Christmas Preparations in the Philippines 2019

Guess what! It is still Christmas
time on our channel! Not only does it last 4 months in the Philippines, but we
have extended it out even a little further here! Just think, only 7 more months
and we can start it all over again in the Philippines!

If you never experienced a Christmas
in the Philippines, you are in for a different experience. For one thing there
is food! Lots of food! We had BBQ pork sticks, pancit, lechon belly, lumpia and
other things we had to prepare. The Christmas Eve tradition in the Philippines
is to eat at midnight. By that time I am usually beat down and tired and ready
for bed! But, for the Filipinos, no matter what, they are going to eat and
start their parties then! People stop by to see what food you have and sit and
enjoy it while other sing karaoke and enjoy the night.

Prior to this, we also were visited
by people caroling. Some come up with some interesting ways to make their
music. We hope you enjoy this little part of the video.

This was another successful night
and we hope everyone that stopped by enjoyed their time. We hope you will enjoy
this video as it gives a little glimpse into the Filipino Christmas traditions
and the fun time had by all.

If you like our videos and the
Filipino lifestyle, please like and share our videos. We would love to see more
viewers enjoying our channel. Also leave us a comment.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #ChristmasEveParty #HolidaysInThePhilippines
#LechonBelly #ChristmasCarolers #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

Party Day – Happy Birthday Matthew – Hip Hip Hooray

Van loads and tricycle loads of visitors began
to arrive. Kids from all ages began to show up! Some from the country, some
from the city. Visitors and well-wishers arrived in bunches. Why was everyone
coming to our house today? Today was Matthew’s birthday and everyone came to
help him celebrate.

There were plenty of music, food, games, and
most important of all... quality time. If you have ever been to a Filipino birthday
party, you must already know that our parties rock like no other. Yes, even the
Karaoke machine was keeping the party live.

The food was prepped and placed on the tables.
There was fried chicken, grilled tilapia, rice, grilled hito (catfish), dinakdakan,
puto flan, hot dogs, rice, spaghetti, pizza, pancit, rice and of course Maly
had her special…. papaitan! Food for all to enjoy! After a short devotion and
prayer from our local preacher, everyone began to enjoy the feast!

Kids love playing games at these parties for
prizes. We hope you will enjoy some of the games the kids played. Just some of
the games were putting spoons in bottles and removing them again. A little game
called Hip Hip Hooray was added for fun. It's from the none-other Filipino game
show called WoWoWee! Then, what other way to end a party than have a “find the
most trash” collection! Everyone enjoyed the games and had fun getting their
prizes.

We just want to thank everyone that came and
enjoyed Matthew’s birthday along with us! We really appreciate everyone taking
time out of their busy schedule to come help us celebrate!

#ThisIsOurPhilippines
#PartyTime #HappyBirthday #FoodandGames #FilipinoGames #DiscoverLuzon
#ExplorePhilippines #IBS

An Army of Cooks – Prepping for a Party

Prepping for a party is
never easy. There are fires to build, meat to grill, dishes to cook, rice (yes,
plenty of rice) to cook and then keeping it all cleaned up around the area.
This cannot be done by just one person. It takes an army to help make this process
run smooth. 

We were privileged to
have Maly’s brother Chris and family down for a visit, so they do what normal
Filipinos do and just chipped in to help! We had cooks, choppers, plate
stuffers and plate washers! Everyone pitched in to make sure we got this party
off on time.

Where was Steve? Oh, he
was back driving through Cauayan to pick up all the orders from the day before.
It is hard being the host, driver and videographer all in one!

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #PartyPrepTime #ArmyOfCooks
#WhereIsSteve? #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

Fishy Business – Cauayan Palengke Fish Stalls

We were getting ready
for a party so into town we went. Maly needed plenty of fish to serve everyone.
We went to the local market (palengke) in Cauayan to get what we needed. We
stopped at 2 very happy vendors by the time we left. Both places were able to fill
some pretty big orders.

This is just a sample
of what we do on a daily basis near about. It seems everyday we need to go to
the market for some reason or other. This is the best and cheapest place to by
your goods. It is cheaper here than it would be going to SM or some other
supermarket to get things. Also, Maly has built a reputation with the vendors
and they sometimes will give her a good deal on the items she is buying. I
think she really likes going to the market every day, no matter what she will
tell you. 

