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Life and travel in the time of Covid-19

On the move at the time of the pandemic.

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By Carol Esguerra Colborn

When Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, my husband and I cut short our annual three-month, all-inclusive vacation at a resort in Mazatlan, Mexico. When we left, the statistics were pretty grim and the US had become the new epicenter (still remains as such). But home is the best place to do self-isolation, not on a cruise ship out at sea or a hotel room in a foreign country.

Our Extended Time at Home

There were a few things we have learned to do to make our extended time at home a more meaningful pause. The new normal had begun to take shape. It includes things like online shopping, picking up groceries, cooking with substitute ingredients, exercising with videos, new levels of cleaning, watching movies on demand, and consulting with doctors through telehealth.

Zoom participation also exploded, fostering online activities that replaced physical interactions. We had kept engaged with family and friends while we were RVing for eight years around North America. It was no different during the time of Covid-19. Since most schools were closed, I thought it best to help with the kids. I conducted an hour-long session three times a week with my grandsons, aged four to six, and another once a week with those ages thirteen to fourteen. I was so happy that I got more engaged with my family, considering that my three daughters live in three different countries.

Upgrading my Zoom to “pro” to enable longer meetings—the free version is maxed at 40 minutes—I was even able to launch Zoom parties for residents of Viewpoint Golf Resort in Arizona where we live, playing online bingo and trivial pursuit. We did the same with meetings, parties, and fundraisers of our University of the Philippines Alumni Association in Arizona and America. Soon, our Christmas Party will feature Charades and a Silent Auction on Zoom, respectively. And then, as before, I found a project that made the time more productive. The last time, when my husband and I decided to stay apart for more than a month, my first book Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream was born. This time, during the Covid-19 lockdown, I was able to write my second travel book, Cruising Past Seventy. It’s Not Only about Outer Journeys. It’s Also about Inner Ones (I did not change the title to “Cruising with Coronavirus”). This is what I call a flagship project, big enough to consume one’s energy, to be fueled by one’s passion, and to be worthy of your time. I have found that finding a flagship project has been a great antidote to any over-arching problem I have encountered.

New Ways of Traveling

But, with a traveler’s soul, we had to find ways to continue encountering fresh places and ideas. As soon as the lockdown was lifted, we considered our car an extension of our home; it is a place we can keep as clean as we do our home. We created a short list of places where we could go, breathe good fresh air, and practice natural social distancing, like the state, regional, and national parks around us that were still open. When we didn’t see people on the trails, we got out of the car and walked a little. If not, we just continued driving. The operative principle was to distance ourselves from others, but not from nature. Taal Lake and Volcano, Hidden Valley Springs, Pagsanjan Falls, Pinatubo Crater, Lake Caliraya, and Villa Escudero around Manila come to mind.

In fact, when there was a resurgence of coronavirus cases in Arizona, we decided that we should actually go from our higher risk home to lower risk areas that accepted us. We went to three mountain retreats in Utah, Colorado, and California, and invited our children to meet with us there. Maybe Baguio does not meet the requirements for a mountain retreat because it is so crowded but maybe Hundred Islands or Subic Bay may qualify. But since the family members we met were not in our bubble—the people you live with and share daily activities with, like my husband and I are for each other—we developed certain rules to follow when we were with them. Those rules followed the principles of avoiding crowds, social distancing, preferring to be outdoors, frequent hand washing, and the wearing of masks.

In the process, we developed new rules for keeping safe visiting with loved ones during this time. For the foreseeable future, especially when we are still under the threat of viral diseases, we will follow these practices, especially numbers one to five. We still hope these rules can be relaxed later; but the sixth we hope we can do away with sooner, especially with loved ones.

1. Go to areas with lower incidences of Covid-19.

It is good that there are plenty of data to drill down to, even to zip codes. We have selected restaurants, groceries, mountain retreats, towns, counties, and states, this way.

2. Meet only in uncrowded open-air spaces.

Stick to patio seating for eating out, drive-in theaters for watching movies, outdoor services for worship, and hiking at off-the-beaten-path trails as a preferred activity.

3. Do not spend unreasonably long time with others.

CDC says more than fifteen minutes is too long. But, as long as we are socially distanced and masked, we have extended this to a maximum of two hours.

