TravelswithCharie

Halloween is always a treat for little kids who are lucky to fill their bags with sweets from neighbors and friends. We adults love to be treated too. Which is exactly what we got: a sumptious three course lunch at Mistral in Redwood Shores. For the main entrée the selections were: Thai Style Beef Salad, Oak Fire Baked Paella (see photo) and Meyer Lemon Chicken "Saltimboca". I can tell you that the paella was very good. It had gulf shrimps, mussels, chicken, Andouille sausage, peas, tomatoes, sweet peppers, saffron rice, all simmered in shellfish broth. I cleaned my plate. For dessert we had a choice between Chocolate Chambord Ganache and Creme Brulée. The Ganache had a chocolate crumb crust, whipped cream to top it off and strawberry coulis, the perfect antidote to chocolate. It was a beautiful dessert to behold and the perfect way to end a memorable lunch. The creme brulée looked good too. Now I'm haunted by what I may have missed. Mistral Restaurant overlooks a lagoon

It's always good to know a few words in the language of the country you are visiting. The locals appreciate and warm up to any attempt by a visitor to speak in their native tongue. The Travel Linguist on YouTube has short videos for learning 10 "survival" words and phrases in 15 languages including Japanese, French, Indonesian, German or Thai, to name a few. These 10 essential words and phrases are possibly enough to win friends and make your trip doubly interesting and exciting. At the very least, you'll learn how to ask, "Where's the bathroom?" And you know that's an important question after having had too much red wine in Burgundy or chai in Thailand. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/travellinguist .

At the recently inaugurated Dance and Arts Studio in Gaisano Mall, paintings by Clay Dalid and works by artists of the Paon Livelihood Series are currently on display. From the Paon group comes the livelihood genre such as laying fish out to dry and fresh catch in metal baskets. These works reflect one of the most important means of livelihood for residents of the "seafood capital" of the Philippines. Clay Dalid continues the theme of the bountiful harvest of the sea with her still life with seashells. In her lily series, Clay gives us a taste of her colorful palette. On the third floor of Gaisano, there is a children's playroom with a huge mural by John Alaban. Here you'll see the hills of San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge. I've seen John's other oeuvres of Philippine scenes which are reminiscent of Amorsolo, suffused with the light of the tropics and bold hues. At the Roxas City Museum, the paintings of Lino Villaruz are on view as well as those

Copy of original by Shoen Uemura Several years ago in Tokyo, I stumbled upon some postcards with the artworks of Shoen Uemura (1875-1949), a bijin-ga painter, which means painter of the traditional Japanese subject of beautiful women. I was enchanted by this painting of a woman behind sheer curtains that I had it copied so I could view it in my own bedroom. I have always admired the Japanese masters, Hiroshige and Hokusai, which is why I appreciate Uemura's style and palette. Uemura is the first female painter to be awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in Japan. My copy is 3 ft. by 3 1/2 ft. It is quite large and complements a vintage kimono which also hangs in my bedroom. It was painted by Clay Dalid from Roxas City who did a fine job in only 4 weeks. There are many excellent artists in Roxas City and I'm happy to have other paintings by local artists in my collection. * * * Photo by Rosario Charie Albar

How wonderful to meet friends and relatives in the Philippines over lunch, dinner or merienda. There are always a number of dishes that I usually leave the party or get-together wishing I could have eaten more of this or that. When we were kids, I remember eating calderetta, a rich stew of goat meat. I have not seen nor eaten that in many years. Has the younger generation forgotten how to prepare this dish? Lately I was treated to a Mongolian buffet which consists of different kinds of beef, chicken, pork or seafood. You then choose what you would like to mix with your choice of meat such as bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, etc. then add your sauce like peanut, ginger, chili, oyster sauce and so on. You take your selection to the cook who will stir fry it for you. What a fun and creative way to feed your burgeoning appetite! This video has some of the local cuisine I enjoyed while in the Philippines recently. Kain na!

Third Graders at Culasi Elementary School Happy to report that we successfully distributed school supplies to 234 children at the Culasi Elementary School. There are 233 children in first grade but since it was a rainy day, many children didn't make it to school. I came prepared to give to all first graders, but when so many were absent, we had extra school supplies. With the help of Miss Norma, a first grade teacher, we decided to give the rest to two sections in the second grade and a section in the third grade. Kids were all smiles when they got their pencils and crayons. I also gave some postcards of San Francisco, California to children who could answer the simple math questions I posed. It was heartwarming to hear them say "thank you". There were some kids who said "you're welcome" instead of thank you or one who said "very good" after he heard me say those same words. All in all a very satisfying experience which I hope to continue in the fu

Dining and entertainment in the seafood capital of the Philippines is on the upswing. All along Baybay Beach, restaurants are sprouting and the masses are following. On weekends, the beach is full of day trippers who jump gleefully into the sea and soak their feet in the sand. Before any beachside restaurant was born in Roxas City, Marc's was already around serving their famous pork barbecue. When I order my meals, I go for their vegetable chop suey and battered chicken. Up the street from Marc's is Coco Veranda , a crowd favorite. You can order fresh catch of the day by pointing to any swimming fish in their tank or try their blue or white marlin. At the Sandbar , I like their tangigue steak. You can order food from this restaurant and have it served poolside across the street. The infinity pool streams down to a man made lake. It's beautiful! If you wish to stay the night, Casa Felisa has luxury suites next door to the pool. Outside the city center in Dayao, Espacio is n