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #CauayanPublicMarket
#Palengke #CauayanFishMarket #DiscoverLuzon #ExplorePhilippines #IBS

Barn Doors Getting Installed Ft Kuya Jerry and Kuya Rodolfo

When we built the shed
(garage) for the van, we did not know exactly what doors to put on it. Since we
were not decided, it was about time to make that decision and get the doors put
in. For one, with the typhoons it is good to have your vehicle parked in a
secure location out of the wind. Secondly, we had been storing some items in
there that could easily walk off if not secured. Although we had never had this
issue, it is beater to be safe than sorry later on.

We got a quote from
Jerry and it was only a few days before he showed up in the driveway with the
doors already assembled. He did all that work at his place and brought the
doors ready to be installed when he arrived. There was the usual balancing and
getting them in place, but all that went fairly smooth. He also placed a handle
and locking device on the doors for us.

I think it all turned
out very good. The doors, even with the not fully painted looked great. And
they have done their job over the last typhoon season in protecting the van.

We really hope you have
enjoyed our videos. If so, kindly hit that like button and share our videos
with a friend. We would appreciate seeing a comment from you as well! Let us
know how we can better share our experiences with you.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines #HangingBarnDoors #SwingingBarnDoors
#NoRollUpDoorHere #ArcWelding #CagayanValley

Northern Luzon Road Trip – Pasalubong from Fire Side Tinupig in Lal Lo, ...

From Northern Luzon,
tupig or tinupig, is a Filipino delicacy that contains glutinous rice
flour, grated coconut, brown sugar, and sesame seeds.  This mixture is spread onto a banana leaf,
rolled and grilled over hot rocks or charcoal embers. This is served at
roadside stands as pasalubong. The Filipino term “Pasalubong” refers to the
gifts and souvenirs that people receive from

a traveler arriving from another destination. Maly had to bring home some
of this delightful treat as pasalubong from her visit to the north!

We really hope you have
enjoyed our videos. If so, kindly hit that like button and share our videos
with a friend. We would appreciate seeing a comment from you as well! Let us
know how we can better share our experiences with you.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines
#NorthernLuzonRoadTrip #Tinupig #FireSideTinupig #Cagayan #CagayanValley #DiscoverLuzon
#Explore #Philippines #Travel

Northern Luzon Road Trip – Castle in the Sky – Magapit Lal Lo Cagayan

Our time in Santa Ana
finally came to an end. We had a great weekend, but now it was time to travel
back for both work and school!

Everyone had a great
time and as usual were knocked out before getting on the road very far! On our
way home, we passed by where the new Northern Airport will be located. There
are already structures in place and it looked as if planes are landing there. I
am not sure when this would be opened to passenger travel from here.

We also found a Castle on
the way home. This Castle in the Sky is located in Magapit, Lal-Lo, Cagayan. According
to a sign on the building, it is owned by Joaquin Agatep (a retired US Customs
director). As per a little research, it became a tourist spot few years ago but
based on what we saw this trip, the place was under construction as they
attempt to bring back in the tourists. Their plan was to make this into a
“horror” house. It sure has that creepy feel to it already.

Still we climbed up the
stairs to the rooftop. A beautiful panoramic view of the majestic Cagayan River
and Suspension bridge which is known as the “Golden Gate of Cagayan” await
you once you reach the top!  Maly
and Hazel took in this opportune backdrop to get in a few good selfies! They
also tried to perfect their jump photos!

Just outside they have
a shake and halo-halo stand! This is also a work in progress from what we were
told and they want to have a full size “kitchen” soon. The shakes were well
welcomed as it was an extremely hot day!

We really hope you have
enjoyed our videos. If so, kindly hit that like button and share our videos
with a friend. We would appreciate seeing a comment from you as well! Let us
know how we can better share our experiences with you.

#ThisIsOurPhilippines
#NorthernLuzonRoadTrip #CastleInTheSky #Cagayan #CagayanValley #Castle
#DiscoverLuzon #Explore #Philippines #Travel