I’m writing this from Bangkok, but when the post goes live I’ll be in halfway into my two weeks in Burma, probably in Bagan. And hopefully not dead from the heat. Enough with what’s going on right now. What happened in April?

Highlights

• Being in Thailand. Seriously though, I feel like Thailand is the country you have to have been to if you’ve spent any time in Asia. Plus the food. Oh, the good! Curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve never been happier.
• Somehow we ended up in Koh Phangan during Songkran, or Thai New Year. For a few days the entire country turns into a huge water fight. Our hostel drove us into town in the back of a pick up truck and we spent hours dancing, getting into water fights, and eating cheap Thai food. It was one of the best days.
• To escape Bangkok for a few days while waiting for the Burmese embassy to reopen, Tara and I went to Kanchanaburi, home of the bridge over the river Kwai. The real highlight of the trip was hiking the seven level Erawan Waterfall. It was beautiful, with many pools to swim in and deep blue water.
• Say what you want to say about Khao San Road, it can be a lot of fun. On our first night in Bangkok Tara and I headed over to this “backpacker ghetto” and had a great meal, drank a few beers, did some shopping, and ate some crickets. All for really cheap. Stay away from the shirtless bros and it’s not all bad.

Lowlights

• My first week in Thailand I lost my debit card. I’m pretty sure I left it in an ATM at the Krabi airport. My bank was able to express mail a new card to my parents, but because of the Songkran holiday in Thailand it was delayed being sent here. Luckily, Tara was able to lend me money but it was still pretty stressful.
• A few days after that I decided it would be a good idea to rent a motorbike on Koh Lanta. I’m a horrible driver as is and have never driven a motorbike. Obviously I crashed it in the parking lot of the rental shop. It wasn’t too bad but I had to go to the hospital to get the wounds cleaned out and for a round of antibiotics.
• It rained almost every single day we were in southern Thailand. Like, torrential downpour. When you’re at a beach destination this pretty much sucks.

Distance Traveled: 2,677 miles
Planes: 2
Busses: 4
Vans: 3
Boats: 5
Beds Slept In: 12
Cockroaches seen: 2 (all in public places, thankfully!)
Rats seen: 3 (all in one night, all in Bangkok, all very large)
Countries Visited: Thailand, Burma
Places Visited: Krabi, Koh Lanta, Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Yangon, Kalaw, Inle Lake
Money Spent: Let’s not even talk about it. One day I will learn how to abide by a budget, this trip is not that day apparently. (And as much as I care, I don’t.)

Favorite Farsickness Posts

History Through Food: An Eating Tour of Manila’s Chinatown This walking tour was one of the best that I’ve ever been on, food related or otherwise. History and food, can it get any better?

Philippines Wrap Up Sometimes servicey posts are good. And this one contains some pretty pictures.

Sightseeing in Singapore (While Sick) Singapore is an awesome city with a lot to see and do. While I wasn’t able to check everything off due to some mystery illness, I still enjoyed myself.

What I’ve Been Reading

(Honestly, I haven’t been doing a ton of blog reading. When I’m on the Internet I’m usually writing and when I’m not I’m plowing through books!)

That Backpacker 9 Lessons Learned from a Month Backpacking Around SE Asia  Audrey and I left Korea at nearly the same time for our SE Asia trips and it seems we’ve learned a lot of the same things. Though, I think she’s a little more hardcore backpacker than me.

Active Backpacker What to do in Portland: Microbreweries, Food Trucks & Vintage The title really says it all. I hope to make it to the west coast sometime soon and it seems Portland has all my interests covered!

Farsickness Around the Internet

Asia Rooms 10 Things to do in Seoul I’m very excited to announce my first contribution to Asia Rooms! If you’re heading to Seoul, definitely check this out. Every time I read this I get a little sad knowing what awesome things I’m missing out on.

Ashley Abroad My Local Eats: Seoul, Korea Another Korea post to make me sad, I felt very honored to be able to contribute to Ashely’s great series, My Local Eats. I’d really love some Korea right now!

Future Travel Plans

I will be in Burma until May 8. After that I’ll spend the next couple of weeks exploring northern Thailand before heading over to Laos.

