Indonesia: 4 a.m. wakeup call is more than worth it

When traveling to Indonesia, I would expect beaches and relaxation. The only decisions to be made involve choosing between a banana or strawberry daiquiri; and beach or pool. But there’s more to this country besides the beaches, and that’s why waking up at 4 a.m. was worth it on a recent stay.

By 4:30 a.m. that day in Magelang, I had an orange sarong wrapped around my waist and a flashlight in my hands. I followed the narrow paths of light carried by people in front of me so I could see where we were going. I really didn’t know what we were climbing up. Once the sidewalk ended, we encountered some sort of alleged security, where they took our tickets and we walked through a scanner. Then we were walking up steep, then steeper, rock stairs. By the time we reached the top, my body was warmed up and ready for a run. But, we were just there to sit and wait for the sunrise.

We spent that morning climbing over a ninth-century Buddhist temple by the name of Borobudur. I could use a bunch of adjectives to tell you what this is like, but instead, here are some photos.

Jakarta is also a cool city to visit. At the very least, how many people do you know have been there? Exactly. Not many. But the capital is worth visiting — just walking around is great, if you don’t mind heat and crowds. The Jakarta History Museum has impressive artifacts — my favorite being the ancient statues — and good, free tour guides who speak English well. Visit the Gereja Katedral, then walk across the street to the Istiglal Mosque.

A first experience in a mosque

This was our first mosque to ever enter, so we got a guide who my husband had read about. As we entered the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, a bored-looking man slumped in a chair behind a small desk gestured and grunted for us to take our shoes off. We did so, walking to where other people were dropping their shoes off to another man who put them in cubbies.

“Not so fast,” is what he might have been saying in his native tongue as he ushered us away from here. He took us to another man who supposedly spoke English. This man led us to a locked room, where we put our shoes in some other cubbies and signed a guest book, noting our names, where we’re from and our religion.

I can’t say the tour was good, but that’s only because I couldn’t understand a single word the guy was quietly mumbling. We walked up the marble staircases in our bare feet to overlook the main prayer room. There was a barricade not quite in the middle of the room: The smaller portion was for women, the larger for men, to pray.

It wasn’t really crowded in there, but those who were there were kneeling and bowing down ahead of them, opposite our direction. Above them was a giant, gold dome. Turned off TV screens were everywhere. We took some awkward pictures of the space around us before slapping our feet on the cold ground elsewhere.

We walked through some water, leftover from cleaning the ground, to an outdoor prayer space. The ground was all brick, with white bricks making rectangles around red bricks, noting the individual places for prayer. This also indicated the correct orientation toward Mecca. Once again, the space for men was larger than that for women, this one overwhelmingly so.

Around these outdoor spaces were covered walkways, heavily populated with what looked like homeless people. Most were still, lying flat asleep. Others were just hanging out. A couple of women were giving each other manicures. One guy begged to us. They all looked needy.

We walked back to the secret locked room for the special cubbies, where our guide did clearly pronounce the word for “donation.” We slipped a bill in and tipped our guide.

Bali lives up to its exotic name, plus monkeys!

If you’ve never been to Bali, it sounds like a cool place, doesn’t it? Even the two-syllable word has a sound that makes you think it must be something special. For a lot of people, they think of white beaches and warm temperatures, and that’s true. And while I enjoyed that part of the island, that’s not what drew me to this part of Indonesia.

You can see the culture of the country and Bali through dances, food and its people. But the best place to do this may be to go to the cultural center, Ubud.

I’ve always wanted to go to Bali. Admittedly, the only reason we added Ubud to our itinerary was because of some yogis I follow on social media who say it’s a great place to go. All of Bali is picturesque, but for quaint shops, monkeys and yoga, go to Ubud.

Monkey in the Monkey Forest (Photo by Michael Danser)

Walking along the main streets in the morning, the air is crisp and the people are quiet. Little offerings smoking with incense are in front of most shops, making it easier to just walk in the street. Rice terraces are your backdrop when you’re not on the shopping streets. It’s a small town that invigorates you just by walking through it by yourself. And, if you’re up for it, take a 90-minute yoga class at the Yoga Barn to see the best view you’ve ever had while in Virabhadrasana.

