Turkish delights

The wife was doing some cleaning last weekend and found some items still in her luggage from last year's travel to Europe. She had a stopover at Istanbul and got these two boxes as pasalubong.

Two boxes of Turkish Delight - one with pistachio & pomegrenate, and another just pistachio

Here's a close-up of one of the boxes.

I don't recall I've had some of these but maybe I have tasted it one time at least. One of the foreign students at Yokohama when I was studying was from Turkey so I probably tasted some during one of our social events among foreign students.

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Jericho's, Tanay - Pililla Boundary

It's nice to "get lost" from time to time. A relatively long drive during a holiday took us to some towns in Rizal where we happened upon a dairy farm and drove to a restaurant in Tanay that we wanted to try out for the food and the view. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we found it too crowded and didn't want to wait among the crowd who probably drove there for the same reasons we had. And so we decided to go back the way we went there and try to find a place to have late lunch.

Doing a quick search of places to eat at along the way back to Antipolo, we found Jericho's and its high ratings. The place was at the border of Tanay and Pililla (just beside the arch actually).

A pitcher of their refreshing lemongrass and orange juice

We ordered chicken quesadillas for starters

We ordered their boneless fried chicken and chose the parmesan variant

Their take on the roast beef was really good and is a must try for diners. The beef is so tender and the sauce actually has a hint of bulalo.

Their version of carbonara is also very good.

We had a very good meal at Jericho's. The service was also very good. Their staff was very attentive and also helpful with the menu. Jericho's is a very good restaurant with a very good selection in their menu. I think this is a restaurant that you can put in the map and also consider eating at whether you drive or take public transport to get there. It's definitely a good stopover for those driving to the farther towns of Rizal or perhaps on the was south to Laguna, Quezon or even Bicol. 

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The renovated NAIA Terminal 3 Food Hall

I am sharing here photos I took at NAIA Terminal 3. Shown are photos taken around the newly renovated food hall located at the level between the arrival and departure levels of the terminal. There are already a lot of restaurants and cafes open, giving visitors many choices for eating and drinking at the airport.

I didn't include labels anymore as the photos are self explanatory, showing names of the restos and cafes at the food hall.

 

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Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church, Miag-ao, Iloilo

I am back in Iloilo. While this trip is mainly work-related, we were planning to have a side trip during our free time. Unfortunately though, a storm is arriving soon in this area. Tropical storm Basyang is currently inundating provinces in Mindanao and Visayas, and is expected to bring heavy rains to Iloilo today. We might just be content on doing indoor activities then.

Meanwhile, I am content in posting (late post) some photos of Miag-ao Church that I took during my travel here last November. 

Church facade 

UNESCO market recognizing the church as a World Heritage Site

The church as seen from the grounds

 

The main altar features a retablo with key figures such as the crucified Christ and the Sto. Nino.

The church features a long main aisle, which is preferred by many for church weddings (i.e., the bridal march is longer and somewhat more dramatic).

Another view of the church interior

More on Iloilo later! 

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Chocolate review: Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate

Trending these days is what is generally referred to as "Dubai Chocolate." I won't be writing about this in detail and will just share some photos of Lindt's version of the chocolate, which has pistachio and kadayif as the most prominent ingredients.

Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate Pistachio & Kadayif is Made in Germany

Details on the chocolate at the back of the packaging

Nutrition information and ingredients

Information on the manufacturer and expiration date

 

The chocolate retails for about 250 pesos at duty free shops in Singapore. I was surprised to see bars being sold at 1,250 pesos at a local supermarket!

My daughter's experimented on making her version of the chocolate and I will be writing about that in another article. Again, the main ingredients are pistachios, kadayif and chocolate. The latter. I think, can be selected from different manufacturers including really high quality local ones like Malagos from Davao.  

