Adventure Accounting

I associate Sri Lankan food with Indian food. Can't blame me. Both countries integrate cumin in their daily diet.  I don't like cumin. I don't like spicy food.  So what's there to eat for someone who dies with spice? I got some breakfast from the hostel. Their continental breakfast is just okay. They have a "side spice" that you can sprinkle on everywhere. I left it untouched.  Breakfast platter at Drift BnB Colombo I enjoyed the meals that were served to me during my stay in Oasis Tourist Family Resort . The food was freshly prepared and tasted like it. They said that they grow their own cumin instead of buying from the shops. The store-bought cumin had preservatives in them. I didn't know how cumin plants looked like so I wasn't able to check. The guesthouse charged LKR 667 for a full Sri Lankan type meal. I know that I can probably find cheaper ones outside, but I really liked the convenience of eating at the guesthouse and taking my ti...

I have been avoiding eating animals  since my week-long detox adventure in Ananda Marga . It can be tough, but it is manageable. However, managing my choices becomes really difficult when I travel to different place.  Kobe is not a place for vegetarian wannabes like me.  Wagyu is a type of cattle breed which is predisposed to marbling. Marbling results to this nice fat around the lean meat of the cattle.  There are a lot "t rying hard" restaurants nowadays that pass off their Wag yu meat as the real deal. I've read menus that claim they bred wagyu in Laguna and in Cagayan de Oro. Technically, that may be right. But in terms of taste...? I shelled out money for trying some of these local Wagyu stuff but the real deal can be found in Kobe.  We travelled to Kobe to try this authentic real genuine Wagyu stuff.  We got the 1-Day Hankyu Tourist Pass whic h costs JPY 700. This allows the holder unlimited travel on Hanky u lines connecting Osaka, Kyoto and ...

I didn't know what to expect from Bolivian cuisine. There wasn't a lot of familiar fastfood chains when I wandered around the streets of La Paz . It took me a while to find an ATM that accepts my card so that I could get more Bolivianos. I was hungry and I picked up the delicious scent of friend chicken. Sold! Pollos Copacabana With my hand gestures and limited Spanish, I ordered a meal set with a sad chicken leg, sad plantains, soda and some fries. It was a sad meal for BOB 27. That dang fried chicken scent! Sad chicken meal. We stopped at Mercato Lanza during the walking tour. has a lot of stalls that serve fruit salad, fruit juices, fruit shakes and fruit sandwiches. There were also stalls that serves meals but we didn't go there. I learned that Bolivia grew 600 different types of potatoes. For someone like me who loves fries...that...is...awesome. Fruits fruits fruits

1 Peruvian Sole = approximately 15 Philippine Pesos Peruvian cuisines vary per region. It depends on what crops the region grew. Peruvian cuisine is influenced by the Spanish, German and some Asian techniques. I didn't come to Peru with a food gameplan, so I relied on recommendations from my hostels. Shortly after I arrived in Lima Backpackers , Marco, a really awesome host, brought us to this restaurant blocks and blocks away from our neighborhood. Marco ordered his usual soup and appetizer order while the rest of us went for the authentic Peruvian options. The appertizer is this some type of dried corn, which tastes like popcorn. I ordered the meal combo calamares + rice + ceviche. I ordered a lemon slush while most of them got a beer. Ceviche is raw fish flavored in lime, lemon, salt, pepper and other spices. In some variations, ceviche can be lightly cooked.  Lunch plate and drink for 27 soles Ceviche can seriously put kilawin out of business. It as ...

*Welcome to the land of fame and excess” – Party in the USA, Miley Cyrus.  EXCESS. I’ve been trying my best to avoid eating animals ever since my detox adventure in Cebu last January. Two documentaries changed by view about eating meat, eating fast food and portion sizes. Both documentaries focused on the diet behaviors in the US. Now, I completely understand why. I did not research about the restaurants to try in LA. I figured I’ll just try the usual chains and compare them to the Philippines: KFC, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway and other normal chains.   Warning: taxes in the menu excludes state tax. State tax in CA in 9%. So much for my American Foodchain Dream. My first American lunch I had a very late lunch in this sushi place near my dorm. I wanted to try Subway but I was with a dormmate and she wanted to try the sushi place. I wanted to sit down and eat too, so I let myself be dragged into the Japanese restaurant. I ordered a bento box f...

Willpower is not enough to conquer your goal.  You need a support system to achieve your goal. A healthy lifestyle requires determination, commitment and discipline. Among the three, discipline is the most challenging element. Discipline requires you to make the smarter choice in a set of bad options (like ordering in a restaurant, or eating at a birthday party). At some point in your life, you’ll gain weight. (Read: when you age) Losing weight is a short/medium term goal. Getting healthy is a long term goal. As 2015 rolled in, I chose to kickstart this healthy living project by going on a detox.  Research led me to local and foreign options. The Farm in San Benito is a popular choice but a week in it would cost me the same as three weeks in Europe . I'd rather spend the money in Europe. There are also mid-range options in Phuket. There's also Bahay Kalipay in Palawan, but I was a bit iffy with their bathroom arrangements. Fortunately, Ananda Marga Cebu came...