Monkeys are anything but shy in their home of Ubud’s Monkey Forest. (Photo by Michael Danser)

And, of course, there are monkeys. Actually, the little creatures that roam through Ubud Monkey Forest are Macaques, and they are anything but gentle and calm. When you walk through this park, which is a beautiful forest worth seeing without animals, they clamor right up to you, ready to take food you may have for them or to steal your iPhone. (It’s rumored that people train the monkeys to do this — they take an iPhone, and that person rewards them — supposedly.)

The monkeys aren’t the only thing to see in this forest. It’s pleasant to walk around in without the animals. (Photo by Michael Danser)

The forest is sacred for its Hindu temples. (Photo by Michael Danser)

Just outside of Ubud are spots to see growing coffee and cocao beans and taste the product. There are also a number of temples to visit. If you’ve ever had an extended stay in Asia, you’ll know the feeling of being “templed out.” Temples are everywhere. They’re cool at first, but after a while, the smell of incense and chanting all runs together. But every so often, some — such as those in Bali — stand out.

Gunung Kawi is an assortment of ancient shrines carved in rock. This Hindu temple is from the 11th century and is surrounded by rice paddies and tall, green trees. As with most cool attractions in this country, you have to wear a sarong (a strip of fabric you just tie around your waist) and go up and down about 300 steps. (Photo by Michael Danser)

Drive out a little farther, and you’ll see Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring, a holy water temple where people can bathe in holy springs. It’s crowded for people who get in and people who watch the others. (Photo by Michael Danser)

Bali is filled with tourists, from Indonesia and outside. If you don’t feel it while walking around, you can really see them at a Kecak Fire and Trance Dance. This performance of staccato chants and dancing, all in an entrancing red light, is nothing like I’ve seen. Take a look at the video for a better look.

Ubud doesn’t have an airport, so you have to get a driver to take you back to Denpasar. The drive is a whole lot better if you stop at some key points along the way, such as these.

Being at Ulun Danu Bratan Temple is surreal. Its backdrop of Beratan Lake and rolling hills makes it look too pretty to be real. 9Photo by Michael Danser)

If you haven’t seen enough water falling during your other travels, this one has a fairly leisurely walk down and up. Munduk has a long drop through the dense forest. (Photo by Taylor Danser)

Does the sight of rice terraces ever get old? I think not. Even after seeing them in the Philippines and Vietnam, these in Jatiluwih were beautiful to walk through. (Photo by Taylor Danser)

Tanah Lot is an incredible place. This is a common belief, as when we went, it was the most crowded place we visited. Temples are on the edge of cliffs, one of them is even on a small rock-island that you have to swim or walk a bit through the ocean to get to. (As with other temples, you can’t go in, just take a peek.) Waves crash into these westward-facing cliffs, which would be perfect to visit at sunset. (Photo by Taylor Danser)

Manila: Sound and fury, signifying … shopping?

Driving from Clark to Manila is the worst. I’m telling you, you haven’t experienced traffic until you’ve been in the back seat of a car that’s driving on top of the lane line and a motorcycle rider is close enough to kiss your window.

Makati is a little more quiet on the weekends and has green space that’s a gorgeous place to be when it’s not pouring rain. (Photo by Taylor Danser)

Metro Manila (which technically is made up of 16 cities) is big but doesn’t really seem quite large enough to have the 12-million-person population that it does. That’s why its claim to fame is being the most densely populated city in the world. So people live and work there. But, what do they do there?

Well, what it’s really known for among Filipinos is its shopping malls. I kid you not, they are the main attraction. But there is more to Manila than malls. On a recent weekend, we stayed in Makati City (one of the 16 that make up Metro Manila) and I found it a quaint, clean urban place I would definitely prefer living in over Clark.

We also spent an afternoon taking in some history of Manila. A couple of hours was really all we needed to see what’s still standing. We decided to do it through Carlos Celdran’s tour.

