Where's Scott?

Burikat tasted like a nice cross between beef and chicken, and Noel (Mabel’s cousin) did an excellent job of spicing it! We bought (or more to the point Seb bought) basically the whole extended family San Miguel (beer) and Tanduay (rum), and while Mabel, Seb and I sang Karioke with Noel’s wife and kids (who shamed us tirelessly), they sat out front on a bamboo platform and talked, yelled and occasionally cheered us on as we all got progressively more drunk!

The next day we were all mercifully spared the hangover we so dearly deserved, and Seb requests a visit to the beach. The truck pulls up to Mabel’s parents house, and as the minutes tick by, more and more of Mabel’s family pile into the vehicle until it’s clear they’ll need to be more than one trip! Seb suggests I ride Patton-style in the back of the truck, standing up in the flatbed in a small gap provided by the family, and we motor off to Rotel’s house (one of Mabel’s sisters) beachside. With blond hair blowing in the wind, I quickly discover that I’m quite a spectacle in Leyte – kids and adults all stop dead with mouth gaping as we drive by; we’re definitely in a part of the world were white people just never make an appearance! I’m loving the ride, no way I can ride standing up in the back of a flatbed overflowing with people in the states ;), and waving to the locals becomes a challenge to catch them early enough for them to shake off their stun-lock, and gather themselves enough to smile and wave back; I’m about 50% successful.

The beach is fabulous. A quick walk down a palm-lined trail reveals a small grouping of 4 or so small houses (including Rotel’s) nestled directly on a white sand beach with a view to die for. We take a short stroll down the beach while Mabel’s family gathers near Rotel’s house for a cookout, and find a wonderful spot near some drowned trees for a snorkel. By the time we return, giant squid is roasting on the fire (Seb’s treat of course!). Squid I’ve had, but giant squid served in it’s own ink I’ve somehow missed; squid ink is fabulous! It’s thick, black and buttery, and has a mild chocolaty flavor that’s difficult to describe, but equally difficult to forget! (Why is the ink never used in Western cuisine? What a loss…)

After lunch we watch as a local craftsman expertly cuts some straight boards out of a fallen tree with a long, handheld chainsaw, something I would not have though possible if I hadn’t seen it myself. The boards are destined for Mabel’s parents house, and it’s fascinating to experience the project progress is such a tactile manner, especially as the sun sets around us on an isolated beach in paradise…