GASTRONOMY by Joy: Puerto Princesa

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Sheridan's Organic Farm

Good things come to those who wait. I mouthed these words over and over like a mantra while on a bus with a friend.

All farmers and gardens live by this principle or quote. Even at church yesterday we were talking of The Vine and the branches, pruning and being fruitful. I guess all these might give you hints of what I'm going to feature next.

You are right! Farming.

Travel: 30 Things to Do for an Adventure Tour in Sabang, Palawan

There are times that I could sing and dance along with Pharell Willliams' Happy song.

It's lyrics and tunes actually echos in my head right now,

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say

Sunshine she's here, you can take a break

I'm a - hot air balloon that could go to space

With the air like I don't care, baby, by the way

Because I'm happy...

Come along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I'm happy...

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy...

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy...

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Here Pharell is using the imagery of Sunshine ( light and darkness) to represent good cheer and gloom. Dark and stormy weather is depressing, while bright sunshine lifts the spirit, right? When you're depressed the soul feels weighty and heavy but it's the exact opposite when your happy. You feel light, the spirits soar with the winds like a hot air balloon.

But sometimes, we tend to see our hopes laced with skepticism. Then the inevitable question goes, "What if we just see a rerun of the past? And then, a cringe of sigh...

This you should remember, for the sake of happiness, God's grace is ladled out on daily basis, think of today first and how you can go above and beyond your personal struggles. God knows all about it, so just count on Him and His faithfulness no matter what life brings.

I've been a witness to that you see. On days I can't sing along to the song Happy, I go back to the mighty awesome things God had laid out for me, like this three-day "Sabang, Palawan adventour" provided by Sheridan Resort and Spa. If you are planning, planning, planning, let this list make you just go there and get a doze of adventure yourself, bask in the beauty of nature. let loose, let God!

Here are the things you can do in Sabang, Palawan,

1. Take an early morning stroll along the shore.

2. Have your #BOOTD (beach outfit of the day) at the beach.

Sheridan have provided a couple of these "kawayan-made" day

beds where you can play cards, read books or just lazy around.

3. Capture every beach moments, like these kids on a swing.

Boats are favorite subject of travel photographers,

so why not join the bandwagon and feel like a pro for a day.

4. Swing high, swing low.

5. Explore the Sabang jungle on cool ATV rides!

Or ride on an 8 x 8 ATV that goes to the end of the beach or to the mangroves.

6. Make some reflections, well, can be taken literally.

Check out my friend Charmie's reflection on the clear pool water of Sheridan

7. When the waves aren't strong, do some kayaking, or hire a paddle boat.

8. Play with the kids on the sand and make sand castles or something...

9. Have a snack at Sheridan's Wet N' Dry Pool Bar, while dipping in the pool.

10. Have an acoustic dinner at the al fresco buffet prepared by Sheridan.

11. Visit the Underground River.

Make sure to bring cameras that work in dark areas. I'm using my Samsung Galaxy K Zoom here.

12. Meet the fishermen

13. Go on an island-hopping.

14. Check out Isla Rita. Do check Benjie Layug's article about Isla Rita here.

15. Walk the long stretch of Sabang shore. This, I checked out off my bucket list already.

This long walk, incidentally, leads to the breath-taking adventure of zip-lining across the ocean.

16. Before you can zipline, of course, you need to get on an elevated land,

so you need to hike up a hill to reach the start line.

The hike is doable at a 15 minutes tops.

17. Zip-line your way down to the sand bar.

Once you're on the jump- off, this will be your scenery.

PJ Enriquez'(Philippine Daily Inquirer) photo of me.

The 800 meters long and 150 feet above sea level traverse will

literally take your breath away.

Sabang X Zipline's photo of me, almost finishing the slide.

18. After the said adventure, you can go to

South Sea Restaurant and make pizza with these chefs.

19. Hungry for more adventure?

How about an educational tour by boat through Sabang’s

lush mangrove forest where marine life coexists

with other local wildlife and plants.

20. Bird-watching is also part of the many activities being carried out by the tour-guides.

My, they are very keen in seeing migratory and exotic birds in the area.

20. Eat freshly-plucked tamilok (wood worms).

Our mangrove tour guide Mang Nestor took a dead mangrove with us,

and opened it up in their camp. I never expected to see one that is so alive. I didn't eat it.

See my eating experience of tamilok here.

21. Scale the rocky sides of the beach.

22. Take more photos of the hills and the sea from this angle.

This place is such a nice place for some "alone" time.

23. Catch the waves or be caught by it.

24. Capture the sunset of Sabang, Palawan.

PJ Enriquez' photo of the sunset.

25. Take time to be pampered with a massage, manicure and pedicure at Sheridan Nature Spa.

26. Karst Mountain Elephant Cave

27. Visit Sheridan's Organic Farm.

27. Play and feed the farm animals, sort of like farm-living for a day.

28. Organic Boodle fight with friends at Sheridan Organic Farm.

They are the largest supplier of Black rice in Puerto Princesa.

29. Do some shopping.

There are lots of stores along the Sabang beach and a there is also a market at the wharf,

just a couple of minutes walk from Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa.

You can also take this home with you, a pack of 100% organic Black Rice

and don't forget cashew nuts.

30. There are more things to do here, but I'm just gonna end it here.

The last thing you should not forget to do here is to just savor every lasting moments,

knowing God is in control of it all.

We can have confidence that no matter what chaotic the circumstances of our lives may be, God will take us through it.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast. because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3

What Isaiah was telling us is that perfect peace is the reward of steadfast, unwavering trust in God.