For real time updates make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

What were your favorite posts around the blogosphere in April? Do you have any travel plans that you are looking forward to in May?

April Wrap Up is a post from: Farsickness

Here are some tips for your travels to Singapore:

Days spent here: 2.5

Places visited: Uh, Singapore

Average daily expenditures: $62 a day. which isn’t bad considering just accomodation was nearly half that and Singapore is known for being quite expensive. This also included a S$20 ticket itno the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark and a fairly expensive lunch (comparatively) at Paradise Dynasty.

Weather: Really hot and really humid. From what I’ve gathered this seems to be the weather at all times during the year. It rained during the morning one day, but besides that it was sunny. And did I mention hot? Drink a lot of water and perhaps bring a parasol. I was tempted.

Language: Singapore has four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Thanks to colonialism, English is the language of instruction in Singaporean schools and is the most predominately spoken language on the island. Singaporeans speak with a pretty awesome accent and with a British inflection. They also use really cool words like “alight”, which had me walking around for two days saying alight in a horrible English accent.

People: Singapore is an interesting mix of mostly Chinese, Malay, and Indian people and their customs, religions, and food. Coming from Korea, it was interesting to see such diversity within the country. Because of a shared language, communication was easy and I almost felt like I was back home. Most people were fairly friendly and customer service seemed to have a bit of a western twinge to it.

Transportation: Getting around Singapore using the MRT is extremely easy and cost effecient. The fare depends on the distance traveled, S$1-2. You can buy a single journey ticket which can be reloaded up to six times (with 2 10 cent discounts at journeys 2 and 6) or you can purchase an unlimited journey ticket good for a certain number of days. If you anticipate using the MRT a lot, the unlimited journey ticket will save you some money. Remember to return it for a deposit refund.

Traveling overland to Malaysia from Singapore is very simple. There is a train that runs all the way to Thailand, but another, cheaper option is a bus. Busses to Melaka take about 2 hours and cost around S$25 depending on the company. You can also reach Kuala Lumpur in about 4 hours.

Accommodation: Accomodation in Singapore is pricey. I stayed in a 6 bed female dorm room and paid S$25 a night and this felt like a steal. While looking for accomodation it wasn’t unusual to see beds in dorms of over 20 people going for nearly S$30. If you’re keen on trying CouchSurfing or know of a friend of a friend living in Singapore, now would be the time to try that option if you’re looking to save a little money.

Internet and Phone Service: Knowing I was only going to be there for 2.5 days I again didn’t bother with a SIM card. Internet service in Singapore was great. The speeds at my hostel were extremely fast, almost as fast as Korea which is known for having the fastest Internet in the world. In addition, many restaurants had free WiFi for customers.

Food: Singapore is known as one of the premier food cities of Asia and Singaporeans take eating quite seriously. My mystery illness kept me from sampling as much as I’d like, but what I did try, I liked. Hawker centers are the best place to grab a meal, in my opinion. They are clean, offer a lot of variety, and the food is inexpensive yet delicious. Everything I ate at a hawker center was between S$2-6 while a meal at a restaurant probably wouldn’t have been less than S$15.

Nightlife and Alcohol: I didn’t drink at all in Singapore due to feeling like crap, and in that sense, feeling like crap was a blessing because alcohol is expensive. In Clarke Quay, beers were S$10 at the cheapest and bars were advertising specials that seemed almost ridiculous. A bucket of 5 Tigers for S$45? Crazy!

Have you been to Singapore? Would you like to go?

Singapore Wrap Up is a post from: Farsickness

1. Flavored xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty

When I read Edna’s post about Paradise Dynasty a month before I left on my trip, I immediately knew I would be making a stop there. Xiao long bao are a bit of an obsession of mine. I love the soft, thin skin of the dumpling and the way the thick, slightly sweet broth spills out when poked gently. There’s something a bit magical about soup dumplings. All this means I had to try the flavored ones.

The flavored xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty come in 8 flavors: original, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, and Szechaun. They are meant to be eaten in that order, with the stronger flavors at the end.

