Emerald Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Iriga, Camarines Sur, Bicol Offers Panoramic View

In Iriga, in Camarines Sur in the Bicol region in the Philippines, there's a hill called Calvario. It is where the Emerald Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Iriga can be found. During the Tinagba festival held in February, the first harvests of the season are offered here. In Lent, a crucifixion play is held here.

There is a convention center at the foot of the grotto and a hotel. You can go to the top of the grotto after severl flights of stairs. At the top is an altar, which reminds you of the altar of a church. The statue of the Virgin Mary is to the right, set in the concrete wall. Below the altar is where tourists and locals usually congregate to socialize and to experience the grand view of Mt. Iriga and a few distant mountains, including the famous Mt. Mayon in Legaspi City.

The grotto is accessible through two big gates. If the one beside the hotel is closed, visitors will have to go around to enter from the other side. A guard goes around every once in a while, but the security usually cannot keep up with the activities of people going up to the altar, where debris accumulates. Near dusk,  the lights are switched on which allows the grotto to be a visible emerald gem from a distance.

 

The Secret of Fr.Ludovico Acernese (1835-1916) Diocesan Priest Padua, OFM Cap. / Rediscovering his Historical-Spiritual Journey / Claretian Publications 

Tricycles Overloaded with Passengers in Bicol, The Philippines

Cars are a luxury in the Philippines. If you don't have a car, you have the option of using public transportation like tricycles. Tricycles are supposed to serve only three passengers at one time, but because of the inadequate number of tricycles in certain areas, there's often the need for people to make the most of things. For tricycle drivers, it's loading more people than what their rig normally carry.

The practice of overloading tricycles isn't really advisable, but it's what's done in provinces like Bicol, where you will often see tricycles filled to the roof! This earns more income for the operator and in a way serves more people. The problem is that it's dangerous. Passengers can get snagged by all manner of things that hang over the road. Powerlines that dip low over the road can be a real danger, especially at night.

 

Tricycles: Philippine Multipurpose Vehicles 

Avocado Leaves for Treatment of Coughs, Sore Throat, and Fever Pains

Here in the Philippines, a popular fruit that's usually harvested after summer during the rainy season is avocado. The scientific name of the avocado is Persea Americana. The avocado tree is plentiful in the country but it is not native to the islands. It was introduced here by explorers of the 16th century - likely Portuguese and Spanish sailors who had visited South America in the New World (where the avocado originated). The avocado fruit is delicious with a soft green flesh that's mild and creamy. It's high in protein and fat, which is amazing for a fruit, and is ideally eaten right off the skin or used for salads and shakes. So many products now contain avocado or are inspired by the avocado. Ever heard of avocado ice cream? Traditionally, Filipino families use the avocado fruit to make ice candy in small tubular plastic bags. Kids and adults always get a kick out of it! But mind you, it doesn't have to be artisanal. In the Philippines, there's also avocado ice cream available in local supermarkets and grocery stores. If you're lucky, you may also order salads with avocado as the star ingredient from select restaurants.

The avocado fruit has grown in popularity as a health food and is now a preferred fruit by exercise enthusiasts and yoga practitioners as a a vital ingredient for smoothies and all sorts of recipes from canapes to fritters. The fruit is easily recognizable with its gourd-like or pear-like shape. It can be elongated or blunt; deep violet or green; wrinkly or smooth. However it might look like, the avocado is iconic when it's split in half. With its big roundish seed in the middle of the bulbous part, it's an unforgettable sight, and, oh, did we already mention that the brown skin of the seed is rich in healing antioxidants? You can even boil and eat the seed if you want to. Cooked, it has the texture of water chestnuts and is used primarily as an anti-fungal and antibacterial medicine. More research is being done by scientists to determine that actual benefits of the avocado seed, but so far, all the results seem to show that it has practical medicinal properties. The avocado fruit is definitely in the spotlight these days, but the avocado tree has more to give apart from its fruit.

Unknown to many people, the leaves and bark of the avocado tree (left) can be used for the easing of coughs, sore throat, and fever pains. All one has to do is to clean at least three leaves and then boil them in a pan for a few minutes. The reddish tea that results has a fine, sweet, and soothing taste that's relaxing as much as it is physically healing. You can reboil the leaves for a much thinner tea, the next time you require a cup. Drink a cup of avocado tea at least once a day for a few days or until you feel much better. You can add sugar or your preferred sweetener, like Stevia, if you want to, but it's not needed, especially if you are on a diet or avoiding sugar. Drink the tea one sip at a time and let its warmth sooth your insides. You can drink it with extras, if you wish, and while you're at it, why not invite your friends over and have an avocado tea party?

BUY on AMAZON: An Avocado a Day: More than 70 Recipes for Enjoying Nature's Most Delicious Superfood Hardcover – March 14, 2017 by Lara Ferroni

Biggs Restaurants in Bicol Feature Collectible Wall Exhibits

If you're looking for a fastfood chain in Bicol, then you won't miss Biggs. Biggs is just one of the most prominent restaurants/diners in Bicol where you can get the usual diner meals like chicken and rice, spaghetti, burgers, and delicious pastries. Bigss is everywhere in Bicol with branches from north to south. Eating at Biggs is an interesting experience because of it's quaint mid-20th-century-inspired interiors with antique collectibles displayed on the walls.

The branches provide a different experience for diners with the different pieces on display. A branch can be like a museum of modern artifacts. Shown below displayed on a second floor of a diner are miniature motorcyles. These can be found in the branch in Legaspi city near the airport. The signs on the walls (top; above-left) are also interesting to look at and are reminiscent of rock and roll designs from the nineteen fifties. The diner appears designed to cater to a young and hip crowd, but it's also popular to the oldies - maybe it reminds them of the old days.

 

The Philippines and International Restaurants Food Recipes