There’s one major difference in taking a tour in the capital of the Philippines vs. that of Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan or Taiwan. In this Southeast Asian country, there’s a big hole: culture. In Taipei, you can visit a really good museum that shows the evolution of Chinese culture. In Indonesia, you can watch native dances.

But things are a little less straight-forward for Filipinos.

The reconstructed main gate of Fort Santiago (Photo by Taylor Danser)

That’s because this culture didn’t really have a chance to develop on its own: being controlled by Spain then the U.S., there wasn’t a real chance to, so said our guide.

Celdran did take us around to see Intramuros’ Fort Santiago and Plaza San Luis. The buildings that remained were good to see, and as he mentioned, much more entertaining than a shopping mall.

What really stuck with me, though, was that he also mentioned the lack of one cohesive culture in the Philippines. That doesn’t mean it culture doesn’t exist, of course. There’s just a lot of blending going on. “A person may have Chinese eyes, a Spanish last name, but inside they just want to be American,” he said.

He related the Filipino soul to Halo-Halo, a dessert that sounds nothing of the sort to you if you’re American. The concoction generally has shaved ice and evaporated milk. Oh, and jello, boiled beans, fruits, sugar palm, sweet potato, cheese and caramelized plantains. Whether this layered recipe is served in a tall glass or a regular bowl, I think it’s an acquired taste.

The dessert can have a lot of ingredients in it — all sorts of things that don’t seem related, but they come together in a dessert that people here love. And, as our guide said, that’s the culture of a Filipino.

Filipino fast food chain Chowking has a better picture of Halo-Halo than I do — photographing it in a short plastic cup doesn’t give it justice. (Facebook)

Batad: Ancient landscape leaves you breathless

I haven’t been around a lot of things that are thousands of years old. When I am, they’re very small objects that sit well guarded behind plexiglass in a museum. But make a trip to Batad, Philippines, and you’ll be surrounded by a phenomenal landscape that has stood for about 2,000 years.

Batad is not a convenient destination for most people. But when you’re living in Clark, Philippines, it’s just about a seven-hour drive to Banaue, which is a nearby town where we roomed for the weekend. We stayed at a home stay known as Randy’s Brookside Inn. Randy was a welcoming, friendly guy who made you so comfortable, you forgot about the lack of air conditioning and tepid water in the shared shower. We stayed there because Batad is even more remote than Banaue.

After our long drive, we spent the afternoon looking at rice fields in Banaue, and were pretty amazed.

The next day, we woke up early to get in a trike — that’s a small contraption welded onto a motorbike, in case you missed my blog post on that — in which there was just enough room for myself, my husband and a backpack. We rumbled up a mountain in this vehicle, which somehow made it through the rocky paths where the road abruptly stopped. Finally, we made it to what’s called the Saddle, where we met the youngest looking 61-year-old I’ve ever seen, Vicent. This local of Batad would be our guide for our trek through the incredible rice terraces. But first, we had to hike about 40 minutes down a mountain to get to the small town of Batad, which is really kind of a valley surrounded by terraces. What’s different about these compared to Banaue’s, is that the walls are made of stone — the ones we saw the prior day have walls made of dirt.

We walked across them, taking in the view. We were given walking sticks, which neither my husband nor I thought would be necessary. But, even with those, I kept slipping into the muddy terraces while balancing on the small bit of dry dirt that was our pathway. At one resting point, a Korean came up to me, unable to speak any English, but laughed while pointing to my left foot, which was covered in grey mud. My left, muddy Asics shoe matched her left, muddy Nike shoe.

But Vicent had more for us to see, and a lot more to hike. Next up, we walked down to Tappiyah Waterfalls, which drops about 70 meters into a small pool of dark water.

It was incredible. But then, we had to walk back a solid two hours uphill in the rain. [Insert sound of wining violin here.] During it, I was cursing Vicent who was running ahead of us. But afterward, I decided the exercise was nice, and the scenery was definitely worth it.