With the colorful dumplings staring up at me from the steaming basket, I couldn’t wait to take my first bite. The original xiao long bao were delicious, just as good as any I’ve had from the infamous Din Tai Fun, and I was eager to try the creative flavors.

My favorites were the flavors on the least strong end of the spectrum: ginseng, foie gras, and cheese. I felt that these still allowed the traditional flavor of xiao long bao to shine, but added a little something different. The others were a little too strong for my liking. At one point I felt like I was eating a mouthful of strong mushrooms instead of a dumpling.

Overall, the flavored xiao long bao at Paradise Dynasty were a fun spin on a Chinese dim sum classic. I would definitely return to Paradise Dynasty, the rest of the menu looked fantastic. And the air conditioning was welcome.

2. Wanton Mee at Lavender St. Hawker Center

Much to my luck, there was a very great hawker center located very near to my hostel. Hawker centers are an important part of food culture in Singapore. Originally started as a way to bring low cost food to many people, these centers are now home to some of the best food in the country.

If you’re wary of street food, don’t be of hawker centers in Singapore. These complexes are clean and well managed, owned and operated by one of three government entities. At most hawker centers you order your food from a stall, and it is delivered to your table. After sitting down, another person will take your drink order. It’s extremely simple and a good meal will be well under S$10.

After a long day of sightseeing I made my way to Lavender Street Hawker Center and pulled a classic Singaporean move. I was unsure of what to eat, so I made my way to the stall with the longest line. Here I found wonton mee, or dumpling noodles. Thin, yellow noodles were served with a slightly spicy sauce and topped with char siew, or barbecued pork and dumplings. I slurped mine down quickly at a table with other satisfied patrons.

Unfortunately my list of what I ate in Singapore ends at 2. I did eat a couple of other meals. Mostly Nutella on tost and an overpriced chicken breast and potato salad in Clarke Quay, but these two really stand out. I count on being back in Singapore and eating non-stop sometime in the future!

What I Ate In…Singapore is a post from: Farsickness

While this was somewhat devastating, I was still able to enjoy some of Singapore’s other fine qualities.

View at the Marina Bay Sands

While I wasn’t able to tread water in their magnificent infinity pool (damn you, backpacker budget!), I still managed to catch a great view from the top of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel. Admission to the SkyPark Observation Deck costs S$20, which may seem steep but is pretty comparable to similar observation platforms around the world. And this is Singapore, so really, what did you expect? Tara and I went in the late afternoon and spent a few hours gazing at the city below as the sun made its slow descent and the skyline’s bright lights were turned on.

Gardens by the Bay

Located next to Marina Bay Sands, these gardens are distinguishable by their very weird looking trees. Called Supertrees, they are actually vertical gardens that help the gardens function in many ways. Admission to the main gardens is free (you have to pay for some of the special areas), and it is a nice place to walk around, even if you have to stop every five seconds to catch your break like me. There are models of many traditional types of gardens from around the world, and a lot of shade so you can quickly escape the overbearing Singapore sun for a few minutes at a time.

Little India

Little India was memorable for two reasons. The first being that almost everyone there was an Indian man. This may seem expected considering the area of town is called Little India, but honestly, about 98% of the people milling about were men, mostly with dad jeans and 90s moustaches. It was surreal. The second reason Little India deserves a mention? S$5 eyebrow threading. Enough said.

Chinatown 

Next on our tour of immigrant communities was Singapore’s Chinatown. Most of the streets right around the MRT station are filled with cheap souvenirs and overpriced restaurants, but the juxtaposition of English colonial architecture painted in pastel hues and Chinese signs made for a nice photo walk.

Clarke Quay 

By the time I got to Clarke Quay on my last evening in Singapore I had a high fever, couldn’t see straight, and was hacking up a lung but I was still impressed by the cuteness of Clarke Quay. It’s obvious that this area of town is pretty popular with expats and travelers as most of the restored warehouses along the river are home to foreign restaurants (there was even a Hooter’s) and pubs, but it still managed to keep a bit of a historic feel to it.

