musings: Marvelous Maldives

musings: Marvelous Maldives: THE ITINERARY IN DETAIL on January 10 to 13, 2013 First and foremost, Kaufmann Pharma Inc, is our generous sponsor…without which we’d...

Marvelous Maldives

THE ITINERARY IN DETAIL on January 10 to 13, 2013

First and foremost, Kaufmann Pharma Inc, is our generous sponsor…without which we’d never experience this extraordinary dream voyage. Where was our getaway? Nothing but the iridescent Maldives at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma.

In the company’s detailed itinerary, we were informed that Maldives temperature has its highest at 29 degrees Celsius and the lowest at 25 degrees in January. We were advised to wear and bring beach wear and footwear like flipflops, hat, and light jackets for the evening arrivals, water repellant, waterproof bags to keep clothes and things dry, lip balm, sunscreen and the ubiquitous camera.

On January 11, 2013 we had a full day island tour; fins, masks and snorkel and life vests were provided. We had breakfast at the resort, departed for island tour at 11am, barbeque lunch in Group Madhoo Island, an uninhabited atoll which is 30 minutes away by boat; had a barbecue lunch served by Holiday Inn chefs and waiters then returned to the resort for dinner. After dinner, we were free at our own leisure. Baby and I opted to watch the live band playing at The Lounge with native Maldivians as performers. 

On January 12 after breakfast at 10am, we departed for turtle point snorkeling; returned to the resort for lunch, departed again for sunset cruise around 5pm then had dinner back at the resort. The sunset cruise was a fantastic experience. We were served canapés, wine, beer and sodas during the one and a half hours yacht cruise. For four hours we got to enjoy life on the sea like mermaids and Neptunes.

On January 13 we had lunch at the resort after which we checked out to go enjoy the Male City tour. We visited the Parliament house, Muliaage, which is the former president palace; the Friday mosque, Medhuziyaa Rai, which is a structure built in remembrance of the person who converted Maldives into a Muslim country. We also went around their national park called Sagaru park, Grand Mosque Islamic center, national museum, the Republic monument, local fish market area, the President’s office and of course the shopping area for souvenirs. 

As usual, I’ve loaded myself up with books on Maldives, a handmade album made of indigenous materials for my scrapbooking at home to hold the memories in, and ceramic plates with Maldivian inscriptions and beach objets’d arts. These are enough to seal the remembrance that we’ve been in those jewel islands in the Indian Ocean!

THE FOODS IN flamboyant DETAILS!

Never would I trade in this once-in-my-lifetime experience of my very own dinner under the stars on the beach, our villa, on the tower or on a private island. It’s a perfect way for BabyClyde and me to end the day as the sun sets and the night sky turns on. On account of our ultimate dining experiences, here goes:

Maldivian Beach BBQ On West Beach

We had starters of seared sea scallops with rocket salad, barbecue lamb tikka salad with mixed crispy leaves in mango and mint yogurt dressing. There were marinated olives, coconut bread, plain rolls, cumin lavoche and grissini sticks with coconut chutney. In abundance we were laid out a spread of Maldivian lobster with garlic butter, Thai-influenced squid and green mango salad, crabmeat-apple-fennel coleslaw, prawn satay with peanut sauce, tiger prawns skewers, peppered tuna steak with warm balsamic of olive-cherry tomato-and basil confit, selection of vegetable kebabs, baked potatoes with sour cream, caper butter sauce and lime wedges.

Dessert heaven came in the form of lemongrass crème brulee with tropical fruits, chocolate mud cake with strawberry compote and of course since it’s a buffet spread it never ran out of a selection of international cheese platters with grapes and dry fruits plus an array of fresh sliced ones.

Kandooma Café

For starters we had pepper seared Australian beef carpaccio served with rocket leaves, shaved parmesan and red wine vinaigrette, salad “islander” of local cabbage, oak leaf and lollo rosso tossed with candied red onions, bell peppers, avocado, pistachio, toasted coconut and lime lemon grass dressing. For main course, we indulged in fresh lobster brushed with herbed butter, red snapper fillet wrapped in banana leaf, Australian beef tenderloin fillet served with truffle jus, masala chicken kebabs, baked jacket sweet potatoes with sour cream and chives, corn on the cob and Mediterranean grilled vegetables and herb-marinated lamb cutlets with mint chutney. For desserts we had baked lemon cheese with lime curd, macerated raspberries and fresh fruits platter.