‘Beautiful’ Vietnamese cuisine offers a fragrant feast

An experienced food critic once told me that one thing that’s difficult about food writing is not overusing words. “Delicious”, “savory” and the like are just too easy to use again and again. But when traveling through Vietnam for three weeks, there was one word repeatedly used to describe the aromas and flavors — and it wasn’t one I was used to — “beautiful.”

That’s not a crazy word to use. Fresh herbs are used in almost everything, making the food extremely fragrant. If you think of phở when I say Vietnamese food, you’re not totally off. But after spending some time there, I found that’s really just the culture’s version of fast food. Go for more than that, and you’ll be blown away.

Making our way from the north to the south, eating with locals and taking two food tours and two cooking classes gave us a good idea of how to eat like the Vietnamese do. To keep it short: There’s a lot of flavor and a lot of plates on the table.

Breakfast is small, maybe some fruit and bread. Lunch and dinner, however, consist of about five dishes each. We told one local that an American might have a sandwich for lunch. He responded with, “A sandwich? That’s what you call lunch?”

Yeah, these folks know how to eat. And better yet, they really know how to cook.

Here are a few popular dishes that you’ll go crazy for:

Vietnamese coffee will become your addiction after your first sip. Some condensed milk with this rich, strong coffee is perfect over ice.

Bun Thit Nuong – grilled pork and julienned vegetables over vermicelli. This dish, along with many others, is served with peanut sauce, which you liberally toss all over the bowl.

Bánh bèo – This is a popular dish, particularly in Hue. These steamed rice patties are topped with scallions and shrimp. You drizzle each one with fish oil before scooping your spoon underneath the patty and sliding the whole thing in your mouth.

Bánh flan – This Vietnamese take on flan has the same consistency as the Mexican variety, but sits in a pool of Vietnamese coffee and is topped with shaved ice.

 

Crickets. So maybe this isn’t one you’ll go crazy for. But, if you have a bite, you can at least say you did it. It’s customary to eat these while sitting back with a beer or some rice alcohol. And with the sweet chili sauce, there’s not much cricket flavor.

Banh Nam – The rice and pork are steamed while wrapped in a banana leaf.

No, this isn’t phở. Bún bò Huế is another soup that is absolutely comforting to the soul. This one (along with the rest that I had) isn’t as red as you might be used to seeing it — that’s due to the fresh, sliced chili topping it instead of some chili oil in the broth.

Get Bánh mì. Be warned: It’s spicy.

This pork is grilled with lemongrass inserted in it. Set the pork on some rice paper, toss in some fresh vegetables and wrap it up. Then pull out the lemongrass and generously dip your fresh spring roll into some peanut sauce.

Do have some phở — it’s a little saltier in the north, while it’s sweeter in the south. Try it with different meats, different widths of noodle, red chili and green chili.

Bánh xèo is everywhere in Vietnam. This Vietnamese pancake is eaten differently everywhere, though. In Hue, we were told to put it in a bowl, cover it in peanut sauce, then kind of crunch it all together with chop sticks. In Saigon, we were told to wrap it in lettuce, dip it in peanut sauce, then eat it (sort of like a taco). We cooked and ate these so much, that if you want me to make you some, I absolutely can.

Sò điệp nướng mỡ hành – this food with a complicated name is probably the best thing I ate in Vietnam. Considering I loved everything, that’s saying a lot. These grilled scallops are topped with peanuts and green chili. You pick up the shell, splash some sweet sauce on it, then scoop it all into your mouth. It’s heaven.

It’s no wonder they can make such good food with access to fresh ingredients everywhere. Any local market is worth exploring.

Fresh herbs are everywhere in markets, including this one in Hue.

Vietnam has some of the best bananas I’ve tasted.

You’ll find lychee most places, especially in the north.

The colors in the markets are beautiful, even if you’re not into food.

While traveling in Asia, there have been times when I’ve gotten tired of Cantonese or Filipino food, and it doesn’t take long. I’m an American and still pretty used to the way Americans eat, so I did get a little antsy for a cheeseburger after a while in Vietnam. However, it’s still the best food I’ve had on this side of the world. And if you make the trip to Southeast Asia, you won’t find another country where your taste buds will be as satisfied.