I really felt like I could Singapore. I immediately felt like it was a city I could live in. Clean and orderly, there was still a feeling of excitement and a sense of character despite the rules that are always mentioned. For Asia, it was incredibly multicultural and it wasn’t surprising to hear 3 or 4 different languages being spoken around you on the MRT.

What would you like to visit most in Singapore?

Sightseeing in Singapore (While Sick) is a post from: Farsickness

Days spent here: 14

Places visited: Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Manila

Average daily expenditures: $51.27 a day. I could’ve definitely spent a lot less, but I splurged on accommodation and food in El Nido. With no regrets!

Weather: HOT! Coming from an extremely cold Korean winter, the heat of the Philippines was a shock. But a good one. March is the dry season in Palawan and we experienced only sunshine the entire time we were there. The weather in Manila was similar in temperature, with a few scattered showers in the afternoon and evening.

Language: Tagalog and English are the official languages of the Philippines. Tagalog, officially called Filipino, an interesting language that due to the colonial past of the country, is made up of about 40% loan words from Spanish. The majority of the people I encountered spoke English extremely well which made traveling easy.

People: Everyone I encountered in the Philippines was very kind and seemed genuinely excited to have you visiting their country. I never had the feeling I was being truly taken advantage of because of being foreign, a feeling I like to have.

Transportation: Manila has a wide range of public transportation options, but due to our location we took mostly taxis which are extremely cheap. The starting fare is about US$1. Make sure the driver uses the meter. In the smaller cities the tricycle, a motorcycle with a sidecar attached, is the main mode of transportation. While you probably won’t get the same rate as locals, trikes are still a very cheap mode of transportation. Most rides I took cost no more than US$2 for two people, while I was able to score a 15 cent ride once when I was alone.

Getting between cities and islands takes slightly more effort: a ferry (some with not the greatest of safety records) or flight. Cebu Pacific and Air Phil Express both offer low cost flights around the country. Flights in the country generally seem to run around US$50.

Jeepneys, buses, and vans are used to get between cities on the same island. Jeepneys are the cheapest, and most local, but looked far from comfortable. We took a van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, which was cramped but had aircon.

Accommodation: Outside of Manila it seems that guesthouses or bungalows are the most common option. In Puerto Princesa, it seemed that US$20 was a common price for a double room with aircon. El Nido has a variety of options, but like I said earlier, we splurged on a beachfront bungalow with aircon for US$50 a night. In El Nido the electricity only runs from 2pm-6am and you can expect a cold shower. Manila has a wider range of accommodation options in all price ranges. We stayed in a hostel for $15 a night per person. It is said that accommodation prices in the Philippines tend me run higher than other countries in southeast Asia.

Internet and Phone Service: Internet service in the Philippines is spotty at best. Restaurants and bars seemed to be the best bet for wifi in Palawan, but the speed was usually incredibly slow. In Manila it was slightly faster but still difficult at time to even connect to Gmail. I tried to get a SIM card for my iPhone when I arrived in Puerto Princesa but found that they had no SIM cards for smart phones, so if you want to go that route you might have better luck in a bigger city like Manila or Cebu.

Food: The Philippines have an interesting and varied cuisines owing to the mix of cultures in the country that the centuries of Spanish rule. There are some dishes that feel uniquely Asian, while others have a definite Spanish feel to them. Filipino food also varies greatly by region, different parts of the country even have different preparations of the same dish. All of this makes for interesting culinary travels! I highlighted some of my favorite dishes here, but if you want a condensed version of what you should seek out then look for adobo, sinigang, lechon, fresh seafood, and if you’re really adventurous, balut. I’m still sad I didn’t get to try it. Filipino food is generally inexpensive, which gives you no reason to not sample a bunch of dishes during your travels.

Nightlife and Alcohol: There is no shortage of nightlife options in the Philippines! Most of my time was spent at bars featuring the ever ubiquitous Filipino cover band. Fantastic covers of Adele, laid back acoustic sets, and interesting covers of Sexy Bitch, the Filipino cover band has you, ahem, covered in terms of entertainment for the evening. Beer is fairly inexpensive. San Miguel, the national beer of the Philippines, is the cheapest at around US$1.50, and their higher alcohol content (and my favorite) Red Horse is just slightly more at US$2.

