TravelswithCharie

Dining and entertainment in the seafood capital of the Philippines is on the upswing. All along Baybay Beach, restaurants are sprouting and the masses are following. On weekends, the beach is full of day trippers who jump gleefully into the sea and soak their feet in the sand. Before any beachside restaurant was born in Roxas City, Marc's was already around serving their famous pork barbecue. When I order my meals, I go for their vegetable chop suey and battered chicken. Up the street from Marc's is Coco Veranda , a crowd favorite. You can order fresh catch of the day by pointing to any swimming fish in their tank or try their blue or white marlin. At the Sandbar , I like their tangigue steak. You can order food from this restaurant and have it served poolside across the street. The infinity pool streams down to a man made lake. It's beautiful! If you wish to stay the night, Casa Felisa has luxury suites next door to the pool. Outside the city center in Dayao, Espacio is n

At Nino's Italian Ristorante in Roxas City, my palate perked up after eating a few slices of the pizza Italiana with eggplant and slivers of ham. I had no qualms about eating a lot of pizza in the evening because the crust was nearly paper thin and and not as heavy as a thick crust pizza would have been. The eggplant did surprise me. What a novel idea to add eggplant to pizza! It was quite tasty. I went back two days later and had another pizza Italiana. I never thought I would find another pizza to top my eggplant discovery. But there it was. A chicken teriyaki and mango pizza at John and Yoko restaurant on the second floor of Greenbelt 5 in Makati. First of all, my favorite fruit is mango. So I was intrigued by the possible combination of chicken teriyaki and mango. I feared the teriyaki sauce might overwhelm the dish but it was all so delicious that I left only 2 little pieces for my cousin to take home. Because the crust was also thin and crispy, it was the perfect light meal o

And now, a truly Pinoy salad! The ingredients are: green mango, singkamas (jicama), pipino (cucumber), tiny local tomatoes, steamed okra, salted red egg, and carrots sliced to eat with your fingers. The "pièce de resistance" is the bagoong dip (salted fish or shrimp paste). Never mind the aroma of the bagoong. It goes well with everything. I think I have a new favorite salad. Bon Appetit! * * * Photo by Rosario Charie Albar

My orange tree finally bore a fruit. Just one little fruit. Even though it is still quite green and I didn't notice it amongst the green leaves, I know there could be no sweeter orange than the first surviving fruit from the tree I planted 3 years ago. I'm one very happy gardener. * * * Photo by Rosario Charie Albar

Gaudi's Casa Batlló I had three full days in Barcelona recently. Hardly enough to see Gaudí's many projects, Picasso's paintings and ceramics, and Joan Miro's colorful works of art. Dividing the city into sections, I started exploring in the medieval Barri Gotic where the Museu Picasso is located. The most memorable of the collection on display are the series of paintings called "Las Meninas" after the painting of the same name by one of Spain's greatest painters, Velasquez. Picasso's abstract interpretation of the 17th century painting is interesting and thought provoking, to say the least. The series challenges viewers to see an icon from a modernistic perspective and appreciate the nuances and differences in style. The second day was devoted to Gaudí. I could only squeeze 3 of his masterpieces into my schedule - Casa Batlló, Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia. Inside Casa Batlló I was captivated by the sheer beauty of the undulating walls, the stained g

The Alhambra in Granada, the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, Gaudi's Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Valle de los Caidos, are just a few of the many treasures of Spain. In May, we stared with wondrous eyes and mouths agape at the beautiful, harmonious and mystical Mezquita in Cordoba. That was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. May is also the month of festivals in Andalucia. Cordoba celebrates its Festival of the Patios in early May as does Jerez to the south with a grand parade of horses in the Feria de los Caballos . Check out Cordoba now. Spain never ceases to amaze. * * * Photo by Rosario Charie Albar

It's been a fun and creative last few weeks for me while learning how to convert my travel photos into video stills. I have 20 travel videos currently uploaded to YouTube for the vicarious traveler in you. No need to pack your bags. Just turn on your laptop or computer and link to my site: www.youtube.com/travelswithcharie . You have a choice of destinations to visit: Spain, The Philippines, Bali, Yosemite National Park, Egypt, Lantau Island, Berlin, Italy, Prague, Amsterdam. There's also a video about food, " Eating Well in Spain ", and one on gardens, " Filoli House and Gardens ". Check out Oahu now. I hope you have as much fun watching these videos as I had creating them for you. Happy travels! * * *