Pink Flummery!!!

Since moving here from Chicago, I have followed a few blogs here and there. Two of my very favorite is Don Marco's guateliving.com , Genesis' expatmom.info and Marina's http://travelexperta.com/ These three blogs are based here in Antigua and are an "absolutely necessary to-read" if you decide to move or visit Guatemala. The authors and their families are close friends of ours...(at least that's what I think) I personally can't function well unless I have my morning fix of coffee and blogs.

Genesis also has another blog http://thegourmetmama.com/ where she tells the world about these amazing recipe's. She is by the way an excellent cook. Lately I have been experimenting on her recipe's. I mooched some of her sourdough starter and made delicious sourdough dinner rolls that my David just loves. Then we made "flummery" and it was an absolute success! The kids loved it! (Well their mom too). I tweaked the recipe a little bit using strawberry jello instead of cherry and it was still as yummy as Gourmet Mama described.

Check out this mound of pink fluffy goodness!Here's Jacob and David licking the whisk! And David refusing to use a spoon!Even after Big Brother showed him how.

Hmmnn, I wonder what other recipe's I'll try from Gourmet Mama. The sourdough bread was "Muy delicioso" but I'll leave that for another post.

Caimitos! Woohoo!

1999. That was the last year I visited the Philippines and one of the things I really miss are the tropical fruits. I used to ask my mom to smuggle some when she comes for her almost yearly visits to Chicago. Although there was this Vietnamese store in Chinatown where we could get frozen durian, lanzones and canned mangosteen, I always longed for the fresh non-preservative taste of coconuts and rambutans that grow rampant back home. Imagine my delight when my dear husband hitched me up on a borrowed "Moto" and took me for a ride through the fruit and vegetable market in Escuintla. We saw stalls and stalls and more stalls of sweet and delectable fruits that not only reminds me of the markets in Dipolog but almost transported me there with familiar smell and taste it brought.

Below is a shot of part of Escuintla's Quarta Avenida fresh market. I didn't mean to capture the Mayan Senyo's backside... but look at that glorious fruit stand!

And here is a creamy fruit they call "Zapote" which is a very sweet cross between the Filipino "Tisa" and "Chico". See the giant pit in the middle? it does look like Tisa pit.

"Manggang way kubal"!!! I almost had an out-of-body experience when I crunched on this baby green mangoes! It so reminded me of my High School days at St. Mary's Academy a million of years ago where we bribe the "Kuya" (the gate guard) to let us off the campus during break and cross the street to get "mangga" swimming in "patis". This is of course the sweet and juicy Chico. It has a very gritty/sandy texture that sometimes if tree ripened would really feel and taste like granulated sugar, but also leaves a sticky sappy goo.And this is the "Caimito" which we Filipinos sometimes call "Star Apple". Man, this is heaven in a fruit! It's slurpy and sticky and all sorts of good stuff!

There's a lot of other tropical fruits here that so remind me not only of the Philippines but bring me back to my earlier travels around the globe specially in Asia. Although I still miss the durians of Malaysia and the mangosteens of Indonesia, Guatemala's caimitos will do for now until my next visit to Asia... perhaps in July for the HMSF/Amedeo reunion? Who knows?

Bring It On!!!

December 25 I woke up to kids bouncing in my bed. "Santa came! Santa came!" And so began the day with lots of delightful squeals as my boys opened presents after presents. My DH and me, with the ongoing crisis nowadays, we decided not to give gifts to each other, instead, try as much as we can to fill the Christmas wish list the kids wrote to Santa. We did ... and more.

Here's a photo of my sweet sweet David hugging his stuffed Yoshi toy which he got the night before at a friends Christmas party. I had to order the said toy from Hongkong, it didn't come. I was so frustrated. Imagine my delight on my discovery that a little store in front of the Bodegona sells it although smaller than the still missing one. During the party we had to bring presents for our kids to open after dinner. Aside from the toys my kids got from their friends, Jacob got his stuffed Mario and David got his stuffed Yoshi from "Santa". This photo was worth it all.

They also got matching Mario T-shirts from their "Yaya Lenjie", a bunch of Mario Wii games, matching Spanish speaking Buzz Lightyear action figures from Pitapa and Mama Maria, dinosaurs and trains, board games and books, a whole set of stuffed sonic figures (which I also got from eBay but rerouted to Chicago and hand carried to Guatemala together with Jacob's new DS lite), battery operated cash register and a car wash station, a set of farm animals and more Mario stuff. Oh what smiley faces and slurpy kisses we got. It was all worth it.

Christmas last year was so different, we were still in Chicago, we hosted a grand party, there was more people, the tree was bigger and laden with glorious decor, the presents more plentiful, the budget five times bigger... but the happiness will always be the same. My Jacobs raw delight upon opening his presents, David's wide-eyed awe followed by squeals of precious laughter, the slurpy kisses we get... it all boils down to pure joy. I thank God every night for giving me a loving husband, two bundles of joy and a lifetime of laughter and tears that make my life worth living. I wake up every morning with a small prayer saying "God, the ups and downs... bring it on!".

Mt. Mayon

These past few weeks or perhaps months I have been following the headlines about Mt. Mayon in the Philippines, the volcano known for it's almost perfect cone. Pictured below is "Pinoy's" pride, as viewed from Santo Domingo township, about 500 kilometers southeast of Manila Philippines.