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Dinner at Breakthrough Restaurant, Arevalo, Iloilo

Our first dinner in Iloilo had to be special since it was our daughter's first time in Iloilo. My wife also was not able to join their group dinner when she arrived ahead of us. It had to be Breakthrough but not at the nearby branch at Plazuela but at the one in Arevalo, by the sea. There was no traffic on that Friday evening so we got there ahead of the usual Friday dinner crowd. Here's what we had at the restaurant:

Grilled managat (red snapper)

Their version of the popular Chop suey

Prawns cooked in garlic and butter

Blue crabs also cooked in garlic and butter

Clam (halaan) soup

There are many places to eat at in Iloilo but we really just had to had our meals at the "must go" places like Tatoy's and Breakthrough. We are already looking forward to the next trip to the city of gastronomic delights. 

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New self check-in portals and turnstiles at NAIA Terminal 2

With the holidays coming up. Travelers using the NAIA terminals should also note that there are new self check-in portals at the airport. I noticed in two recent travels (one via Terminal 2 and another via Terminal 3) that people taking Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines were not using these. Ceb Pac passengers in particular crowded over their portals near their check-in counters at T3. Walang pumapansin nitong mga bagong terminals that could save you time when you check-in. Here are photos of the ones at Terminal 2:

The areas where these were installed weren't crowded.

You can use these for Cebu Pacific, Air Asia or Philippine Airlines.

You can get your boarding passes and luggage tags here.

Meanwhile, these new portals have also been installed nearer to the check-in counters like these for PAL. 

A look at the check-in counters for Air Asia.

NAIA admin has also installed these new automated turnstiles prior to the final security check and the boarding gates at Terminal 2. 

You just need to scan your boarding pass for the barrier to open.

Here are the self-check portals at T3. Of course, they would have even greater utility if more airlines are included for self check-in.

 

Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) terminals already have these new features. It's good that NAIA is finally catching up in modernizing its facilities. 

  

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Mortuary Chapel of San Joaquin, Iloilo

San Joaquin, Iloilo also has a mortuary chapel that was designated as a National Cultural Treasure. It features a baroque design that has been preserved over so many years. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a good photo of the chapel itself. We didn't stop by for photos, and I was only able to take this quick photo of the main gate to the cemetery that leads to the chapel.

 

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San Joaquin Church, Iloilo

The last time I was in San Joaquin, Iloilo was on a side trip in September 2024. It was raining then and I couldn't get a good photo of the church. It was also closed and so I wasn't able to get photos of the interior. Two weekends ago, we were back in San Joaquin and I made sure we could go out and take some nice photos of one of the heritage churches in the province.

Photo of the church with the image of Christ the King at the center of the plaza

The details on the facade depicts the Spanish victory over the Moors in the Battle of Tetuan.

Photo of the church front showing the historical markers and the statues of saints including San Joaquin.

Historical marker ca. 1977

Inside the church is a long aisle leading to the main altar. The ceiling appears to have been reconstructed and includes two giant fans to help make parishioners more comfortable.

The main altar features this retablo.

A more recent marker relating the history of the church and the carving on its front pediment.

Plaque stating the church to have been designated as a National Cultural Treasure in July 2001.

There's a view of the Garin Farm cross from the church grounds. We actually came from there before we went to San Joaquin Church.

More on the heritage churches in the next posts! 

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Back in Cabatuan

I previously wrote about recharging my batteries. That simply won't do by just traveling to Iloilo. I had to go to the hometown of Tatay, which I have always called my hometown, too. I spent many summer breaks there including when I was already working and wanted to have some days off and a change in environment. Though I am heartbroken every time I see what looks like our old house there in ruins, I just had to go around and see the place on a drive-by. 

The main altar and retablo of the San Nicolas Tolentino Church in Cabatuan, Iloilo

Pathway to the main gate of the Cabatuan Catholic Cemetery

The cemetery's mortuary chapel is currently under renovation. 

I always feel emotional when on a homecoming no matter how brief. There's just so many memories of so many places there including our home that is now practically unrecognizable from what I have in my mind and heart. I would like to keep those happy memories that I cherish and remember with fondness. They keep me calm and grounded in life.

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