The sordid side: venturing down ‘Walking Street’

You have to do what’s necessary to survive. Not everyone is born under the best circumstances, has access to education, or even knows of a world outside their own meager existence.

It’s best to keep this in mind as we go into this rather awkward blog post.

I’m in Clark Freeport Zone, the area where the U.S. used to have an Air Force base. It’s pretty nice and most people feel safe.

Just outside of Clark is the city of Angeles, where you have to go to get groceries and find most restaurants. If you’re more curious about the area, go ahead, google “Angeles, Philippines.” Wait, no. Don’t do that if you’re at work. Trust me, it’s definitely NSFW.

Unfortunately, this city is known for Walking Street, a strip actually named Field Street that closes off vehicles in the evenings and provides location after location for people to find “women of the night,” as my mother calls them.

There are normal clubs and bars here, too. If you hear someone say, “I’m going to Walking Street” tonight, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re paying a fee for sex. t’s also not a place where your personal space will be invaded by nudity or anything. But, there are also establishments offering local women.

Everything about this is awkward and upsetting — walking into this place, thinking back on it, and reporting it back to you. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything more depressing. They’re not strip clubs. These women aren’t Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman or anything remotely close to that picture.

The women, dressed in something like short shorts and a bikini top, simply line up on some stage in the middle or front of the room. All a customer does is pick one out (by walking up or pointing, or getting a laser from a server to point), buy the girl a few drinks, then pay a little more than 2,000 pesos (that’s just more than 40 USD) for something like an “early exit fee,” which you can interpret anyway you wish. Each woman wears a tag, stating their name with a note that they’re “clean.”

I have no idea how these women do it. They’re in their young 20s, and if you talk to them, they’re just like any other girl with similar interests. But if you ask them why they’re here, they’ll tell you they don’t have any other option. Nowhere else to go, no other way to make money, no other way to survive.

Become a road warrior with a jeepney or trike

Getting around New York City, locals take the subway or taxis. In Dallas, it’s a car (unless you’re one of those who gets good use out of DART). In Haiti, it’s a tap tap. In Thailand, it’s a tuk-tuk.

But say you want to get around like a local in the Philippines. Are you getting in one of the allegedly sketchy white taxi cabs, or are you paying for a driver? If you’re a regular tourist, you’re going to be paying a private driver. But if you’re a local, you’re jumping on a jeepney or a trike.

The tricycle is perfect if you’re traveling with yourself or one other person, just enough that can fit in the sidecar that is welded onto a motorcycle. Some of these sidecars are larger, with a “backseat,” fitting two more people. Plenty of families go beyond that limit, piling five or six people on there in ways only years of practice could achieve.

When you pick up a trike driver, tell them exactly where you want to go. A couple of miles might be about 25 pesos. It’s not quite as precarious as it looks. The contraption looks like it might fall over at the slightest right turn, but it stays upright fairly well. That is, unless you’re going down a mountain after a rainstorm, then you might slide around, have to get out, and have to help push the vehicle out of a spot it’s stuck in. (More on that later.)

Many locals use jeepneys to get to their work. These are similar to the tap taps in Haiti in appearance. They get their name because these vehicles were originally made from the jeeps that the U.S. military left in the country after World War II. The word “jeepney” comes from “jeep” and “jitney,” which is a small bus that carries passengers on a regular route. There are stations all over the place with jeepneys — there are usually plenty of trikes there, too — and they do follow routes. You’ll see on the sides of the vehicles (which are now other makes in addition to Jeeps) which stops they visit.

For one local I know who lives in Angeles, she takes three jeepneys to get to her job in Clark. With some walking, this 30-or-so kilometer trip costs her 50 pesos.

Regardless of the vehicle, even if it’s a regular-old motorcycle, there’s no need to follow rules. I’ve heard that you’re supposed to wear closed-toe shoes when riding a motorcycle, but most of the time, you’ll see the driver perched on the bike wearing flip flops.