Philippines Wrap Up is a post from: Farsickness

Binondo is a majority Chinese area in Manila, and is considered to be the world’s oldest Chinatown. 5% of Manila’s population is Chinese, called ‘Chinoy’, and their cuisine plays a major part in the way the people of the city eat.

From Binondo Church we walked to New Po Heng Lumpia House, a small restaurant located in the back courtyard of a old building. Seated on plastic chairs, Ivan told the group about one of the most famous Chinese foods in Manila, lumpia, or spring rolls. At New Po Heng we would try the most classic type: freshly rolled.

The lumpia were much larger than I expected, almost resembling a small, Chinese burrito and filled with 90% vegetables. Ivan gave us instructions on how to ready them for eating: a dab of hot sauce, a glob of a sweeter sauce, and a dusting of peanuts. The combination of sweet, hot, and the crunch of the fresh vegetables was fantastic and I had to keep reminding myself that there were still 3 more hours of eating left.

After lumpia, we made our way to Dong Bei Dumpling House. Although the majority of Chinese immigrants in Manila came from the southern Chinese province of Fujian, the dumplings of Dong Bei are northern Chinese cuisine.

Everything at Dong Bei is homemade and we were able to watch the employees roll out the wrappers and fill them before they were sent to the back to be boiled.

First, we tried jiao tse, a dumpling that looks similar to a potsticker. The jiao tse had three different types of fillings which gave them a slightly different appearance. The dumplings filled with chives were a vibrant green, those filled with celery and cabbage looked much more pale, and the ones with shrimp inside were slightly orange. Next up, we tried a Chinese stuffed pancake, similar to something I’d made in Taiwan, which is almost like a dumpling that is pressed flat.

Dipped in a sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and chili oil, the dumplings were delicious and fresh.

Though we were starting to feel ever more full, we continued on for merienda. A holdover from the Spanish colonial times, merienda is a snack between lunch and dinner. Being Chinatown, our first merienda treat was siu bao. Siu bao is a Chinese hot bun that is filled with pork and seven spices and then steamed. The taste was slightly sweet, different from other pork buns I’ve had.

Finally, it was time for the main course, lunch, at a second floor restaurant called Cafe Mezzanine. We were served salted rice, a type of white rice cooked with soy sauce, peanuts, and chives, and fish ball soup and instructed to dip the rice into the soup broths to wet it slightly. Luckily, the portions were small as I was positively stuffed at this point.

That being said, there was still one more stop. Dessert. Ivan brought us to a small shop selling hopia, a pastry traditionally filled with bean paste. At the mention of bean paste I was hesitant. I’d choked down enough red bean filled desserts in Korea to know I was not a fan, but when I was handed a newer version of hopia, filled with a sweet pastry cream, I was impressed. Though, with only enough room in my stomach for a tiny piece.

With that the tour was over and it was time to roll my over-indulged self through the sweltering streets of Manila, back to air conditioned sanctuary that was my hostel to recover.

The morning spent exploring Manila’s frenetic Chinatown with Old Manila Walks was an entertaining and educational one.

And one that kept me full for hours.

What dish from Manila’s Chinatown sounds the best to you?

Note: My tour was in no way sponsored, nor was I asked to write a review.

History Through Food: An Eating Tour of Manila’s Chinatown is a post from: Farsickness

I can’t believe I am one month into my trip- a quarter of the way done! March has had its ups and downs, which I’ll write about in more detail below, but I think I’ve finally settled into a good routine and gotten used to being on the road and being away from Korea.

Highlights

• El Nido had been a dream destination of mine for some time, so actually making it there, the first real stop of our trip, was a special moment. As was swimming in the turquoise big lagoon.
• The Cameron Highlands were a cool respite from the sweltering temperatures of Singapore and Melaka. With temperatures of around 18 degrees Celsius I was walking around in long sleeves! Not only comfortable, the mountainous tea plantations were like nothing I’d ever seen before and the tea was delicious.
• Snorkeling in the Perhentian Islands has been the highlight of this trip so far. I swam next to a huge sea turtle, a shark, and schools of beautiful fish. This little day trip may have even inspired me to get PADI certified in Thailand.
• The Perhentian Islands were also the site of a reunion. My friend Marty who is doing is own post-Korea travels around Asia was able to swing a few days between Burma and Sri Lanka to bum around at the beach with us. It was a wonderful time and really nice to see a familiar face.

