Travel Photographer Philippines – The 4AM Chronicles

Yes it’s a couple of hours until valentines day and just to join the fun, I’d write my own valentines post the 4AM traveler way. Now here’s the question: Where would you want to be on Valentines day? Maybe it’s some romantic place with great landscape, furls of grass, flowers or everglades – whatever an everglade is. Maybe beside the blue calm, waves crashing, and before the cool of the sea breeze. A dinner for two maybe at some hilltop, chardonnay, some flowers and chocolates.

a Truck load of sugarcane. Photo taken in Cadiz, Negros Occ (funshot taken with a Playsport)

I guess everyone will have their own fancy. For me, If I had a choice, I’d be in Bacolod, not just for valentines day but any other day. Pick a place in the whole country and I’d choose to be there. Now when I do say Bacolod though, do know that I’m really talking about the whole province of Negros Occidental and not just the city.

I always find myself in Bacolod. Maybe there’s a wonder that keeps me going back, a tempation that lures me into its streets and those hole in the wall food places, something that struck my heart, or maybe my tummy. Whatever it is, whether I do figure it out or not. I will continue to love that place.

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Its 4:2 in the morning and I am awake. Not still awake, but really just woke at 4am.. is the blog name suddenly haunting my subconscious, I don’t know.

I’ll be at the Salcedo and Mercato Market today for a feature show I’m directing. It’s a magazine style travel show that will air on Youtube and I’m choosing to feature the Salcedo and Mercato markets in Makati as the debut destinations.

So are you going to see more videos now in this blog? Perhaps. But we will see. I’ll still have photos up of soon. Specially of Lakbay Norte soon. Did you see me on TV early yesterda. If you didn’t, good. Haha.

I’ll keep everyone posted

It’s day one of Lakbay Norte 2, and as we alight a freezer , ahem, our nice Victory Liner bus with customized Lakbay Norte wrap (photos to follow), breakfast was calling my name. We left at 3:15AM at the Victory Liner station in Kamias, Quezon City, and arrived at 6:30AM at Rosario, La Union. Thank God for the newly renovated NLEX and the newer SCTEX for making the usual 5.5 hour trip cut short by 2 hours, and that with within-the-speed-limit safe driving.

this is not  a food shot, just a shot of food. I just wanted to show off some scrambled egg pesto

Soul Cafe was our first stop. I’ve been here several times and I’ve always found it to be a nice place to take a break, either to eat, have coffee, or simply just look around… ok maybe not just look around, go ahead and buy something. You’re bound to get something from there anyway.

You get the usual Ilocano or Pinoy breakfast of the shop’s own version but my fave was the scrambled egg pesto dish. Its a little sweet but the pesto makes the difference. Basil that good is worth sharing.

Soul Cafe is also one of those rare shops where you can get the famous Alamid coffee – which is coffee fermented in the digestive coffee of the muscat and the naturally processed coffee beans are carefully picked (i hope) and removed from the cats dung, or poo, or whatever you call it.

A shot of Coffee Alamid. The float spells SOUL Cafe, can you see?

Im not an expert when it comes to coffee. Caffeine makes me sleepy, but the aroma is something else. Its strong enough to give you a kick and keep you awake. In my case, a kick that knocks me off to bed. The richness if flavour.. ok i ran out of words.. but go try one yourself which the store sells at An espresso shot will cut you back Php350 (roughly US$8), but cmon, if youre a coffee drinker, this is worth a try, for everyone else like me, the experiencing of drinking something that came out of a wild cat’s behind is something to be proud about ( i think..)

If you’re a photography buff, the cafe is a nice little place to do a little food or still life photography. The nice, cozy, and well designed interiors makes it possible to do so. The food is also presented with a little style.. maybe just a little but pretty enough to be used in a blog or to share in your Flickr account. Here’s their info:

SOUL Cafe
Camp One, Rosario La Union 2506
Telephone No: (72)712-0852
Fax No:(72)712-1190

Where are we off to next?.. Good question.

Ahoy!

As thirteen days pass without a blog post of any sort after the tide has turned 11 during the new millennium, I am proud to be back. No i am not rededicating myself to blogging. I simply took a little vacation to do more important things in life. Yes, there is more to life than photography, making films, traveling, or having a desk job for that matter.

So What’s new this 2011 here at the 4AM Chronicles? A lot and I will share with you most of what’s happening in and out of my media work.

Well aside from new topics, we will run things status quo except I have to organize things a bit so you wont need to fumble with the search or category pages.

Since I’m still getting writer’s block from all the New Year smoke (good think I don’t have cough anymore due to mild asthma) ill just share with you some travel tips via an interview that happened last year by Tribe, the tv show.

You may choose to believe it or not, its up to you, but just a disclaimer, i was nervous that time and didnt know what I was talking about. Isn’t this why I am in media production, so I can stay behind the cam?

In any case, Enjoy!

One of my favorite places in Seoul, South Korea is Insadong 인사동. The mere mention of the name reminds me of modern stone walks, fancy stores, tea houses, traditional restaurants, and street food. Its a tourist spot they say. But since in this country, everyone is a tourist, Insadong remains to be a place worth visiting. People lining up the street food carts are my favorite sites. It means there a not-so-hidden gem of a snack, either on a wooden skewer or a paper bag, waiting to be re-discovered. What’s makes the experience a novelty are the people involved in making the wonderful treats. They have enough character to make each tummy warming experience also a photographic one.

This vendor is making Hoddeok 호떡, Its a Korean variation of Red bean sesame balls (buchi) without the sesame seeds and only much bigger. In fact its the size of a saucer. Yeah its blurry, but I like it that way.

I never got to try this Kkul Tarae (꿀타래) treat. But the process of making it is very interesting. From a single dough they try to break it down to thousands of strands as thin as guitar strings and mix it with nuts. They do it in a fashion where one demonstrates how its made in a fairly modulated voice, with the other echoing whatever the other guy was saying from time to time. I didn’t understand a single word they said, but it was fun watching the commotion.

Maybe my most favorite, Sweet Custard Cake is a must try. Its famously called Deli Manju 데리만주 although not made in this fashion. Manju means dumpling so its a sweet dumpling.

These Rice Crispies or Gangjeong 강정 are sold right along the street on a makeshift table. The vendor’s attire was interesting enough to not miss the opportunity to shoot.

And, not exactly in the famous street of Insadong but Eom’s Chicken Skewers  엄.s 닭꼬치 in Jongno where I took the Subway to Hongik Universtiy to meet a friend was also hard to miss. I never got to try the grilled chicken in skewers. We have that at home, yeah?! (not sure with the flavor though), but see why I like this photo? The look on the guy’s face is priceless. I like it sometimes when reactions are unnatural. Sometimes its nice to do the opposite of what I’m used to doing.

I still have a lot of other vendor photos to share. In Insadong, or wherever in Korea. Street Food is always definitely one of my must trys in any country. Maybe I should post a few Taiwan Street Food photos. I’ll think about it.