As for capacity limits, there must not be any. Families of five can be found on a single bike (that’s including babies wedged in between people). The same number can be found crammed in a trike. And for the jeepneys, it’s as many as can fit inside, on the sides, above and — who knows? — maybe below.

 

Mt. Pinatubo: World’s forgotten volcano full of ‘Jurassic’-like scenery

If you’ve had the chance to read Jurassic Park (or, fine, seen the movie), you can easily picture the kind of terrain that was around before humans were on earth. If you can’t recall that image so easily, just make a trip to the Philippines and hike up Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano that last erupted on June 15, 1991.

I actually learned about the eruption last fall when I interviewed Jim Thornton, who is in the Navy Reserve and helped people in the surrounding area escape. He sort of looked at me in awe that I hadn’t heard of it before he mentioned it. It was the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, producing high-speed avalanches of hot ash and gas, mudflows and a cloud of volcanic ash.

It is called Mt. Pinatubo because most people didn’t know it was a volcano, our guide told us. He was also in the town just outside of Pinatubo when it erupted. It was midday, and the whole sky went dark, “like it was night,” he said. The next day, “it was raining sand.”

More than two decades later, this area is now a destination for hikers to spend a day climbing over rocks and creeks to a crater that is now filled with water. Different companies in the area offer trips, taking guests up in a beaten-up Jeep before making the two-hour hike to the crater.

If you’re making a trip to the island of Luzon in the Philippines (that’s where Manila is), then make the day trip up to Angeles, Clark or Tarlac, spend the night, then dedicate a day to making this trek up Mt. Pinatubo. The scenery will make flying around the world then sitting in traffic worth it.

Photo by Amy McCarthy

Bob Wagner finds his ‘own personal Valhalla’

If you make a trip to the Philippines, you’ll find that there’s not a whole lot of diversity among the population. Most people are around the same beautiful tan color. But every so often, you’ll see an older white guy, taking advantage of this place for retirement. The warm climate and inexpensive living has to be a lure for that.

Another place you’ll find an American man is maybe an unsuspecting place, a Spanish restaurant in Clark Freeport Zone. But Robert Wagner isn’t here for a relaxing retirement. He’s the kind of guy who introduces himself casually as “Bob,” keeps his head shaven because it can get so miserably hot here, and isn’t afraid to tell you what the heck he believes is upside down about this country he loves and now calls home.

Marine Private Robert Wagner joined the service in 1974.

He’s also someone who, in the 1970s, people would have called a bit crazy. He willingly joined the Marines and found himself in Vietnam. Coming from a long line of family members who were in the military, the then-17-year-old who attended Richardson High School, just north of Dallas, Texas, forged his mom’s signature to get enlisted. A little while later, in 1975, he floated in with his troop, which was evacuating fleeing Vietnamese to Subic Bay in the Philippines.

“I always knew I would come to the Philippines,” the now-58-year-old said.

What he didn’t know was that he would actually be stuck here: When he arrived, the rest of his unit went home to the States and he was in the infirmary being treated for malaria.

“You could call it divine intervention or what, I don’t know,” he said.

After moving around the world, consistently returning to the Philippines, Bob has made his home here in Clark with a mission to help the education system. His organization, humbly named The Robert T. Wagner Foundation, raises funds to introduce new computers and SMART boards to classrooms in schools that need them the most.

Students at Air Force City Elementary School take a look at the new technology Wagner’s foundation provided. Wagner (back, left) said he’s been able to provide more technology than he imagined so far.(Facebook)

He is five years into this 25-year effort and has put 800 pieces of these technologies into teachers’ hands, helping teach them how to use it to get students interactive and interested in learning. He says that’s more than he expected to accomplish in this time, and he already has plans to give more to a school in Pantao, Bicol, in the Philippines. Even so, he says it’s just a very small way to help a society that needs major revamping.

“It’s going a lot faster than I thought it would. I’m happy with my supply partners … but it’s difficult to ship,” he said.

He flies products around in his own aircraft. Bob likes to tell the story of how when Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan got here (before he was killed by natives) he stayed overnight then found supplies stolen the next morning. He later would refer to islands in the area as a land of thieves.

