Indonesia: Masakan Padang

I never thought that I had high tolerance for spicy food until I tasted this. While my companions were all sweaty and hissing between their teeth, I was enjoying the chili sauce burning in my mouth.

The window showcasing the array of various Masakan Padang usually has the dishes to choose from piled neatly. Masakan Padang or Padang cuisine is named after the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra.

If there is one big reason to go back to Indonesia, this is definitely it. The store shown here is located within the Taman Mini, near Jakarta.

The Surallah Roundball

If you're off to a trip to Lake Sebu, it would be worth stopping by for some photos at the Surallah roundball showcasing an art installation by Kublai Millan. Inaugurated in March 2011, this is a landmark dedicated the the T'boli-Muslim-Christians efforts at preservation and patronization of the local cultural heritage.

This was not in our planned itinerary - good thing that the manong driver was thoughtful enough to let us off here.

Other works by Kublai Millan:
Ponce Suites, Davao City
Peoples' Park, Davao City
Risen Christ, Tagum
Durian, Davao International Airport
Kampilan, Sultan Kudarat
Arko, Malungon Saranggani

About Kublai Millan

ZIPLINE: Seven Falls, Lake Sebu

Fees:
    Entrance fee: P20 (adults)
             Zipline: P300 (weekends and holidays), P250 (weekdays)
Souvenir Photos: P100 (2 prints), P50 (soft copy, all photos)

The Experience:

What could be more special than zipping accross the highest zipline in the Philippines and enjoying a breathtaking view of waterfalls with occassional sprays of mist? Probably a lot more. But this experience should no doubt be on your must-do's when you're in Lake Sebu.

The road to the jumpoff is still unpaved and I could still imagine my niece making a sound similar to the vibratary sound you make when you used to hold your face close to the electric fan and make all sorts of noise. The bumpy ride is somewhat like that. Then you have to walk a bit to the entrance and pay P20 per person.

The sound of rushing whitewater will start to excite you (mixed with an ounce of nervousness) as you pay the usual P300 zipline fee and suddenly your in full gear waiting for your turn. Finally, you will get to experience this:

It is adviseable though to come early to the site especially on weekends and holidays as the queue could get a bit long just like our first attempt at zipline which took too long a wait we decided not to go on. This was back in December 2009 and they still probably had issues with operating efficiency. Also, better to zip in the morning as it often rains in the afternoon.

They're better at what they're doing now and even have souvenir photos for sale for P100 (2 different prints) or P50 for a soft copy (you could opt to bring a flash drive or have them copy the files to your camera's memory card).

How to look great on your Zipline photos.