Lowlights

• The five hour van ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido and back was my idea of a nightmare. On top of windy unpaved roads, the van was cramped and I couldn’t fit my legs behind the seat comfortable which led them to be numb from the knee down. It was well worth it but the pain and fear were bad.
• Seeing 2 cockroaches. One of which was the largest bug I’ve ever seen in my life. In our private bathroom. I know that bugs of these sort are just part of being in southeast Asia but I’m not a big fan of bugs and I’d never seen a cockroach before this trip so it was a shock.
• Getting food poisoning and some sort of respiratory illness at the same time which resulted in me not being able to enjoy my time in Singapore or eat for about 3 days.

Distance Traveled: 4,761 miles
Planes: 4
Busses: 4
Vans: 4
Boats: 6
Beds Slept In: 11
Cockroaches seen: 2
Countries Visited: Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia
Places Visited: Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Manila, Singapore, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Perhentian Islands, Georgetown
Money Spent: About $1,500. This is above my initial budget but seems to be more realistic so I’m going with it!

Favorite Farsickness Posts

Farewell Korea: What I Learned in the Land of the Morning Calm Saying goodbye to Korea was harder than I thought it would be, but I learned some valuable lessons.

My Pre-Trip Fears I’m a natural worrier so I obviously had some reservations before this trip began. Luckily, besides some stomach issues, nothing too bad has happened!

What I Ate In…The Philippines It may have caused food poisoning, but I ate well in the Philippines.

Paradise Found: El Nido, Philippines El Nido was a dream of mine and it did not disappoint.

What I’ve Been Reading

Expat Edna Surprise! Edna surprised her family by coming home, something I’ve always wanted to do, and it was touching.

Lateral Movements The Hardest Part of Travel The last time I left my family I cried and cried and cried. Lauren’s post touches on how hard it is to be the one who chooses to go.

Nomadic Samuel The Challenges of Being a Digital Nomad Sam and I left Korea around the same time and are both having difficulties reconciling the traveling and writing life.

Travels of Adam Couchsurfing for Food Adam details a new social networking site- one that connects hungry travelers.

Sateless Suitcase The Art Historian’s Guide to Not Being a Perfect Traveler  Sometimes I just wanted a double cheeseburger and air con when I’m traveling. Julika understands.

Farsickness Around the Internet

GoAbroad Blog of the Week I was named GoAbroad Blog of the Week! This was a huge honor and I’m so flattered to be appear on their site.

Future Travel Plans

I’m taking a flight today from KL to Krabi. I’ll spend the next two weeks island hopping in southern Thailand and then make my way up to Bangkok. The final two weeks of the month will be spent exploring Burma.

For real time updates make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

What were your favorite posts around the blogosphere in March? Do you have any travel plans that you are looking forward to in April?

March Wrap Up is a post from: Farsickness

I’m currently in the Perhentian Islands where there’s no internet! While I’m away take a look at this guest post about dining in the Caribbean, one of my favorite vacation spots on the world. 

Caribbean cuisine is recognised all around the world, in part for its vibrant colours, distinct spices and unique flavours but also as a result of the islands’ tumultuous past and position on trading routes. Despite the island chain’s location in The Caribbean Sea; grasping out north to America, west to Mexico and south to the rest of South America, its food has far more in common with countries to the east. It’s The Caribbean’s diverse history of occupation and trade that has formed the cuisine we see today.

Before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492 the indigenous people of The Caribbean survived on native vegetation such as guavas, papaw, cassava and yams and invented the barbeque by cooking meat on green sticks over fire. Barbeques are now widespread throughout the world and to a certain extent the original Caribbean diet has endured as well. When the Spanish arrived en masse in the 1500s they introduced their own crops in the form of citrus fruits, coconuts, date palms, ginger and figs which are strongly associated with the islands despite being imports. Slaves were also brought to the islands by the Spanish and with them the cooking practices of Africa. The slaves were forced to eat whatever their masters left them and this paucity combined with limited natural food sources heavily informed today’s cuisine. In fact, until the recent availability of international food importation, St Lucia’s dishes still revolved around cheap cuts of meat such as pig tail, pork hock and chicken back.

