Baluts, cameras, and thievery in Cebu

It was pretty hot in the Lapu Lapu police station. I wiped the mid afternoon sweat from my brow as an officer casually talked to one of the local inhabitants while gesturing with an assault rifle.

No, I was not arrested for some scandalous act of debauchery, but due to the theft of a camera.

One week ago the group went on a tour of Cebu which included lunch at a fantastic local seafood restaurant. My wonderful boss foolishly gave me the company video camera to begin documenting our adventures. I secured the camera in it's bag, placed my hat over top of it, and put it next to my feet. By the end of the meal I still had my hat but the camera was long gone. I was embarrassed to say the least. Mr. "Independence" got marked and the camera got nicked. Lucky Trina pulled of a bit of a paparazzi trick and we believe that we got a pic of the perp. Everyone has been really nice regarding the incident, but my pride definitely needed CPR afterwards.

Enough of that...

The friday before Deb came to my classroom with a challenge from her class to eat a balut. For those who don't know, it is a fertilized duck egg steamed and eaten right out of the shell and it is a bit of a local fave here. Not one to step down to a challenge, particularly since Deb stated that she would try it as well, I headed down to the pantry with my class closely following. Deb and I also convinced our Wipro associates to also join us in the experience. I can honestly say that i have never eaten under such pressure before. Sixty trainees screaming and cheering us on, half of which kept telling me specifically how to eat it.

"Break the membrane! Suck the juice! Don't lose it, it's the best part! More salt. More salt! Too much! More vinegar!"

My hands were shaking throughout the entire experience. The taste was actually pretty good, kind of like a really hardboiled egg with some crunchy bits in it. I would definitely eat one again if some chili sauce was on standby.

Saturday, as mentioned before, we went on a bit of a tour of Cebu. We hit up the Lapu-Lapu shrine, where the local hero killed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. We also visited Fort San Pedro, build by the Spanish to guard Cebu from pirates back in the 1700's. We also visited Magellan's Cross, city hall, Basilica of Santo Nino (church). Since we were visiting a church, no shorts were allowed on the tour. That means me in jeans, in sticky hot humid weather. Luckily the cars were air conditioned. :)

We also attempted to go to a great vantage point of the city, but unfortunately the mist was rolling in and we could not see much. Luckily we were heading to a restaurant which served excellent local dishes. The food included deep fried intestines, a sour soup made with fish and tomatoes (i remember having this before with Paul in Edmonton), crispy pata, and a dish our guides were overjoyed that we were trying but would not tell us what it was until afterwards. It turned out to be very good and made out of blood. Nothing too scary for a guy whose parents fed him black pudding as a teenager.

I should also mention how fantastic our guides from Wipro were that Saturday. They were extremely friendly and knowedgable regarding the history of Cebu.

On Sunday the ladies I work with decided it was time for me to experience my first manicure and pedicure. It was alright (no, i did not have my nails painted) but i felt sorry for the girl who had to excavate my feet. One of the trainers, Edward, also brought in some lechon for me to try. The skin was absolutely sublime. Fantastic stuff.

Today Edward and one of the other trainers, Tanya, took me to a tailor to have my measurements taken for a new suit. We then went out to buy the material which was super cheap. Apparently it will take a few weeks to make the suit, as the tailor is booked up with orders from political figures and students (school is starting up next month). If everything works out rest assured I'll be frequenting this tailor for the remainder of my time here. We then spent the rest of the afternoon sipping coffee and doing a whole bunch of nothing which is exactly what i needed after an intense week at work.

Tomorrow the Itek group is planning on going to a fantastic beach resort. Hopefully the weather is sunny so i can finally work on my tan.