Pasalubong Shopping in Tabo-an Market, Cebu

Lapu-Lapu Shrine

My friends know that I am deathly afraid of flying. I have a TV show on air crash investigations to blame for that, really. Because it is not like I have never traveled by plane before. For some reason, after watching that show, it dawned on me that a lot of airplane crashes are brought about by the littlest things-- a loose screw, a sleep-deprived air traffic controller, the plane maintenance crew mixing up metric and English measurements, and the list of seemingly negligible factors goes on.

Magellan's Cross

Unfortunately, I got sent packing to fly to Bohol and Cebu the last week of August for work and for some reason, I was not able to say no. As soon as my jet-setting friends caught wind of the fact that I actually boarded a plane, I got phone calls. Now, they tell me, I no longer have any reason to not join them in trips that entail plane rides.

I am not so sure about that...

Anywho. I cannot say that I did not enjoy the trip to Bohol and Cebu. I enjoyed the company, the sightseeing, and pasalubong shopping. I bought most of my pasalubong from the Tabo-an Market, that repository of all fish dried, which sweet stench imprinted itself rather rudely in the recesses of my mind.

I did not get danggit or any dried fish for that matter from Tabo-an. There are other food stuff that can be gotten there after all. I did not get too many though, as I have resolved that I will not get shop-crazy on that trip and go home with stuff that I regret getting at all and on top of it would force me to handle extra baggage. I am a notoriously light traveler. All I had on my person for that 4 day trip was a backpack, probably weighing half my weight, sure, but just one backpack all the same.

Shamrock Otap

BongBong's Ube Piaya

I got my father his favorite Shamrock otap. No other brand would do for him, as the others would leave him with a raw hard palate. I also got a pack of BongBong's ube piaya, which my mother liked a lot. She said that unlike most other piaya which tend to be hard and dry, this one is nice and soft.

Argao's Guilang Tableya

There was a pack of 100% pure chocolate, Argao's Guilang Tableya, which I got convinced into buying because 1) it looked finer than other native tableya that are characteristically grainy and 2) our tour guide says that they were made right in her own barangay and she personally vouched for its quality. It took all my willpower not to snack on it on the ride home.

7D Dried Mangorind

The 7D Mangorind, a wonderfully exotic concoction of mango and tamarind in sugar-laced candy form, was quite addictive. So much so that I kind of regretted buying just one pack. They were being offered for 3 packs for Php100.

Triple E Squid Flakes

Oh, but I did buy a dried seafood. When I asked the storekeeper what she thinks is the best brand of dried squid flakes, she handed over the Triple E brand squid flakes. I do not recall the price anymore, but I remember how it was the most expensive among the other brands available in the shop and I felt like I was taken in for a ride when I paid for it. Fortunately, Triple E was indeed better than any other squid flakes I have had. And the packaging deserves special mention. Instead of the squid flakes tossed in haphazardly inside the sealed foil, each piece is individually wrapped in plastic for better handling.