Breakfast, lunches and dinners at the resort Kandooma Café are buffet.Their most premium offer and their platinum is the STAY INDULGENT package that sums up ‘drink everywhere’. We treated ourselves to a wide variety of selected international drinks, coffee, tea, smoothies, milkshake, mini-bar and ice cream. We also immersed in their stunning events – “Spirit of Maldives”, Fishermen’s Market, Dine IN! the Kitchen and the Maldivian Beach BBQ.

We enjoyed non-motorized water sports and recreation activities including SUB Stand up paddle board, kayak, catamaran boards, surf boards and windsurfing. After that, we relaxed with Como Shambhala Massage, a 60-minute indulgent nurturing massage using their signature blended massage oil to calm the mind and rejuvenate the body at their spa.

Tailor made Trips upon request or combination trips

Holiday Inn Kandooma recreation and water sports staff will advise the best weather conditions for your activity for maximum enjoyment. Water sports include catamaran sailing, wind surfing, kayak, water-ski, surfing, wake-board and fun tube. The night entertainment at the Lounge Bar are as varied as enjoying DJ and a live band, seaplane slideshow, karaoke evening, movie night, scuba diving video, turtle point slideshow, crab race, marine biology talk, and time trivia.

The weekly recreation and water sports activities include Turtle Point Reef Snorkeling, dolphin cruise, local islands, fish aquarium, Male seaplane, Catamaran safari, banana boat and fun tube, sunset cruise, and night fishing. There are intermediate and advanced complimentary snorkeling trips as well as beginner complimentary snorkeling lessons available daily.

INFO: Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, Kandooma Fushi, South Male Atoll, Republic of Maldives, telephone number +960-664-0511 and fax number +960-664-0513.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES EXPERIENCE

From Manila to Singapore to Male and back, this airline never got short on plush meals on board. Their classy menu says, “as you settle back to enjoy your flight, we are pleased to offer World Gourmet Cuisine, a sumptuous selection of dishes created under the guidance of our own chefs. Using fine quality produce, the menu features authentic Asian flavors derived from traditional recipes, as well as western cuisine with an inspired, modern touch. To further delight the palate, complement your meal with a choice of fine red or white wines carefully selected by our esteemed wine consultants.”

I could imagine a sommelier speaking in front with his tossed kiss-in-the-air as he declares “Bon appétit!” We started the pleasure from Manila to Singapore with an appetizer of potato and tuna salad, main courses of roasted pork with chicken flavored rice or beef with red wine and rosemary jus and vegetables and pasta. Dessert was mango cream cake. Dreamy light meal!

From Singapore to Male the appetizer was marinated seafood in cocktail sauce and a main course of Chinese braised beef with daikon, carrots and wheat noodle or ayam masak merah, a Malay-style braised chicken in red chili with mixed vegetables and steamed rice. Sides were cheese and crackers and ice cream. Delectable dinner!

From Male to Singapore, we had Yum woon sen kup kung for appetizer; it’s Thai-style shrimp with glass noodle salad. Stuffing us with the main course are either braised beef in mustard sauce with roasted seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes or stir fried chicken with ginger and spring onion, Chinese vegetable and steamed rice. Dessert is chocolate cream cake. Wistful supper!

Finally from Singapore back to Manila, we had fruit appetizer and wholesome beginnings of stir fried chicken with capsicums in oyster sauce, Chinese greens and carrots, steamed rice or waffle with maple syrup, grilled tomato, chicken sausage and scrambled eggs. Dessert is strawberry cream mousse. Luscious brunch!

Notice that the sumptuous on board meals are always changed during the whole course of our flights to and fro. The only omnipresent were rolls and butter or fruit preserves with either coffee or tea for sides. Isn’t this a great dining experience as you fly!

