LumpiaLife

It was just like every morning - preparing breakfast and listening to Butuan City's famous Radyo Trumpeta Radio Station 103.9 on the FM dial, when all of a sudden there was a knock on the door by one of Radyo Trumpeta's field DJ's! The DJ's roam the city's barangays listening for that famous trumpet sound coming from the radios rewarding the locals with prizes...just for listening! Today was special because our Ate is a big fan and always listens to the radio station starting at around 5AM everyday, and today was her lucky day! Since we were in town, I got to say a few words too, after I struggled even saying Radyo Trumpeta...lol Keep those radios turned on and up, because YOU may be the next surprise visit!

I've always wanted to try to grow a pineapple, and now that we live here in the Philippines and pineapples are plentiful, it is the perfect opportunity to give it a shot! We found two pineapples and carefully twisted off the tops, peeled a few leaves at the bottom, and place one in water directly and let the other one dry for a couple of days. After both were placed into water, we waited three weeks before planting them into the dirt. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel as I will post a video later when it starts to produce a pineapple!

The kids in the Barangay look for things to do to keep busy and to play. If it's not a game of bingo with flip flops, or a game of marbles, it may be spider fighting! The kids will go "hunting" for spiders throughout the day, make matchbook holding pens, and then have competitions to see who has found the strongest spider of them all. Here's an example of spider fighting in the Philippines.

Our day started by climbing to the top of Poblacion, and ended by hiking out to a "secret beach" on   the backside of the mountain. The hike along the shoreline was a little treacherous, and if you're not good with balance, then this might not be the hike for you. GOOGLE MAPS GPS CORDINATES:  https://goo.gl/maps/dK5FWcMACLajv28A8 The shore was rocky, and the sea was so clear and blue. Such an amazing experience! One we will never forget.  Once we made it to the BEACH, I didn't hesitate to get into that crystal blue water and do some snorkeling. There was a ton of seaweed closer to the shore, but the further you went out, the clearer it got. I was surprised I didn't see more fish than I did, but swimming through the reefs was pretty amazing. Mario's brother and cousin were out in the boat with the net set and spear gun in hand. We ended up getting a few small fish for a beach picnic, but not the Rock Fish we were looking for. After snorkeling for abo...

Happy New Year! It's been awhile since we've done an update, so this one may seem a little long, but we do have some BONUS New Year's footage included, so pop some popcorn and enjoy the update! The first floor is complete for now. Cement has been poured and beams are secure. It took about 2 days to complete the cement project. We ran some electrical... mostly temporary. We wanted to get some lights installed before the New Year's eve party, so basically it's an extended extension cord that can be unplugged into our neighbor's home when we need power. In the future, we may end up getting our own electric, but for now this is working out just fine. We got new stairs! We both knew the previous ones were way too steep, so they have been re-done and are now safer. We have met with a bamboo specialist and he is designing a railing to make them even safer. We added a hatch at the top of the stairs for safety and security which can be locked from bottom or top. ...

Lechon Baboy - Roasted Pig  It was approximately 6PM when we started processing our pig. It started with the kill and a prayer. "Dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful day, and thank you for this wonderful gift. May this pig's body nourish our bodies, and may its memory nourish our souls." We moved on to removing all the hair from the pig by pouring boiling hot water over the pig and scraping it with spoons and razor blades. My brother-in-law then removed the organs carefully to not puncture any as none of the pig would be wasted. After allowing the pig to dry for about 30 minutes, we stuffed it with lemongrass, green onions, onions, garlic, bell pepper, salt and magic sarap, then sewed the belly shut. He then poured one can of evaporated milk all over the pig before going over the fire. A few of Marilou's brothers and I took turns "driving" (turning) the pig for about three and a half hours. My brother-in-law knew it was ready when the ...