursting celebration of local culture. The Panagbenga Festival, held every February for more than ten years, is a tribute to the blooming season in native style. Floats laden with blossoms parade along the streets and tourists flock to see colorful traditional dances.

The festival, which started in 1995, is both a celebration of local culture and recovery: A massive earthquake shook the city to the ground in 1990.

Though activities are held throughout the month of February, the prime time to catch the festival is between Feb. 22 and March 2. (The best places to see the action are Session Road and Burnham Park.) Baguio City is roughly 150 miles north of Manila--a quick plane trip or a five hour bus ride through the mountains.

Related Stories:
· Datebook [NYT]
· Panagbenga Festival [Philippine Country]
· Philippines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo:^Vanessa^]