TIME OUT: Philippines - Tubbataha Reef - worth diving for

Aside from eating, HT couple loves diving.  Diving had played a significant role to HT couple's road to love.  From our first out-of-town date, the underwater marriage proposal up to our honeymoon, sharks and fishes were our underwater witnesses.

We were lucky to have the opportunity to dive in tropical waters again after almost a year.  And we didn't think twice where to go and immediately booked The Tubbataha dive trip in the Philippines.

Tubbataha reef, for your information, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the Sulu Sea of the Philippines.  This is one of our country's pride.  The only way to get here, is by taking a boat, spending days and nights in the middle of the sea with big waves.

There are several boats that goes to this marine park between the months of March to June.  We took Expedition Fleet's Oceanic Explorer first trip for the year to Tubbataha.

this was our home for 6 days

our dive suite...the best room we ever had in liveaboards

this is what i like about liveaboards, no fuss but comfortable living (from left to right - the dining area, dive baskets for each divers so we don't mix our stuff with others, a library and a bar area where we can get our dose of beer or cola after a long day.)

the marine park is well-protected...no fishing, no anchoring thus, we used these chaser boats to go to the dive spots. 

What I hate in diving? 

Wearing the wetsuit is such a pain.  It already consumes half of my energy.  I'll start sweating to death just gearing up.  Then the remaining energy goes to carrying the tank before going underwater.

But as soon as I see this...

the breathtaking view just makes me feel light and naked

And seeing these sea creatures...i almost forgot that I need to breathe

aside from fish watching, i love dancing underwater too...

And what i love the most in diving?  Every after dive, I am able to do my other hobby...

we were well fed in the boat - which contributed to the 2 kg i gained from my vacation...but it was worth it.

I haven't seen much pelagic fishes and sharks in my dives around Southeast Asia until this trip.  So this is definitely recommended by HT Couple.

Try diving...where else can you have an eye to eye contact with nemo? :)

*Thanks to Mark for lending us his underwater camera case for the whole trip. :)

P.S.  In this trip, HT wife reached her 100th dive and counting 'till her 200th :).  Hurray!

1 year - a facelift of The Hungry-Trotting Couple...

During the vacation, there were days when i'm just sitting under the sun, doing nothing, I realized that our blog is now a year old and decided to give it a simple facelift.  A fresh aura that still signifies how Hungry-Trotting Couple enjoys exploring the world of food.

There were times we thought of letting The Hungry-Trotting Couple goes to sleep...forever.  But everytime we read the posts,  we remember the joy of eating, taking pictures, writing about food and the friends that we connected with through this blog, inspires us to write more and more.  So i guess, you still have to hang on with us for another year. :)

HT wife is almost a year in Holland now, and "The Hungry-Trotting Couple...goes Dutch!" are already "dutch-adjusted".  And for a new feel of this blog...I present to you...the same couple you love...

"The Hungry-Trotting Couple...goes ANYWHERE!"

Whether, it's in Philippines, Singapore, The Netherlands, or other countries...near or far...HT wife and HT hubbie will be ready to go anywhere and bring their same appetite with them.  Definitely, the HT Couple will continue to share their love for food to you...wherever they may be.

Come and join us as we explore together the world through

THE ART OF EATING...

'Till the next post...ta ta!

TIME OUT: Where's HT couple?

under the sea...

outerspace?!?

in a barrio...

in a nice resort...

wherever we are....we'll be back SOON...stay tuned!

Manila: What HT couple have been enjoying back home

Our first few meals in PH...

Max's Fried Chicken - look how happy HT wife was, holding her first meal in PH.  Max's Fried Chicken for Filipinos is no-ordinary poultry.  It has taste almost similar to crispy pata (fried pork knuckle) which is very tasty compared to white meat and with its goodness, their slogan is deliciously good up to the bones...and indeed, if you can eat the bones, you would polish your plate like it was newly washed.

Banana ketchup with worcestershire sauce goes well with this chicken.  Banana ketchup, well-known in PH is made of mashed bananas instead of tomatoes.  It give lighter and sweeter taste.  This is also being used for pasta dishes.  If you see a sweet-style spaghetti sauce, that is inspired by this banana ketchup and for sure you'll have a sweet, tangy flavor pasta...a Filipino recipe.

Fried Pork Knuckle aka Crisy Pata -We,  Filipinos love our pork and treats it very well. A dish served on Filipino's table during parties and festivities.  The crunchy skin, dip in the special made soy sauce was worth every crack and even though it's fried, the meat remains tender and tasty.  What I don't like in this dish is the process of scraping out the fats from the skin and from the meat, but otherwise, eating it, is like in heaven. 

A true blue Filipino, HT wife enjoyed her chickenjoy!  All Filipinos know how much this chicken gives joy to Filipinos going home from abroad.  Jollibee, the store that serves this poultry, is our Filipino version of McDonalds.  Its crispy skin, oozing oil and tasty gravy are unhealthy but coming home after 7 months, makes this calories intake worth it.

This might not be exclusive in the Philippines, but Green Tea Frappuccino doesn't exist in the Starbucks' european scene.  My favorite drink if I'm not in the mood for caffeine.  Aside from loving its color, i just love green tea per se.

Biko - is a Filipino delicacy made of sticky rice and coconut.  This sweet rice cake is such a delight.  I took this for granted when we would have it at home when I was young.  I guess, absence really makes the heart grow fonder.   I enjoyed every bite of this chewy and lip smacking good biko.

If HT wife had her cravings, HT hubbie sure has one for himself...

Tempura Tuna Sashimi Tartare - A mixture of tempura skin, tuna sashimi pieces mixed in a special mayo sauce.  Teryaki boy, a Japanese chain in the Philippines has introduced this dish a few years ago and became a hit.  It hit HT hubbie's heart too!  The special sauce was a mixture of zest, spicy and sweet taste which goes well with bland raw tuna pieces and the fried tempura pieces added flavor to it.

HT Hubbie didn't think twice of having his picture taken with his favorite dish...he can't wait to have his first bite!

I noticed, being in Manila, is a very good weight gain program.  It's time to take a break...so off we go to Apo, Tubbataha Reef and Puerto Princesa for our dive expedition and going-around-other-than-in-manila trip...and for sure, food would be a part of this journey.  Ta ta for now!