Filipino chorizo.

Filipino chorizo

  Philippines: Visayas - February 2008

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation of an article originally written in French. I apologise for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have resulted. If you read French, click on the French flag below to access the original, correct text: 


The good thing about the Philippines is that you can find chorizo... Another heritage of the Spanish colonization! But I have not yet tasted this Philippine chorizo.

Chorizo for sale

Filipino chorizo.

The store where I took the picture was closed when I passed by. I also spotted, in the restaurant-bar-grocery-karaoke next to where I live, chorizo rice on the menu.

To be tested one day soon! And of course, the beer we drink here is San Miguel...

Still no whale shark

Otherwise, still no whale shark for this last day of diving in Leyte. Too bad. As a consolation, I had the boat to myself today. The group of five Chinese from Hong-Kong who were diving with me the previous days left. Phew. That means less flashes in front of the nudibranchs... I had a great time during the two dives of the day.

Tomorrow, departure at dawn... in the hope of catching a hypothetical morning ferry to the island of Bohol. I'm leaving Leyte before the big rush of the beginning of the season, according to Phil and Ron, the Aussie and the Englishman who run the Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. They are fully booked from February 1st. But I might find the crowd in Panglao, Alona Beach exactly, my next stop. We'll see!

  Philippines: Visayas - February 2008

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. I can't believe it! Chorizo and San Miguel! I was blown away! But what about the language? Do they still speak Spanish? A little, a lot, or not at all?

    Thank you for your news, the pleasure of reading you is always renewed; the "old branches" not at all bare, on the contrary because frio, send you mil besos most affectionate. Mam

  2. Yo Miss. You go from surprise to surprise. Well, as long as it's not Breton pancakes we're offering you!!!! As for the whale sharks, don't despair, I'm sure you'll be lucky enough to discover one... Apart from that, it's freezing out here. We really envy you being out there... It's about time Captain Kirk lent us his transporter. I'll be waiting for your photos... Biz

  3. 🙂 A Mam:

    Yes, chorizo, San Miguel, and above all, religious pictures and rosaries everywhere on jeepneys (old jeeps converted into minibuses), tricycles (the Philippine version of the Indonesian "becak", i.e. a small cabin with a wheel attached to a bicycle or motorcycle) and other vehicles. And don't forget the "fiestas" - every town and village has its own...

    The funny thing about the language is that "Tagalog" or "Filipino" (the official language, because there are lots of different local languages) is a funny mix of local heritage, Spanish and English... For example, there's "salamat", a Malay and Indonesian polite way of saying thank you (probably derived from Arabic), but people often use English or Spanish for counting, and a lot of the vocabulary is reminiscent of Spanish: butter, for example, is "mantikilya", soap is "sabon", ham is "hamon", cheese is "keso", and so on.

    I'll read what my Lonely Planet has to say about it, it sounds fascinating. Otherwise, all Filipinos learn English at school and it's much easier to communicate than in other Southeast Asian countries...

    🙂 To Sam: Here, it's 28 degrees, not too hot nor too cold, just fine! Come on, I send you some warmth and sunshine to face the Breton coldness...

  4. Forgot to say that the linguistic aspect of the stay also fascinates me a lot, thank you; but generally speaking, do people communicate in English? the press for example, radio or TV (if you've had access to all these media, what's it like?) my curiosity is boundless....thanks for everything,mil besos y mucho mas.Mam

  5. No, here, between them, people speak in Tagalog. The TV is also in Tagalog (also called filipino). But the CNN type channels or Chinese channels in English are of course captured.

    I haven't had a chance to look at what's out there, press-wise. It'll probably be easier in Cebu...

    I'll be doing a little "linguistics" article soon...

    😉

Share
Tweet
Share