One fine afternoon at Camiña Balay nga Kawayan in Guimaras

I just love traveling to Guimaras where a mere 15 minutes brings you a world almost a thousand miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And another 25 minutes from the Jordan wharf is the Camiña Balay nga Kawayan in Guimaras and Springbloom Farms where this picture perfect "picnic" took place a week after we had a sumptuous lunch during my first visit to this rest house of the Camiñas in Sibunag.

The vast farm has mostly pineapples and papayas all around the bamboo and wood house with a stunning view of Lawi Bay and on clear days, both Iloilo and Negros (on opposite diections). Our welcome food were the signature Camiña Tsokolate and its quintessential partner ibos(suman).

And to make it more Guimaras, mangoes were served. They don't only look good but tastes the sweetest event if it wasn't really the season for mangoes, typically summertime peaking in April when the province celebrates Manggahan Festival. I just wish I could eat the mangoes in this photo...

More ibos and "palawan" (a kind of rootcrop similar to gabi) gave us more reason to stay on the table.

And of course there on the table was the "signature" of the Camiña Balay nga Kawayan - bino-ug nga baboy. It's basically grilled pork with a salt rub and cooked over high heat giving it a crisp and crunchy outside yet still juicy inside. Now my mouth waters even with the thought if it ...

The vast papaya and pineapple plantation makes the Springbloom Farms among the big suppkiers of these fruits in the market and anytime now, the pineapples are ready to be harvested while the papayas; well they're really on full fruitty bloom.

An impromptu trip brought us to Guisi, around 30 minutes from the farm, and the white sand beach and the century old lighthouse were among its best tourist drawers.The beachfront is quite undeveloped giving it a more natural feel of seclusion and connecting with nature.

The Guisi lighthouse, used during the Sapnish Era, reflects it age and its grandeur that time which we can only appreciate now in ruins. But if this place can be restored as a historical site and be made more touristy it will have a lot to offer - including the spectacular 360 degree view from the top of the rusty lighthouse. As of the moment only a few can brave the climbing the spiral staircase and stand on top of the structure without any support ...

Going back to Springbloom Farms, we had time to catch the last rays of the sun for the day and it was a perfect backdrop to end the day with a glass of wine. A toast to what the island of Guimaras can offer even in just 4 hours - yes, we went there past 2pm and went home past 6 o'clock.

But we felt time stood still, that day - we didn't rush or anything yet time find a way for us to enjoy the food, the scenery, the history and a lot more, in that short span of time. That's the rejuvenation the island of Guimaras gave us that time and I personally can't wait to be back there ...

Camiña Balay nga Kawayan in Guimaras and Springbloom Farms are located along KM 17 in Concordia in the Municiplaity of Sibunag in Guimaras. It is around 15 minutes from the the Trappist Monastery and almost right after Camp Alfredo going to Alubihod beach.

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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