Christmas in Manila

I've been meaning to get my blog post on L.A. done since I got back from there last November but the end of year and Christmas preparations have gotten the better of me. It also didn't help that each time I looked at my L.A. photo album, I was overwhelmed by countless images I knew I had to sort through. The calls of warm melt-in-your mouth fruit mince tarts in Sydney and my mom's creamy but fresh nepa fruit salad in Manila were like the sirens in my sea of procrastination.

So to pay further homage to procrastination, I thought I'd do a quick blog of photos from my Christmas in Manila.

We started off our December holiday by finishing work early and having lunch at the Boathouse in Balmoral. It was a hot summer day and that cool glass of rose went down a treat- along with the fish and chips and burger with beetroot pickle. It was the sort of place that let you know what summer in Sydney is all about - the hot sun, blue skies, the beach, good food and the sound of children having fun in the water. It was a great place to start off our summer holiday.

The following day it was off to the airport for our flight to Manila and saying goodbye to a hazy day in Sydney.

Qantas lounge

I waved a guilty goodbye to Miso & Tofu who would've already settled in at their pet motel by then.

The cloudscape was riveting as we approached Manila sometime in the late afternoon. 

Excuse the bit of flare from the IPhone

  

It culminated in an amazing sunset that reminded to take stock and appreciate the simplest wonders of being alive. Can you blame me for wishing there was a habitable world in the skies?

As usual, our arrival home involved gastronomical soothing. Lots of it.

Mud crab with ginger and shallots

Beef brisket with radish

Shandong chicken

Spare ribs with garlic and black bean glaze

Of course it was also about Christmas. This meant medianoche (midnight feast on Christmas eve), being with family and being at home.

Christmas morning in Manila

In the garden

 And more gastronomical soothing of the local kind at Seafood Island restaurant at U.P. Hub

U.P. Hub

Crab Marites

Pinakbet

Native salad

The same crew who owns Abe restaurants delivered well at Fely J's in Greenbelt 5.

Fern salad at Abe restaurant Trinoma

Rice with dilis at Fely J's

Lechon kawali

Gising-gising

Kare-kare

Our cook Linda also created further piglets out of us.

Linda's lumpiang Shanghai

Although fireworks have been banned for years in Manila, people continue
to buy them. Fortunately for us, we live on top of a hill so we were able to benefit from the generosity and illicit acts of our surrounding neighbours.

You can never escape the poverty in Manila. It's in your face and you always wish you could do more.

shanty towns in Manila

Before we knew it, it was time to return to Sydney with the hope that Miso & Tofu haven't absconded from their pet motel because we've abandoned them. We worry they would take a while to being back to their loafy selves but it seemed like we needn't have worried. They were both happy to see us and greeted us with furry arms.

 Within hours of arriving home, Tofu was back to her old tricks of sleeping in strange positions and it meant all was well in our home.