CC Image via Flickr user dinesh_valke

The British were next to arrive, over throwing the Spanish sometime in the 17^th century and bringing with them a love for anything encased in pastry. As the natives and remaining inhabitants adapted to their new oppressors and their diets, spiced meats and pastry came together to form the iconic ‘Jamaican pattie’. The British were also responsible for turning the islands into sugar cane plantations which would later be fermented to produce rum.

After the slave trade was abolished, The Caribbean began to see immigrants arriving from China and India. These new arrivals brought with them rice and chillies, enabling the classic Caribbean pairing of rice and peas (actually beans). At some point during this period the method now known as ‘jerk’ was being developed. The process of curing, smoking or slow cooking spiced meat is quintessentially Caribbean. Additionally, trade improved with the Americas and potatoes, tomatoes, corn and squash were all introduced to the islands.

CC Image via Flickr user gsz

To this day traditional methods, ingredients and processes are widespread across the islands. Food transportation has improved so even brussel sprouts can be found on restaurant menus and fast food chains are making in-roads. On Montserrat, however, they still eat ‘Mountain Chicken’ which is actually the leg of an (albeit endangered) indigenous frog. On Trinidad and Tobago, the street stalls still peddle cheap meals cooked to original recipes and turtle remains The Cayman Islands’ national dish. Seafood is abundant everywhere thanks to the ample, fertile coastlines, especially on Barbados where the specialities are crawfish, red snapper and yellowtail. Jamaica has even developed its own unique diet centred around Rastafarian culture which follows a strict set of rules and prohibits the use of meat and salt.

The Caribbean islands are such a sought after holiday destination that there are even Michelin star restaurants in the region now but travellers hungry for authentic cuisine will still be able to find the ever popular curry goat, fried plantain, steamed cabbage and fried dumplings. For the ultimate gastronomic holiday visit as many islands as possible, taste the nuances of their individual cuisines and experience recipes created as a result of hundreds of years of occupation and trade.

Cruises are an easy and cost effective way of visiting multiple islands in one Caribbean vacation. Click here for further details of travelling to the Caribbean on a cruise.

A Gastronomic Tour of the Caribbean is a post from: Farsickness

El Nido.

Located on Palawan, one of the least developed of the major islands in the Philippines, I’d only heard fabulous reviews about this beach town. Island hopping in turquoise waters, unspoiled beaches, and the world’s last frontier were just some of the things my friends had told me about El Nido so when it was finally time to leave Puerto Princesa and head north, I was ecstatic.

After a six hour crammed minivan ride over some terrifying roads, Tara and I took a tricycle to the main street and began looking for accommodation. We ended up booking an oceanfront cottage at Chizlyk Cottages. It was a little more than I’d normally pay for accommodation but it was about 50 feet from the sea and the owner was a sweetheart.

For the next few days we went into full on vacation mode.

Days started early, usually close to 6 am when the power around town was shut off the room began to get hotter and hotter. After throwing on a bathing suit and sundress, we’d usually make our way to the Art Cafe for breakfast before hitting the beach or swimming in the sea.

On our first day we spent some time at the beach outside our cottage. The water was shallow and clear making it the perfect place to wade around and cool off for a while.

The next day we went on one of El Nido’s famous island hopping tours. Just about every establishment in town offers these four tours and we booked Tour A through our cottage owner for 700 pesos (the standard price). A boat picked us up at the beach outside our cottage and we began the 30 minute journey to our first stop, the Small Lagoon.

This area was crowded with other boats, but you could swim through rock openings to get to smaller and less crowded lagoons to swim or snorkel in peace. It was at this point that a jelly fish swam very close by and touched me. Luckily, I was not stung but it was a little too close of an encounter with nature for me.

Next up was a small beach area that was also crowded but the white sand and clear water made for some spectacular views.