What a serene sight. I love this picture. It has graced a lot of Philippine postcards. A old friend of mine lived in Bicol and we used to visit her. This was the sight we always watched out for driving from Manila to her place. As I remember right, it's about an 8 hour drive.

Now the beautiful Mayon has erupted again. Although I now live in Guatemala, where there are about 33 volcanoes spread out through its highlands, and eruptions are a daily thing, I still long for the sight of my beloved Mayon showing the world its might and grandeur.

Weeks before the active volcano started oozing lava, residents of the surrounding province have started to evacuate. Nearly 50,000 villagers living in Mayons foothills now have recently spent Christmas and New Year in refugee camps. I shall include them in my daily prayers.

A day at the zoo

A few weeks ago, my Dear Husband decided it was time to visit the local zoo. The kids were so excited. Jacob helped pack his DS and David made sure he had his "Lala" with him. The Yaya (yes, we have a yaya here, one I was never able to afford living in Chicago) prepared their sippies and snacks. The drive should only be about 45 minutes from Antigua but considering the traffic and time to get lost (there's not much signs around to direct motorists and no "retorno's" if you ever miss a turn) we prepared ourselves. Knowing that with all the coming excitement the kids will be too preoccupied to eat, we stopped by "Burger Kief" (as David calls it) and stuffed the kids with "Krabby Patty" (as Jacob calls hamburger), chicken tenders and fries. As expected, we missed a few turns, got lost a little bit, asked a few pedestrians some directions but in the end we found it and it was worth the trip.




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Zoologico Nacional La Aurora is home to over 100 species of animals native to Guatemala and Central America including rainforest animals such as spider monkeys, parrots, macaws, jaguars, crocodiles and coatimundi. They have a herpetarium with a good selection of exotic snakes. The jaguar enclosure was comparable to that of Lincolnwood Zoo in Chicago. Jacob and David had a blast calling out Simba, Timone and Pumba.

After seeing all the animals, Jacob and David enjoyed a train ride around the zoo. What a blast!

From Escuintla to Antigua

I haven't been blogging that much lately. In fact, I haven't blogged in months. Today I got an email from a cousin that I haven't heard from in years and she said she actually read my blog! Whew! This gave me the push to start publishing again.

A lot has happened to me and my family since my last post. We moved from Escuintla to the beautiful serene La Antigua. Oh happiness! If Escuintla is like Dipolog where there are a lot of "comercio" then Antigua is like the Dapitan I knew. I haven't been to both places in 10 years but that's the comparison as I remember it. Let me try to post some pictures here.

This is "Cuarta Avenida" in Escuintla. See how busy it is? Could you imagine the amount of commerce traded in this city? People are always rushing past, motorists flying by... see the amount of signage? and the power lines? gee, its' such an eyesore but hey... people prosper in a place like this.

Then there's the majestic "Vulcan de Fuego" which is on the left. Mind you this volcano is active and is constantly spewing ash and lava. It's beautiful at night. The one of the right is the equally majestic "Vulcan de Agua" It lies dormant. Both volcanoes overlook Escuintla like two giants guarding the prosperous city.

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Then here's the streets of Antigua. That's my Jacob and David getting a horsey ride. Check out the "Palacio de los Capitanes Generales". That was built "en el tiempo de la colonia".I Honestly don't know when, it seems as old as time itself. And the cobblestones!!! The whole city of Antigua is in cobblestones. I love it! It's hard to walk on these stones but hey... I see a lot of "Fufurufa" ladies on long gowns and stiletto heels specially by the cathedral where a lot of weddings take place.

Here's another one of my boys taken during the "Celebracion de Independencia" sometime in September. This was a big hoo-ha. Check out the two Spaniards welcoming my kids... I had to take photos!

In time I shall be posting more about our lives here in Antigua. Hanggang sa susunod na kabanata.

"Tres Chocas"

You know how i said that the house we live in is right by a main street where big buses and fast cars drive by. Well today after coming home from a nephews martial arts belting ceremony, we parked the car by the street and rushed to the front door ducking one big bus after another. Rushing to get the kids safe indoors, my Dear Husband dropped the car keys on the seat inside the car and locked the door.

Come time to bring the cars into the garage, he noticed that the car keys were missing. We searched all over the, emptied our pockets and my handbag only to discover the keys on the seat inside the car. We tried picking the keyhole, using a wire hanger to lift the lock, inserting a machete between the glass window (like what they do on movies) but to no avail. We had most of the relatives and neighbors try their luck but all grunted and swore and cursed... still the doors wouldn't budge. DH's brother and nephews called friends and "cuate's" but either they're not home or out dancing or too drunk to come (it's Flyday... I mean Friday by the way).

Finally DH's cousin arrived from a prayer meeting and hopped in her son's "moto" to get someone. She came back 10 minutes later with another guy in another "moto" closely following her. This guy... quite young probably late teens or early twenties, then proceeds to pull out a long machete and a coiled wire, wiggled both expertly through glass and rubber, held his breath and click... the lock is lifted. He grabs the handle, opens the door and voila! Problem solved. " Me gusta un hombre de pocas palabras...quanto te debo?" asked DH. "Tres chocas" answered the guy. I looked inquiringly at my niece and she said "Setenta y cinco". My DH counts out the money, hands it to the guy who then shakes DH's hand, walked to his "moto" revs up and drives off. I tell you... all these happened in 2 minutes!