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?]]> JetSetCD 2011-04-08T14:04:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/10/8/12127/6775

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. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-10-08T12:35:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/2/9712/03454

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]]> JetSetCD 2010-02-02T09:35:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/15/123847/58

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. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-12-15T15:34:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/28/145/40548

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] ]]> amandak 2009-09-28T09:00:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/7/95512/51752

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.

]]> JetSetCD 2009-09-08T08:44:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/17/75259/2617

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] ]]> BS 2009-02-17T09:14:38-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/