4. Do not ride with others in the same vehicle.

This makes us stick to our car as our preferred mode of travel. We are currently eliminating planes, ships, trains, and buses as options for travel.

5. Do not share rooms with people not in your bubbles

So we no longer stay in our children’s homes and no longer book multi-bedroom units but keep to separate units if we stay in the same hotel or resort. We also stick to our timeshares. As owners, we feel better taken care of. For example they keep twelve hours between check out and check in and do not send anyone, cleaners or technicians into the room during our entire stay.

6. Do not shake hands or hug.

When we cannot help it and want to express some warmth, we elbow-bump for a second.

We canceled our trips in April but resumed our travels in July. And we still intend to go to Mexico for our annual stay in January, if therapeutics and vaccines advance. Self-isolation helped flatten the curve for our community and the world when we had to do it.

Creative ideas helped us remain productive during our extended time at home. And with new rules, we have found a way to continue traveling and still be safe.

Believing that everyone's perspective is important, Zest Magazine has opted to provide an avenue for these perspectives to be known. care to hear the publication's contributing writers; or better yet, do some contributing yourself by contacting info@zestmag.com.

Destinations

Eating out in Cebu in one place via Pusô Village

Checking out #Cebu’s all-in-one dining location, the Pusô Village that may simplify eating out but seems to forget our desire to see diverse #foodie hubs.

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In the past, if you wanted to grab some of the food associated with Cebu, you headed to – among others – Larsian, this place not too far from Fuente Osmeña Circle. It wasn’t necessarily popular with the locals who saw (and still see) it as unhygienic, but it’s this easy-to-access BBQ place that’s open 24/7.

Starting 2025, however, a new place was opened to serve as the one-stop culinary and cultural hub of Cebu City: the Pusô Village.

@outragemag Checking out #Cebu's all-in-one dining location, the Pusô Village (#pusovillage) that may simplify eating out but seems to forget our desire to see diverse #foodie ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, developed by Cebu2World/Megawide as part of the Carbon Market modernization, this place’s name drew inspiration from the pusô rice cake that’s served when you have meals in Cebu. There are, therefore, design elements that’d remind you of the pusô – e.g. those octahedral shapes on the entrance. Inside, there are attempts to beautify by borrowing elements from Bahay na bato Philippine architectural style; most are fake, though, such as those painted-on verandahs you’d see when you look up.

Ikalawa, there are over 100 food stalls and retail outlets here… though more of the former than the latter. They’ve been “properly” structured, so that the lechon vendors are on one side, seafood sellers on another side, and so on.

Ikatlo, we tried some of the offerings to ascertain how good they are.

The unlimited lechon is popular, providing an opportunity particularly for non-locals to cheaply enjoy this Cebuano treat. Taste-wise, the lechons vary little, some saltier than the others. The “approach” in serving is similar, though. You get an okay portion when first served, and the portion gets smaller the more you return. Noticeably, by the third refill, the vendors become grumpier when serving you, some even ignoring you, or stuffing fatty parts on your plate. Business greed in action.

Though cooked the same way (i.e. buttered), the seafood platters are inconsistent. You could get some shrimps or crabs now and then, though most times, you’d just get mussels.

Then there’s the tuslob-buwa, pig’s brain cooked under maximum heat to then become dip for pusô. We’d say this is acquired taste… but there’s not much to taste. So this is a costly to-try food.

Only open until 10.00PM, Pusô Village offers those in Cebu a venue to try as many of the local goods as possible. For that, alone, this is a must-check. You are sure to find a few stuffs you’d like.

But the city still has a lot of venues offering local culinary and cultural goods, and they deserve to be also checked. And so off we go for more LGBTQIA+ rampa

Pusô Village is located at M.L Quezon Blvd., Sto. Nino, Cebu City.

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Destinations

Going Chinese in Pulilan, Bulacan

Craving for #chinesefood in #Bulacan? We tried the offerings of Lee Foo Panciteria #Pulilan, and we’re on the fence here (yes if no choice, no if you can go elsewhere).

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We happened to be in Pulilan in Bulacan, and I had pancit craving. As if on cue, we passed by Lee Foo Panciteria Pulilan, which – after we Google-checked – is supposedly one of the more frequently-visited Chinese restos in these parts of the province, so… of course we checked.

