Susan Calo Medina’s favorite destinations

(First of two parts)

Nineteen years ago today, Travel Time aired its very first episode on IBC-13. Since then, this program has moved to GMA 7 – until it found its present home on Studio 23 where it is aired every Monday at 11:30 p.m.

Nineteen years is a long time to be on television – especially for a travel show because the price of gasoline (how can they travel without gas?) continues to gallop (especially these days!).

Travel Time host-producer Susan Calo Medina, however, just forges on and I believe that one reason why her show has lasted this long is the fact that she continues to give viewers quality products.

"A painless way to learn geography" was how one university professor described Travel Time sometime in the late ’80s.

Susan Calo Medina herself surely got a lot of lessons in geography during all those 19 years she has been doing Travel Time. By now she must know every nook and cranny of this country (and some places abroad). Below, I asked her to enumerate 19 of her favorite places to mark 19 good years of Travel Time.

1. Butuan City – Of course! That’s where I was born. My roots are there. Besides, the oldest boat extant in Southeast Asia is in Butuan City. In the 10th century, the Kingdom of Poh-Tuan was already trading with China – that’s according to the Sung annals. Despite the fact that it’s not the city my father had envisioned it to be, still, it’s home to me.

2. Pampanga – That’s my other province – My husband is from Arayat and so my children are half Kapampangan. I suppose that explains why we are an eating family. Pampanga is one province where the food approaches cuisine – in its variety and refinement. The simplest fried fish becomes a feast with four different kinds of sauces. And every town has its own specialty – the empanaditas of La Moderna in Guagua, the turon of Sta. Rita, the tibok-tibok and mochi of Susie’s (Go to the original!) in Angeles, the pastilles and plantanilla of Magalang, the halo-halo of Arayat, and espasol in San Fernando – the list goes on.

3. Surigao Norte – From Butuan, it’s only one-and-a-half hours to Surigao City. So, when I’m in Butuan, we go to Surigao City to buy seafood. Having breakfast in the market is a must – you buy your pick of the freshest seafood and have it cooked by the carinderias surrounding the market at indecently low prices. Besides the seafood, there’s the adventure – Silop Cave which is within the city limits, an exciting experience because you go up and down the huge boulders that are always wet and slippery; the beaches and surfing waves of Siargao and the outlying islets, the Sohotan cave which is actually a lagoon enclosed by limestone cliffs. You can enter only at low tide and once inside, it’s a totally different world. By the way, the orange jelly fish do not sting.

4. Bohol – The complete destination. You have heritage – the colonial churches and their plazas, one in every town, the major ones being Baclayon, Loon, Loay, Anda, Panglao and Dauis. You have beaches – in Panglao, in Anda Peninsula; you have eco-tourism – the caves where Dagohoy hid, in Danao, the Cambuhat River tour, the Loboc River cruise, the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier, the diving of Balicasag; and you have food – ube jam made from local kinampay, the broas of Baclayon, the bibingka of Loay, the kalamay of Jagna. And I’m sure there’s more that I haven’t seen.

5. Cebu – Actually, the best of Cebu is not in the city. It’s away from Cebu City – in Olango Island, the island sanctuary for migratory birds with its fine white sand, 15 minutes from Mactan; Malapascua Island, in the north, also with fine white sand beaches; Bantayan Island and its gorgeous Kota beach and colonial church, the only place in the Philippines where you are allowed to eat lechon on Good Friday; the heritage town of Carcar; the ornate Boljoon and Argao churches, though Bambi Harper says the Argao church carvings have been painted over with gold (yuck!) and of course, lechon from Talisay and bibingka from Mandaue.

6. Boracay – What can I say about Boracay that hasn’t yet been said? Boracay waters make you want to jump in, even if you can’t swim!

7. Cagayan de Oro – It has the only canopy walk adventure in the country in the Magbais rainforest in Claveria, Misamis Oriental. There are seven ledges up on top of trees, looking down on a forest. A pulley brings you to the first ledge and you cross from ledge to ledge over narrow hanging bridges made of metal slats hanging from metal ropes. The bridge, of course, shakes as you walk and you feel you’ll fall into the ravines. But of course, you won’t fall – because you are strapped on to a harness.

The other adventure is the white water rafting on Mambuaya River. The course for beginners, which I took, is a 12 1/2 kilometer stretch, with 14 rapids. It‘s great fun, especially for someone who can’t swim.

8. Batanes – It’s not a sweet tropical island like the rest of the Philippines. It’s stark and dramatic and isolated. From afar, the clusters of stone houses remind you of Arthurian villages. You can visit the ruins of the Idyangs – stone fortresses built by the sea-fairing Ivatan ancestors. You can go around Batan Island and revel in the gorgeous scenery. You can cross over to Sabtang and see more picturesque clusters of stone houses. From the top of the highest hill in Basco, you can hear the jeep coming and children below playing. There’s really nothing to do in Batanes – but it’s a great place to do nothing in.

9. Sulu – It’s a real pity that more people don’t visit Sulu. It has beautiful white sand beaches – like Quezon Beach in Patikul. Their crafts are exquisite – the piz which is woven like tapestry in Parang, the habul tiyahe which is the hand embroidered cloth the Tausugs wear as part of their dress, brought back from China by the returning Tausug court, the luhul which is appliquéd tree-of-life tapestries.

The best time to go to Sulu is in September, October and November when the durian and mangosteen are in season – then it’s dirt cheap. The best durian in the world is from Sulu – it is durian from connoisseurs. When we were last there, I had durian that had just fallen from the tree – the best I’ve ever had – rich, buttery, tangy, with a clean sparkling sweetness – unforgettable.

(To be concluded)