Talk about beverages, this airline is lavish as well. Without extra cost you could ask for aperitifs like Campari or Dry Vermouth, spirits like cognac, whiskey, gin or vodka, liqueurs like Cointreau, Bailey’s or Kahlua, red wines like Cabernet and white wines like Chardonnay, international selections of beer like Heineken or Tsingtsai and stout, cocktails like their signature Singapore sling, Screwdriver or Bloody Mary as well as non-alcoholic mixes like fruit spritzer and orange cooler. Unfortunately I could only subsist on the last two non-alcoholic mixes or any fruit juices of orange, pineapple, apple or tomato; of coffees and teas; and sodas, bitter lemon or ginger ale. I won’t dare trigger allergic reactions lest my holiday would be ruined.

I said it in the first line; I’d say it again…never would I trade in this once-in-my-lifetime Maldives experience! My heart is filled with gratitude…

Benevolent Saturday wake-upper….

I have a colleague and classmate in the academe whose works are great by capturing the essence of touching community lives with his photos. One particular shot he shared deeply moved me and stirred caring emotions in a degree more powerful than before.

Personally, I am grateful we are sharing our humble home with a family we adopted from a barrio; furthermore, my profound empathy reaches out to the townsfolk represented by this father and son tandem. I have my own “mag-ama”; I can picture my husband and son[s] toiling to survive and provide for the family. How great it is to witness their fortitude.

Our socioeconomic status should not stop us from working hard. Whatever place you have in the society, it is for you to live selflessly and purposefully. It is for you to be an extension of God’s works, redistributing the wealth he gave us and not merely amassing it for personal use.

He would make a great leader someday. In many ways he already is. By leading Aquinians into the spirit of volunteerism, he and his team enlivened God’s purpose for them to empower communities.

With this utterly touching photo he shares: “An mabooton na mag-amang namidbidan ko sa gilid kan tinampo. Malumbayon magtaram si Tiyo. Nagpapahingalo sinda ta hale pa sana sa pagtinda ki Niyog. So P15.00 na nababakal buda pipakudkod ko sa saudan kan Legazpi, P5.00 sana an pabakal ninda. An sabi, tama na an na presyo ninda ta may pambakal naman sindang pagkaon.”

Then in the same post he shared, I replied: “i am deeply touched with this picture of determination to live and being simple at that, sir Rico De Mesa Manallo. Thank you so much for posting worthy ones like this, meaningful, paternal and heroic. Sinda an tunay na mga inspiracion sa lambang katauhan. With your great role as instructor of community services of AUL, you tap the hearts of many more willing to reach out, help and uplift without asking for something in return.”

vieux chalet swiss restaurant antipolo - scrapbook

When Am I Going To Make A Living

this is one photo that sometimes annoy me
but oftentimes tears me up inside

One day during my introductory lecture to my nursing students, I posed the question, “Do you think the street people you see around have no purpose? Oh no, dear students. They have. It is for them to remind you NOT to be like them. They are warning you to go study hard and work well so you would not end up in their shoes.”

Actually I was just injecting the meaning of purpose into the class. We were discussing nursing care management 101. It is just customary for me to incorporate life values whenever I lecture. So it gave me a jolt when, after the class as I adjourned, block one applauded. I didn’t know if it was sarcasm or bravado for my sermon-like insertion of a Christian value. Unsatisfied, I discreetly asked my senior co-c.i.s what was all that clapping about…and they gave me a wise smile and thumbs-up sign: “You did well for today, child”. That was all I needed to go home with great joy into my heart. Another day to share a value.

I’m living out my purpose one day at a time.

Before going to my classes this Saturday morning, I made it a point to post currently relevant opinions about Pinas’ ongoing issues…the unbridled corruption and PDAF. I speak for my fellowmen. I say we have a large number of bums on the streets perhaps because it is a product of a misdeed. I like the message in Sade’s song, read on below:

When Am I Going To Make A Living Lyrics
- Sade
When am I gonna make a living?
It's gonna take a while before I give in
See the people fussing and thieving
While the sharks are wheeling and dealing
Gotta look up and tell yourself, there's no end to what you can do
They'll waste your body and soul if you allow them to
This is time to start believing in yourself
Put the blame on no-one else
*
Haven't I told you before
we’re hungry for a life we can't afford?
There's no end to what you can do
If you give yourself a chance to prove
We're hungry but we won't give in
Hungry but we won't give in
*repeated in multitude

I'm sick and tired of scratching a living
I am hungry but I'm not gonna give in, no

TO EACH ITS OWN: MY FAVORITE FOODS IN EACH RESTAURANT….

tasty soul-filling agedashi tofu of Delica

Wacky's Republic where I go gaga with the sizzling bulalo

When it comes to sizzling bulalo, I can never get enough of Wacky’s. When I crave for Bicol express, the best for me is from Alvi’s.