Cows have four intestines, at least. All of that to convert the grass into milk.  A cow's digestive system You’ll envy a cow when you go to Bacolod. Our intestines are not enough to handle all the gastronomic options in Bacolod. Prepare to commit one of the seven deadly sins in Bacolod: Gluttony. Our lunch in El Ideal Bakery in Silay proves that good food does not need to be pretentious or expensive. Food here is simple, far from being “artisanal”, but the flock of customers in the shop is consistent.   I think the local longanisa meal is around Php 120. Then Sarah and I shared two slices of pie and fresh lumpia, one of their bestsellers too. I shelled out Php 176.00 for my lunch. Affordable and delicious food. I guess that’s the advantage of eating in the province; you’ll get really good food at reasonable prices. Unlike in Metro Manila, where you’ll have to pay moolah for a so-so food. I wouldn’t mind retiring in the province someday...

It was a very early morning flight going to Batanes. I've read that rides can get bumpy. Fortunately, my flight to Batanes was pretty smooth, minimal bumps. The place was bigger that I expected.  Stone-building airport. Cool. Accommodations: I stayed Palangud House, which is also managed Ate Fe of the famous Marfel’s Lodge. Palangud House was cheaper at Php 350/night for a single-bed room, common bathroom. It has its own honesty shop, where you can buy food (instant noodles, coffee, junk food). Prices of this in-house honesty shop is actually quite reasonable. Humble rooms Pretty basic type of accommodation. Ate Fe charges minimal fee if you cook something complicated like rice or viand. Since I just heated water and fried eggs, she didn’t charge me at all. Water is available during certain hours of the day so there are drums of water for storage.  I also left most of my stuff when I spent a night in Sabtang island. I...

Aside from a cheap snow experience, I had no solid plans of what to visit in Korea. I skipped visiting the other planned palaces, although the Changdeokgung Palace is a hop away from Banana Backpackers. Lots of other tourist spots but the cold weather made me want to do less.   I started walking around Bukchon Hanok Village. It started snowing when I was on my way there. The village boasts some of the traditional Korean houses. The residents are generous enough to allow tourists to roam freely, but they signs posted around to limit the noise as it is still a residential area and people live there. I walked around and enjoyed the falling snow.     I really liked this door so I patiently waited for someone to pass so that he can take my photo here. 

Lisbon is famous for its amazing seafood dishes. I met two travelers who said they’ve tasted the best seafood in their life in Lisbon! I raised an eyebrow at that. I would still argue that the best seafood can be found in the shores of Palawan , Surigao and Davao . Codfish is the specialty of Lisbon. I’m not sure if the codfish is special because it is somewhat unique in Lisbon. It does not have a “Lisbon Codfish Special” recipe. Restaurant menus offer baked codfish, fried codfish, boiled in a sauce and grilled. I had lunch after my two-hour tour around Lisbonupon my arrival . A very late lunch in restaurant near the hostel, as they recommended.  The restaurant flaunted this aquarium with sea creatures. The waiter brought me a basket of (cold) bread, two pieces of croquettes, butter, oil and olives as appetizers. Swanky set. The codfish was perfectly baked but the seasoning was too salty. Too much butter and flavor that was too strong to the de...

Two weeks in Spain is bound to take a toll on your digestive tract. The meat made me bloated. Ugh. Since I was doing Granada alone, I had no food adviser with me and I had to scout around and order stuff for myself. Granada is one town where you order your drink, and the tapas come along with the drink, for free! I did my homework. The hostel did not suggest any specific place to try. Now, the thing to note is that some placed are closed during daytime (and their daytime is until 7PM during the summer). I tried to find a #1 restaurant in Tripadvisor fully determined to try our their cuisine but I found their place closed at 7PM, they open for dinner at 9PM. Being a slave to my appetite, I settled for a Burger King instead. Hindi ko na kaya maghintay ng two hours. Hindi ako nagtatrabaho para magutom no. Dinner at Burger King € 3,95. I enjoyed eating all those greens. After more than a week of sampling meat, my intestines can use something healthy.  I ordered t...

I don’t know if I can keep up writing about the allthe tapas that I encountered in Spain . But I’ll try. Experienced some really good food, I gotta share these. A combo of paella and wine costs €5. The paella was tasty, but I’ve tasted tastier paellas in the Philippines.              This chorizo is not worth the €6.82 I spent. Too hard. Not sure if they allow you to taste first before buying. But do try, or you may end up regretting your purchase.   Don’t convert the prices into PHP. Mercato di San Miguel has an amazing selection of tapas. You can spend an entire day inside this market and just commit gluttony the entire day. You won’t run out of choices. Olives.   Plancha. Looks scary to me We went all out in Toledo after enduring the pathsof the hilly town . We had Sangria, jamon, croquettes and mushrooms. Total bill for both of us was €49.50...