@outragemag Craving for #chinesefood in #Bulacan? We tried the offerings of Lee Foo Panciteria #Pulilan ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, this place is really, REALLY easy to find. Located along the Pulilan Regional Road in Barangay Cut-cot in Pulilan, this is right in the middle of the municipality.

Ikalawa, the resto is actually divided into three parts: one side is for those with reservations, another part is for walk-in diners, and another part is for events. If/when the resto isn’t full, only the main part (middle one) is kept open.

No, this isn’t some fancy resto. More like an airconditioned karinderya, complete with wooden tables and plastic chairs. Look-wise, it wasn’t dirty naman when we were there, so that’s a plus.

Ikatlo, the workers were friendly naman… and they moved fast – e.g. while waiting for our orders, we were given must-check peanuts, and since we finished what we got fast, our waitress was more than happy to accommodate us.

Ika-apat, now… how was the food?

The house specialty, the Lee Foo Chicken (₱265 for half, ₱495 for whole), looked like fried chicken with ketchup. Okay… the breading was okay since it didn’t overpower the meat. The chicken, too, was properly cooked, and it wasn’t dry. But it was tasteless overall; so the ketchup taste is what stays with you.

The Pancit Canton Bihon (₱255) had thin pancit noodles, almost as thin as the bihon. It didn’t have lots of sahog; instead, you’d notice the extenders (like kikiam, and so on). I like good pancit, I swear… but this isn’t one of them, sorry.

The weirdly-wrapped Hakaw (₱155) was small, so it was bitin.

And then there’s the Siomai Steam (₱155), which was, in a word, weird. The size was good, similar to those ₱10 siomais. But the way this was prepared was weird for us – e.g. like the meat was overwatered, and having a hard time staying solid, so that it was smudgy, and disintegrated in the mouth even without chewing. I suppose that, at least, it wasn’t disgusting taste-wise.

Lee Foo Panciteria Pulilan is, we believe, popular. Like President in Chinatown, or a branch of David’s in some mall. To each his or her own nga naman. But for us, we’re off to look for other Chinese restos na muna as we head out in search of more lafangan venues.

Lee Foo Panciteria Pulilan is located at 159 Barangay Cut-cot, Pulilan, 3005 Bulacan Province. For more information, contact 0925 800 0168, or email leefoopanciteria@yahoo.com.

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Travel

Treacherous beauty: Hiking at South Stack Lighthouse in Wales

#Lighthouse fever in #Holyhead, #anglesey via the #SouthStackLighthouse, as checked during this #LGBT trip to #Wales.

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Yes, tech has made many lighthouses redundant. Not that they’re no longer relevant. But navigation-wise, we know we have more advanced solutions. Which, perhaps not surprisingly, led to the reconfiguration of many of them.

In Holyhead, Anglesey in Wales, introducing the South Stack Lighthouse.

@outragemag #Lighthouse fever in #Holyhead, #anglesey via the #SouthStackLighthouse, as checked during this #LGBT trip to #Wales ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, you’d need a ride to be there. Some use private cars, as we did; others join tours; and others cycle to the place.

Ikalawa, what’s there?

The lighthouse itself is located on a small, rocky island off Holyhead. From afar, it looks like someone’s grand home; mansion-like. Accessible siya after you descend down 400 steep steps. 

What will you see while there?

  • the former lighthouse engine room
  • the top of the lighthouse
  • South Stack is also home to breeding seabirds including guillemots, razorbills and puffins

Here’s an FYI: seasonal lang siya bukas.

This is a must-check for lighthouse lovers, of course. Historic, it was built in 1809 by Trinity House from the design of Daniel Alexander. 91-foot tall, it used to allow safe passage for ships on the Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route. 

Another FYI: It is  allegedly haunted, and has been visited by a team from “Most Haunted”.

The area housing the lighthouse is, itself, worth checking. There are trails for hikers or joggers or cyclists; though the same could be enjoyed by those who are there only to look for good shots.

Check when you’re in the area… even if you just pass by. Nice siya, promise.

But off we go for more LGBTQIA+ rampa

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