As I pine for beef stroganoff and pili basil pasta, I run to Small Talk Café. When I yearn for a fat succulent prawn sitting atop herb-rich pasta, nothing beats Balay Cenauna. If I hunger after futo maki, miso soup and agedashi tofu I’d hang out at Delica in old Albay district.

One pizza I love is Fungi pizza from Eatalia which I think they revised into Calzone. Don’t get me wrong; a fungus that’s not going to cause itchiness in your skin or mouth is what I mean…those white creamy mushrooms. When it rains and the temperature gets cold, the best comfort food I desire for is arroz caldo from Pares King.

interior of chic Cafe Cubana

La Mia Tazza coffee

In Legazpi we don’t have a Starbucks but for coffee concoctions La Mia Tazza and Café Cubana tops the java houses around town. For milk teas infused with rock salt and cheese I love it blended best from Sinceritea. Of course our province’s pride when it comes to incomparable legendary halo halo is nothing but DJC. Stories had it that the shaved ice they use has cornstarch in it that gives their best seller a creamy consistency.

Sibid sibid resto....love that native feel!

Looking for the best seafood diner in this city? You’ll love the ceviches [fish kinilaw], grilled pusit and garlic tanigue in Sibidsibid. The name of the resto itself means a small boat used to catch the fresh bounty of the sea. The best dimsum and dumplings fried or steamed is from Bok Lan but my favorite siopao that tastes like heaven is from Wah Foo Chan. Still Chinese-inspired is the stir-fried noodles [canton, gisado, miki, bihon] of LR…that’s Legazpi Restaurant for you.

Manhattan resort in Sto. Domingo

it's in Naga!

Let’s get out a bit further. You want melt-in-the-mouth texture of a crispy pata coming from uber-tender roast pork? You can only have that from the resto of a beach resort named Manhattan in Sto. Domingo. We don’t have The Red Crab in the region but we have a Red Platter in Naga City that sautés the most delectable chilli-garlic crabs around; you might want to lick the sauce off the hard shells you’ve cracked.

IN ANTICIPATION…

hawker haven in Singapore

There’s no ala-SR-Thai yet here. Loving Thai food? You might want to open one. Singapore is a hub for hawker-style food. You may think of making a haven for gourmet street foods here. Go ahead; you’re most anticipated! Lobster house, oyster shack ala New Orleans, Mussels and clams baked, grilled, sautéed, or fried? We gourmands yearn for it. You might want to consider!

I’ve been to Madrid, Barcelona and Mallorca Spain and have tasted the most authentic paella. There was a Global Kusina resto that’s Eatalia now and they used to serve paellas. I never got to order for when I decided to relive my Spanish sojourn, Global Kusina closed up already. Woe me.

In the Middle East I also subsisted in chicken or beef shawarma drenched with the most wonderful creamy onion-garlic sauce. I remember the name as Al Baik. How I wish we’d have one here. Oh! The closest one Legazpi has is Pakistani-owned Wania Shawarma in Rawis. Spicy Mediterranean flavors this one diner got!

When I took my US nursing licensure exam in Guam and Saipan, I was served the most exquisite macadamia nut-crusted sole fillet atop herbed rice. It was extremely delicious I shouted ‘Hafa Adai’ like a true Chamorro! As I was about to work as a registered nurse in Austin, the capital city of Texas, USA I anticipated Tex-Mex fare like Fajitas, Chile verde con carne, tamales, chicken fried steaks, grilled vegetables and pecan pies. I was to bring hubby with me that very 2001 with our immigrant status but fate changed its course. We ended up building our family in our native Albay.

As for pasta, only in Colonial Grill do I love pasta bicolana: spicy Guinobatan longganisa in olive oil and spaghettini. I’m not a fried-chicken girl but when I want one, I only have it from Four Seasons. I also don’t have much of a sweet tooth like I used to but when sugar rush hits me only the pastries of Chef Connie Condeno of Apicius and Balay Cenauna can make its way to my tongue and tummy!!! They’re created from the hands of a cake goddess so who would ever not want one?