Our third stop was an almost deserted beach with the most turquoise water. There were no shells and rocks and it was the perfect place to swim in peace. Our boat captain cooked us a delicious lunch of grilled fish, fresh fruit, pork, and salad which we ate right on the sand.

After lunch we took a ride over to the Big Lagoon, probably the most famous place in all of El Nido. The water is deep, clear, and very blue. It was the perfect place to jump off the boat and not worry about any encounters with jelly fish.

Our final stop on the tour was 7 Commando Beach, one of the more developed islands. There was a beach bar serving up cold beer and tropical drinks and a line up of boats dropping off sun kissed tourists. We grabbed a drink and spent the rest of our time alternating between the sand and the sea, making sure to take advantage of every last second of sunlight.

We spent our last day at Las Cabanas, a beach resort a few kilometers outside of town. A quick tricycle ride away, the resort offers access to their beach for free. Even though it rained on and off that day, we enjoyed sipping coconuts under palm trees and soaking up the sun.

We ended each day similarly- with dinner and a cold beer or two on the each- while enjoying the fabulous sunsets of El Nido.

El Nido is paradise. Things move slowly. There isn’t pressure to do much, only enjoy your surroundings while you’re there. It was the perfect way to unwind after two years in Korea and the perfect way to start this trip.

Paradise Found: El Nido, Philippines is a post from: Farsickness

The Philippines was an exciting destination for me partially because I was unfamiliar with much of their cuisine. I was looking forward to being able to discover some new dishes. Philippine food, I learned, has a lot of influence from other cuisines, especially from the Spanish who ruled the country for several hundred years. Being a chain of islands it was not a surprise to find a lot of seafood on menus, and Filipinos love them some pork.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much time to chow down as I would’ve liked. Toward the end of my stay I got a wicked stomach virus during which even the mention of the word ‘food’ had me gagging. Despite that I was able to find some delicious treats during my two weeks in Puerto Princesa, El Nido, and Manila.

1. Sinigang 

Sinigang is a Filippino soup that is most well known for its sour tamarind flavor. This was a new dish for me and I was instantly hooked. Filled with bits of pork (a fish variety is also popular), eggplant, okra, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and other delicious vegetables the soup’s distinctive flavor was powerful, yet smooth. I had this in Puerto Princesa, but it’s popular and can be found on pretty much any menu in the Philippines.

2. Sweet and sour lapu-lapu (grouper)

I had a lot of really great, fresh seafood in the Philippines and this lapu-lapu, the Filippino grouper, in Puerto Princesa stood out. At the restaurant you can pick out the seafood you want and choose how it is cooked. We got this lapu-lapu deep fried and smothered with a thick sweet and sour sauce. Not the healthiest choice, but a delicious one nonetheless.

3. Pizza at Altrove 

This isn’t Filippino food, but it was so good that it deserves a mention here. Located on the main street in El Nido, the pizza here was some of the best I’ve had outside of Italy. Seriously. The southern Italian style pies are cooked in a brick oven and have the perfect cheese to sauce ratio and a selection of delicious toppings. We tried the margherita and Mediterranean and both were superb. The prices here are a little steep for the Philippines but worth every peso.

4. Garlic and butter prawns

Almost every afternoon that we were in Puerto Princesa Tara and I saw a family walk up and down the main street with a bucket of fresh prawns. They stopped at each restaurant selling their fresh catch. Obviously, this meant I needed to indulge often and indulge I did. The best rendition by far was in Puerto Princesa smothered in garlic and butter.

5. Lechon 

Lechon is the national dish of the Philippines, present at every large celebration in the country. A holdover from Spanish colonial times, lechon is a suckling pig roasted over a spit. Also known as, pure ecstasy in food form. Unfortunately, by the time we got a chance to try it I was already feeling a bit sick and we had to resort to eating lechon at the Mall of Asia food court in Manila. It was delicious (how could a plate of sucking pig not be?) but it wasn’t the crispy skin deliciousness I’d been waiting for.

What looks the best to you? What is your favorite Filippino food?

What I Ate In…The Philippines is a post from: Farsickness