Cagayan De Oro (PASTEL)

Last week, Marc and I joined fellow travel bloggers on a weekend trip to Cagayan De Oro. So nope, we didn’t go to Camiguin, but we just couldn’t resist but bring home three dozens of these yummy custard-filled buns—straight from a Vjandep branch in Cagayan de Oro.

Vjandep is the popular brand name of this delicious pastry. I don’t know if they’re the ones who invented it, but they certainly are the most popular. I have no idea how the Pastel came about, but what I do know it’s a small bun (similar to the usual dinner buns you get at steak restaurants), with a sweet custard filling. It’s best eaten at room temperature, the custard loses its creaminess a bit when refrigerated—best “thaw” it out first before eating if you had it stored in the fridge.


Pastel is also available here in Metro Manila, mostly in leading supermarkets and groceries. However, the price difference is incredible—I saw a half-dozen box selling for Php98 here. From Vjandep’s branch in Cagayan de Oro (which is near Camiguin where Vjandep Pastel originally came from), it’s less than Php60. A box of a dozen Pastel buns is only about Php115 there.

The price of Pastel here sucks, but hey, at least I’ll get to satisfy a Pastel craving when it arises—you just wait when our stock here runs out

The Plunge

E.A.T. Danao or the Danao Adventure Park has the only canyon swing in the Philippines. And it’s called the Plunge. It’s considered the main attraction of the Danao Adventure Park here in Bohol Philippines.

Bohol Extreme Thrills -- The Plunge a must see in In Danao Adventure Park. This is a canyon swing which is called the Plunge. It’s a 50-meter free fall drop from the top of the 200-meter high cliff. Then as you hit the end of the rope, you’ll be swinging over the canyon for about 5 minutes before they haul you back up.



I survived the E.A.T. Danao Plunge! Talk about wild rides!E.A.T. Danao or the Danao Adventure Park has the only canyon swing in the Philippines. And it's called the Plunge. It's can be considered the main attraction of the Danao Adventure Park.

After the visit to Kamira Cave in the morning, and a sumptuous buffet lunch (they have weekend buffets at Php250/head), we proceeded back to the cliff for even more activities. I had a second shot at the Suislide, the highest zipline in the country at 200 meters.
RELAX! :]

Then it was a challenging 60-meter rappel down the cliff. Don't worry about how to get up again since they have a motorized rope which hauls you back to the top. My arm accidentally hit the metal figure eight descender which gets really hot as you go down. So I had to contend with a minor burn. Others in the group hit the ropes which caused bigger burn marks in the stomach area, arms or neck. So you really have to be composed when rapelling down the cliff.

Adobo

Adobo (Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a stock (or sauce), of different components, including paprika (from red peppers), oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar — mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be used—primarily to preserve and enhance the flavor of food. The cooking technique is native to Spanish cuisine,[1] and, once becoming widely used in Latin America, was subsequently adopted in other countries, such as the United States.[2]


Alternatively, in Venezuela, adobo refers to a mixture of salt with various spices, technically known as sal condimentada (seasoned salt).[3]

Lechon/Lechón

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Lechón is a pork dish in several regions of the world, most specifically Spain and its former colonial possessions throughout the world. The word lechón originated from the Spanish termleche (milk); thus lechón refers to a suckling pig that is roasted. Lechón is a popular food in thePhilippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, other Spanish-speaking nations in Latin America, and Spain. The dish features a whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal. Nowadays in most of Latin America, the original use of a suckling pig has given way to a medium-sized adult pig.


In most regions, lechón is prepared throughout the year for any special occasion, during festivals, and the holidays. After seasoning, the pig is cooked by skewering the entire animal, entrails removed, on a large stick and cooking it in a pit filled with charcoal. The pig is placed over the charcoal, and the stick or rod it is attached to is turned in a rotisserie action. The pig is roasted on all sides for several hours until done. The process of cooking and basting usually results in making the pork skin crisp and is a delicious food

Philippine Flag

The national flag of the Philippines (Tagalog: Pambansang Watawat ng Pilipinas) is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent the country's provinces; and at each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star, each of which, represent the country's 3 main islands, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This flag can indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top.[1]