Tilapia and Chips: Boracay's Hot Ribs Place

There's a very good restaurant in Boracay  located at the Mall's entrance near the main road named Tilapia and Chips.  It specializes in fish and chips and baby back ribs.  But according the owner, their best seller is the baby back ribs.  The place is clean, and service, warm and friendly!

I tried the half slab order of their baby back ribs which is priced at a reasonable P460 (US$11.00) and this comes with a glass of iced tea, french fries and salad. The ribs is sweet tasting and is good except that even if the meat is tender it is a bit dry.  The baby back ribs at Texas Joe House of Ribs in Subic is better since their ribs are really  tender and juicy.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this meal and next time I go to Boracay would most likely eat here again and try their other specialty, the tilapia and chips.

Panay Town: Quaint and Charming

Panay town in Capiz is a short 15 minute drive from Roxas City.  In this quaint and charming town, you will find the oldest church in Panay, the Santa Monica Church. This 17th century Church is made of coral stones with the interiors baroque in style. Other attractions are the church bell (which was made from 70 sacks of silver and gold coins donated by the locals), a traditional water well, and the town hall.

Roxas City: Seafood Capital???

The reason why I decided to pass by Roxas City on my way to Boracay was their fresh and reasonably priced seafoods which I have read about.  Afterall, Roxas City prides itself as the seafood capital of the Philippines.

However, I was in for a major disappointment.  Not only were there not a lot of seafood choices but the prices also were not reasonable.  At the Seafood Court in the People's Park Plaza, they were selling steamed small crabs for P100 (US$ 2.32) per piece and  a small slice of blue marlin at P150 (US$3.40). A bit reasonable was the sea shells in a small soup bowl for P80 (US$1.80).  The prices were a lot more expensive than in Manila. No wonder there were very people dining at the place during the lunch hour that I was there. 

For this reason I decided to stay for just a night instead of 2 nights as I originally planned.  The title "Seafood Capital" is undeserved!

Roxas City Shines

If Roxas City is pretty at daytime, at night, it shines.  It is one of the few cities in the Philippines that are beautifully lit at night.  The other one that comes to mind is Laoag City in Ilocos Norte.  Good to know that scions of prominent political families, in this case Roxas family in Roxas and the Marcoses in Laoag have taken very good care of their hometowns.

Roxas City: Jewel in the South

I was glad that I went to the charming and quaint city of  Roxas in Capiz province located in Southern Philippines.  Instead of taking the usual flight either to Caticlan or Kalibo, I decided to instead go to Roxas enroute to Boracay.  The city boasts of well paved streets, beautifully maintained plaza, and generally clean and peaceful environment.  So unlike most towns and cities in the Philippines which are dirty, dusty and crowded. Roxas City also has a huge bus terminal located outside of the city which is probably the best in the country.

Its the hometown of controversial Secretary Mar Roxas and if the condition of Roxas City is  any indication,  then should he become the next President of the Philippines, there's a good chance that the country is destined for better things!

Singing Cooks and Waiters Restaurant: A Feast for the Senses

Current hit among foreign tourists and locals alike is the Singing Cooks and Waiters Restaurant at Roxas Blvd. corner Gil Puyat Avenue.  The place has been renovated and sports a more modern and cleaner look similar to a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant but done with a Filipino touch.

It is a delight to dine in this Filipino restaurant as you do not only get to enjoy traditional Filipino food at its finest ( The place is actually part of the famous Barrio Fiesta restaurants) but get to be entertained by the cooks and waiters who sing and dance to yours and theirs hearts' content.  The cooks also get to display their cooking skills in a theatrical fashion similar to what skilled bartenders do to entertain customers.  The owners of the restaurant have added a new twist by having actual cooking done in front of the diners following the concept of Japanese teppanyaki restaurants.

This is a must place to bring your foreign based family and friends to a feast for the senses to savor the sound, sight, taste, and smell of a truly unique Filipino dining experience.

India Tourist Visa On Arrival: Fast and Easy

There are three things that surprisingly impressed me about modern India.  First is the tourist visa on arrival facility for passport holders from Asian countries which include the Philippines, Cambodia, Japan, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore and Vietnam. This visa facility is available at the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.  I arrived in Delhi and as a Philippine passport holder I took advantage of this tourist visa on arrival system.

 It was fast and easy and took no more than 30 minutes and was granted a 30 day single entry tourist visa. I had to accomplish the application form, provide a passport size picture, a copy of first page of my passport and pay the fee of US$60.  Of course, I also had to show proof of my outbound ticket from India and booking for my accommodations in Delhi.  You can also apply for a tourist visa in Manila at a slightly cheaper rate of US$49 but that is a more tedious process with more documentation requirements, and requires you to file the visa application at the processing office in Makati.

Second thing that was impressive is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.  This airport is  new and modern and is a striking contrast to the chaos and filth that are a common feature of many places in Delhi.

This airport has a fast train shuttle that will bring you to Central Delhi.  This is the third impressive thing in Delhi.  The airport train is new, clean, fast and efficient.  It is in fact surprisingly better than the airport shuttle of Bangkok.

These three things are bright spots for tourism in India.  If only, India was less chaotic, cleaner, and scam free, then a vacation there would truly be magical and great!