So, enjoy summer!

NTBN: If you want to get an itinerary of Sabang, Palawan Adveture Tour, do contact Sheridan Beach Resorts and Spa. Contacts details below.

Address: Sabang Beach, Puerto Princesa City,

Palawan, Philippines

Contact details: (+63) 908 880 8509

(+63) 917 631 3479

Email: reservations@sheridanbeachresort.com

Website: www.sheridanbeachresort.com

MANILA SALES OFFICE

Unit 203 – 204 Centro Buendia Building,

401 – 427 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Pasay City

(63 2) 939 8888

(63 2) 517 9954

(63) 917 726 5224

(63 2) 255 4223

PALAWAN SALES OFFICE:

Jeco Building, Rizal Ave. Extension, Puerto Princesa City,

Palawan, 5300 Philippines

(63) 917 308 3245

(63 48) 434 1448

(63 48) 723 7278

(63 48) 434 1449

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Summer Eats at Sheridan's

Someone once told me, "When you go to Palawan, never ever miss eating the seafood and the tamilok. Once you have tried it, I guarantee you, your life is going to change." That was of course when I was researching for our family tour in Palawan. Come the time when we are about to chug down a number of what seemed to resemble a large half-dead grayish worm. Served on a white saucer with a vinegar on another sauce dish, everything went smoky and blurry, and seemed like Bhogs and I are part of a show proving that you could win the extreme challenges set before you.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about tamilok - Teredo navalis, the naval shipworm, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Teredinidae, the shipworms. This species is the type species of the genus Teredo. Like other species in this family, this bivalve is called a shipworm because it resembles a worm in general appearance, but at the anterior end it has a small shell of two valves which is specialised to bore through wood.

For short, it's a mollusk and many refer to it as a wood worm, mainly because they are found on boroughs of dead mangroves. The only way it is eaten is raw (or so I know) or prepared ala ceviche. It's not like you are going to be poisoned or will it eat your gut out...hehe...So why the heck not!

We tried it, though it didn't change my life that much, except, I, not Bhogs, became bolder, less squeamish and can now join Extra Challenge (the show), if it's to be revived.

After less than a year, I was back to where the gut-wrenching, eating challenge happened. Ooohh, I could still remember how I held up the discomforting feeling of throwing up my lunch on our ride back to our hotel in Puerto Princesa, and the culprit -- eating four medium sized tamilok after a heavy lunch.

On our three-day stay in Sabang, all our meals were greatly provided by Sheridan Resort and Spa, this time, I didn't ask for tamilok, apparently, they don't have it, when we were there.

Let me now delve into serious business, the job of eating gustatory delights at Sheridan's restaurants.

My urban escape to Palawan was nothing short of amazing, not only was it jam packed with adventure, food was a plenty as well. You don't need to go farther to satisfy your cravings for fresh fruit shakes or deli or something healthy and organic.

Yes to organic!

Sheridan's Organic Farm

In Palawan, much efforts have been made by private sectors and LGU's to foster organic agriculture also known as sustainable agriculture. Most of the resort's vegetables, fruits and herbs come from their own organic farm. I can't wait to tell you all about our trip to the farm as well.

Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa has four restaurants and bars to delight your appetite while enjoying your stay and in a state of communing with nature.

South Sea Restaurant

Hotel guests like me always expect to have a breakfast spread that is wholesome and nutritious. After all, with all the activities for the day planned out for us, the breakfast is a good kick start to our morning and Sheridan's culinary team made sure everything was fresh and prepared palatably.

South Sea Restaurant is the major caterer for the whole resort. Breakfast is served ala buffet for hotel guests. Since the beach is open to the public, non-hotel guests can also dine in while enjoying the stunning view of the tropical white beach. A menu is available at every room so you can also wake up with breakfast in bed.

This is part of the ceiling inside the resto. I just have to post this cause I have a thing with lamps, and I found these elegant and rustic.

Sharing you the buffet breakfast...

One of my favorite breakfast station, the noodle section where you can design your own bowl of noodle soup, the broth also varies each day, I think that day it was beef broth. You can choose all the trimmings you like, either make it meaty or healthy with a balance of veggies and meat.

The salad, deli and fruit are sectioned together on one side of the resto, variations are enough but not that impeccable, since no one really eats heavy veggies on a breakfast.

For the vegetarians, you can gorge on these stir-fried assortment of local and organic veggies.

And ah, how can I forget, the caloric, sinful yet delish crisped bacon strips that everyone raved for. This is like eating the yummiest chicharon ever, cause, well hey, it's their home-made bacon. Though I ate a couple with my bare hands, I made sure I break myself from grubbing too much.

My parents would have loved to have these crispy fried dilis (Visayan for dried anchovies) with their steamed organic black rice.

This cool-looking guy here manages the omelette and egg cookery.

Lunch Ala Carte...

Their menu is a mingling of favorite regional dishes and International comfort food. But above all, learning that the said hotel is an eco-resort and proved to be self-sustaining even with all while adhering to the cultural and ecological authenticity of the local area

They never ran out of cool summer sippers, be it fruity, extremely sweet or just plain refreshing, mango shake had always been my favorite though.

When ordering ala carte, a plate of newly baked warm buns with butter will be served.

Let me put an emphasis on fresh! All their dishes are cooked from scratch including all their breads. Their pan de sals and sliced bread loaves are well-received during breakfast mostly by expats.

From a plethora of international and local dishes here are what we chose to share you.