It was a Monday morning when we decided to take a short walk to where Lola was buried. The place is halfway done, with concrete fences enclosing tall mango trees that continue as far as down the other side of the hill which is bounded by a narrow and shallow creek. Lola's grave is the only one there so far, it lies in the middle of the field bounded by a wooden fence and tall ferns. If it weren't for the fence you would not notice the granite slab bearing her name, or the melted candles that collect in a solid puddle next to it. The grass was being cut when we visited, so the loud roar of the grass cutter served as our backgroud noise as we talked and as Lolo laid down the flowers on her grave and lighted the candles he had brought.
The local farmer's market, known as the Tabo in Dumaguete, is where people go to if they want to buy fruits,vegetables, and other produce straight from the farmer's themselves. Dumaguete has a public market, but there is something more appealing to this smaller market which is just a few miles from our house. Farmer's markets are smaller, not as crowded as the bigger public market, and you are buying your fruits and veggies straight from the people who grow them. This is a great way to encourage smaller farmers in the city to keep on planting and producing, since when we get what we eat from them, we can be sure that what we're eating was picked a day or two ago, compared to buying the same stuff from the bigger supermarkets which probably gets its produce from distant locations like Baguio or any other place across the country.
The Tabo opens on Wednesdays and on Saturdays. It rained last night, so the ground was wet when I got there. During sunnier days the market is usually fine to walk around in without having to worry about slipping on wet rocks or mud, but this time I had to look where I was going in order to avoid slipping or bumping into fellow shoppers. Despite the rain, business was brisk. People were coming and going, and the farmers were quite happy with today's turnout.
And the colors were wonderful! Green Indian mangos going for 20 per kilo, slices of ripe, yellow quash, and the strange pink of the dragonfruit are just a few of the colorful produce laid out on the stalls here. I got myself two heads of lettuce for 20 pesos each, and three fat cucumbers along with one piece of succulent singkamas for the salad that I had planned for lunch. All were fresh and none were wrapped in that clingfilm that grocery store fruits always come in. The smudges of dirt on my singkamas were welcome imperfections, even, since I knew that my seller picked her singkamas just this morning.
After my Saturday class on the first Saturday of August, I hurried home so that the entire family could go and try Tierra Cafe for the first time. This was going to be my brother's treat so I was pretty excited about what food to eat. I made an earlier post about the Tierra Cafe
here and I loved my first experience there, seeing how adequate the servings were and how the presentation was really pleasing to the eye.
It was a good thing that we reached the place a few minutes before the sun set. After waiting for the brother pay for the entrance fee (P200 for each person and consumable), we took a walk around. This was my first time to walk around in daylight and I could finally see the pools and the cabanas. They had started to turn on the lights around the place, and in the growing dusk, the yellow lights looked warm, soft and pretty.
Although we live just a few minutes away, we were clicking away like crazy tourists. The place is just so pretty. The lighthouse looked magnificent against the pale blue sky, and a gentle breeze was blowing. In the distance, you could see some lights in the city turning on.
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the sister as impromptu (but very willing!) model  |
The food was great, always. Most of the food on the menu cost an average of P250 to P350 per dish which is not bad considering the size of the portions. However, you will run out of rice at one point or another, especially if you get the baby back ribs, so might as well order an extra helping of rice with your meal. I tried the chicken cordon bleu which came with a side of mashed potatoes. You can replace the potatoes with rice if you want to, but for this meal I wanted something warm and soft and buttery, and mashed potatoes fit the bill quite nicely. My dad loved his yellow fin papillote, which I had tried on my first visit here.
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| Chicken cordon bleu |
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generous helping of baby back ribs |
The menu is not that extensive, but you cannot try them all at one go. I'm curious to find out good the John Dorry fillet is, so I'm eyeing that for my next visit.
I love how my family gets together, whether it's a birthday or just to visit someone who is sick. An uncle had his birthday during the weekend, and because he and his family lives in the US, everyday got around the laptop to talk to him on Skype. I remember in the past, we had to pay hundreds of dollars for a long distance call. Now, it's free, as long as you have internet and you have Skype. Keeping in touch with family has gotten easier. But I also think it has made a lot of people, including myself, complacent. With distant relatives seemingly becoming not-so-distant anymore, it becomes easier to forgo talking or catching up, just because we think they're just a phone call or a Skype chat away. Sometimes it is like that, but there are times when it's no longer that easy. My family's penchant for keeping close and coming together is something I'm relearning to appreciate.
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| Happy birthday Tito Dado! |
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