Bug Bytes: Adventures in the Philippines

Bug Bytes is a weekly feature in which fellow travelers give us the scoop on places they have lived around the world and what makes those places awesome.

This week’s Bug Bytes comes from Ayngelina Brogan, of the popular travel blog, Bacon is Magic.

Ayngelina lived in the Philippines after graduating from University, and here, she tells us all about what it was like adjusting to life in a big, busy city, how she adapted to being one of very few Western women walking around.. and what it was like trying some ‘adventurous’ Filipino menu items.

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photo credit: ubo_pakes In Cebu City

Bug Bytes: You lived in the Philippines. How’d you end up there? What area were you in?
Ayngelina Brogan: I lived in Cebu City, which is one of the major cities in the Philippines and very popular with tourists as it’s the entry point to many beaches on Cebu island.

BB: What were your first thoughts upon landing? How did those thoughts or perceptions change as time went on?
AB: Although it was 10 years ago I remember exactly what I thought when I landed in the city – this place is insanely hot. Coming from Canada I had never been anywhere tropical before and the humidity was quite intense. I was also blown away by the pollution at the time the gas was still leaded and many people carried hankerchiefs with them to breathe when going through town.

photo credit: mendhak- Philippines

BB: Okay, I have to ask. What’s the local food like? I’ve heard lots of stories–which could very well be rumours– about animals we in the West would consider ‘domestic’, being served as dinner.
AB: Back then I wasn’t as an adventurous eater and it’s a regret of mine as I think I really missed out. Filipino food can be quite diverse and there is some amazing seafood and barbecue, but honestly, I wasn’t overly impressed with the food, while there were some highlights overall I didn’t like Filipino food and found a lot of it was bland.

I did eat balut, which is a boiled fertilized egg so you can recognize that it is a chick embryo but it hasn’t completely formed. It was pretty gross, but even then, I tried anything that anyone offered me.

As for the domestic animals, I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten dog without knowing it but it’s not common practice for them to eat it.

photo credit: avlxyz– Balut

BB: Wow, go you! I don’t know that I’d be as brave!! What are some of the other regional dishes? What sort of meal might be prepared for a guest, for example?
AB: Fortunately for me it was a lot of lechon – or pig. Pig roasts are common and I was invited to many.

BB: What kind of accomodation did you have? Was it easy to find?
AB: I was working out of the Canadian Consulate in Cebu and they arranged the apartment in a compound but I knew others that moved there and had no problem finding good, cheap apartments.

BB: What about cost of living? What could you expect to pay for rent, or for a meal?
AB: Like many other developing countries, you can spend as little or as much as you like. Food in the market is about a dollar but you can find 5-star restaurants as well.

My rent was $400 a month so you could live very comfortably for under $1000 a month.

photo credit: jekert gwapo

BB: What’s the perception of Westerners like?
AB: As far as I knew I was one of 4 western women there and I was pretty much a celebrity.

At one point I thought a cab driver was taking the long way so he could charge more and told him that I wasn’t a tourist and he responded that he knew that, and in fact, everyone knew me because I was the girl that walked everywhere.

Westerners are very welcomed in Cebu and many people will approach you to talk to you. The only downside is that often they think what they see in the movies and on television is every day life

Many thought Western women were sexually promiscuous, which makes dressing appropriately even more important.

Working as a young woman was difficult at times. I often met with local business groups but they didn’t always take me seriously and were more interested in knowing if I had a boyfriend. It was definitely a learning experience for me.

photo credit: ubo_pakes-
in Cebu City (languages include Spanish, English and Filipino)

BB: Would you expect to hear cat calls as in South America, or is solo female travel widely accepted?
AB: Traveling solo is very safe and also very inexpensive – when I was on the chicken buses, the buses literally had chickens on them.

There were many places that I visited where they had never seen a young female woman and were very curious. I never encountered any issues as a woman. Yes, they will stare at you and there are cat calls, (although not as bad as Latin America) and after a while they went away when they realized I was sticking around for a while.

BB: There are a ton of islands in the Philipines. How do you get from one to the other? Is it easy to do?
AB: The easiest way is to fly and it’s very cheap to do, there are also a number of ferries available and are ridiculously cheap.

photo credit: stevebott

BB: What was a typical day like for you?
AB: Because of the heat I tried to exercise in the morning before work. My exercise attempts were usually thwarted by the delicious pastries and fried baby bananas tossed in sugar which I ate on my way back.

After a day of work I returned home and often stopped by the market to buy a cooked fish on a stick from the women in the market which was less expensive than buying raw from the supermarket. Once the sun sets, the humidity lessens and it becomes quite nice to go for a walk.

BB: What kind of preparations did you have to make to get to the Phillipines. I.e. did you sell everything? Save up money? Did you need vaccinations? What about visas?
AB: I had just finished university and wanted to travel but had no money. The job was an international internship offered by a Canadian NGO. I applied for a number of internships after university and hadn’t heard back from many. I was checking in with the NGO to see if they had made a decision, and they offered me the job on the spot, asking if I could be there in 2 weeks but I said I needed 3. I ended up traveling on a tourist visa as it was easier paperwork and could be easily extended.

I needed Typhoid and Hep A and B but did not have time for all 3 rounds of shots so I started in Canada and finished in Cebu with a doctor the consulate recommended.

Otherwise I was completely unprepared for the country. It was 1999 and I looked up the country on the Internet and saw photos of beaches so I had this idea that I would be working from a hut on the beach sipping cocktails out of coconuts. I arrived in a city of three million people, far from the beach and while they spoke English that was where the similiarities ended with Canada.

BB: Wow, talk about culture shock! What do you miss most about it?
AB: The people. They are by far one of the most friendly cultures in the world. Many people upon meeting me would invite me to their home for dinner. They are extremely kind and gracious and I will never forget their generosity.

photo credit: ubo_pakes

BB: What lessons did you learn from living there?
AB: Every day was a wild adventure and I needed to adapt quickly. I came from a small town of 5,000 people and didn’t even know anyone with a Filipino background. Doing business in another country taught me realities that I would have never understood in any international business class.

BB: So… did you try the bacon? Hehe.
AB: You know, I didn’t eat bacon in the Philippines -the irony!
I haven’t eaten it in about 7 months either, I find bacon outside North America is always disappointing so I stick to local pork products!

photo credit: Sappymoosetree

Thanks again Ayngelina! To find out more about Ayngelina or to follow along with her while she travels through South America, be sure to check out Bacon is Magic or follow her on Twitter @Ayngelina.

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Bug Bytes is a weekly feature that runs on Fridays, interviewing fellow wanderers who have traveled extensively or lived in other countries. Each week a different country will be featured and eventually, we’d like to cover the globe!

Interested in taking part in Bug Bytes? Lived someplace awesome and want to tell us about it?? Email travelbugjuice@gmail.com.

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