Ed and Cher: Zamboanga Part 1

After a short sleep from 11 pm to 2 am, woke up to get ready for our flight to Zamboanga. Had to be at the airport by 3.45 am. Airport was packed with people all rushing to head back to their hometown. The check in queue was long as ever and everyone was all pushing around. Airport authorities did not do a good job with ensuring proper queues were formed. It was just like the roads here in Penang with 4 lanes squeezing into 1 lane. But this was human beings not cars.

After a long wait, and good thing we came 2 hours earlier, we survived and headed to the boarding area, sat down and waited again for the flight. Flight was delayed again. We were so tired, thay we actually slept on the chair sitting straight up. I was a total Zombie. During the wait I was offered to try this sweet snack called Polvoron. When I say sweet…..it’s REALLY sweet. It tastes like a very rich and creamy shortbread with extra sugar. It was good, but really too sweet for me.

Polvoron

The texture of the Polvoron. Look exactly like those shortbread we find.

When we reached Zamboanga, the town was like a real cowboy town. The place was not much developed and there were a lot of kampong areas. But it was a good experience for me since I’m a city girl. People here travel mostly in the Jeepney or the tricycles. Not many cars around. Poverty here I think is quite bad as some areas we passed by, the houses were so shabby, dirty and small. Feel pitty for those people actually. Area here is rather humid and dusty.

Zamboanga Airport

That was our aeroplane, Cebu Pacific

After checking in at the Hotel, we rested for awhile, bathed and off we went to the family house. Ed’s uncle came in his jeep. Cool!!!! We had to crawl in and sit behind…dunno how to describe, so look at the picture.

The red jeep

Me behind the jeep legs stretched out. Had to crawl in from the window

Lunch we had home cooked food. Actually the whole stay at Zamboanga we had home cooked food, Real Philippine food. Lunch was simple, BBQ fish, left over lechon which they make it into a stew like Bak Kut The (lechon paksiur) (Even better), pork soup, squid cooked with the Ink (dish was all black..didn’t quite like it), Vegi mixed with seaweed jelly (unusual dish, had a pinch of sourness…I liked it) and two deserts (Cream Caramel- too sweet and another one which I didn’t try).

Lunch food. Spot the white plate with black stuffs in it. That's the squid cooked with the ink.

In the afternoon, followed the cousins to town, but I didn’t bring the camera as it was abit unsafe. Sat on a tricycle!!!!! Yahooo……what an experience. Town was like those cowboy movies you see with a lot of people walking by and vehicles everywhere packed on the small narrow road. Whole area all dusty and hot. There was only one main shopping mall here in this town where we were. Shops were simple shops, the only brand I saw was Giordano. But Ed and me didn’t go in the mall as we were here to pick the cousins up. Headed back to the family house and rested for while before heading to an aunties house. Sat in the Jeep again and drove around the area sightseeing before reaching the aunties house. At the aunties place, we were offered mango with vinegar. The mango is unripe (sour as ever) which you dip it either in vinegar mixed with soya sauce and sugar or vinegar mixed with Chinchalok (didn’t like this sauce). After eating we left the aunties house and headed back to the hotel for a quick change to get ready for the Christmas eve dinner.

The unripe mango. purple dish is the vinegar with chinchalok, right bowl is vinergar, soya sauce and sugar

shops along the main road

A lepak place to have a drink by the road side

This is actually a market just beside the main road

Heading to town

This is the tricyles which is everywhere here. Main transportation. It can carry up to 4-5 people sitting everywhere, front and back with hands holding tightly for support.