“Things get stolen a lot around here,” he said. “If you take a look at the Filipino politicians, plenty of the country’s finances, the same could be said today.”

Bob believes he can maybe make an impact by helping the improve education and bring a few situations to justice. He’s been here a while and has settled in as a community leader with the Clark Development Corporation. Among his varying interests, Bob Wagner owns and runs D’ Tapas, a Spanish restaurant that has been open here for about two months.

He chose the cuisine because he misses the Cuban food he had enjoyed in his youth, before his family moved to Richardson. He says he’s gotten a great response so far from expatriates and locals for the menu designed by Cuban chef Pedro Carbajal. He’s even been told that the food is better than most restaurants in the area. (This is probably true. Not just because his food is good, but because so many restaurants here have quite terrible excuses for meals.)

Wagner’s latest interest is in his tapas restaurant in Clark.

It’s also one of the few places you can find real iced tea in the area. Locals around here drink a lot of Nestea, and, boy, do they like the stuff sweet. But he brews good-old-fashioned Lipton, letting it sit in the sun like his grandmother did when she lived in Georgia.

Wagner (far right) doing flight training out of Ormond Beach, Florida last year.

Bob’s plans for now include keeping the restaurant functioning and keeping the funds coming in for his foundation. He also has a fun bash planned for an American Fourth of July celebration, the first year for the event that will have a picnic, band and all of the American goodness (prepared and performed by Filipinos) that we’ll all be craving once July comes around.

“The Philippines has never had the will to get things done,” he’ll say. But, still, he loves this place. “I would die if I were forced to live in the States,” he said. “This here, in the Philippines, is my own personal Valhalla.”

Singapore’s Bitters and Love: Hard-to-find bar offers hand-crafted wizardry

You’ll love Singapore. It’s a big city with impressive architecture and more than enough to do to fill a long weekend there. You also have plenty of places to choose from when it comes to getting your evening libation. Sure, head to the Long Bar in the historic Raffles Hotel for your overpriced Singapore Sling. After you pay the bill and decide it’s not worth getting more than one, go get a real drink at Bitters and Love.

Cocktails with grape and sake (above) and persimmon and rum.

For folks reading this from Dallas, you’ll be accustomed to this establishment’s concept if you’ve been to Smyth. Go in, tell the bartender ingredients and flavors you like, and momentarily, you’ll have a hand-crafted beverage. And there’s a good chance you haven’t had anything like it.

First you have to find the place: It’s behind another restaurant. Don’t go around looking for the “Bitters & Love” sign. Instead, head to the Shoebox Canteen, make your way through those tables and through the curtain in the back to the intimate bar. A few booths line the left side, while the bar takes up the right, in the middle of which is a basket heaping with fresh fruits in season.

There is a cocktail menu at Bitters and love (with some hefty prices) but you’re encouraged to concoct something of your own.

Feel free to walk up, look at the fruits and herbs, then the liquors behind them, and craft up a few things that might go well together. The bartender will make it work.

Shogo Nakashima takes care in peeling a grape for a drink.

Recently, the bar owners decided to bring in a guest bartender from Japan. Co-owner Ernest Goh told me he brought in the bartending expert to boost business — we had drinks from both Japan’s Shogo Nakashima and the bar’s regular bartender, and both were phenomenal.

Nakashima was all business when he was concocting beverages, but when he came over, I was shocked at how at ease he was in making sure we liked our drinks. The fact that I picked out a drink with persimmon and he made it taste delectable was impressive enough for me. Admittedly, I had chosen gin, but he suggested dark rum to go with it. But he seemed to be more proud of what he made for my husband — a cocktail with (expensive) Japanese grapes and sake.

The small plates of bar food are better than you expect, but they’re overshadowed by the skill of the hands behind the bar.

On a recent visit, Goh couldn’t have been friendlier, making sure everything was to our liking. While we couldn’t be more impressed with our experience, when I asked him how business was, he mentioned the steep competition Singapore offers. Here’s hoping that people realize the treat they have in this small bar; it would be a waste if they miss it.