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I was so impressed with Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day (so aptly described by Salman Rushdie as "a story both beautiful and cruel") that I was all for reading more of his stuff. When We Were Orphans really intrigued me--I bought it as a birthday gift with the (not so) veiled intention of borrowing it after the recipient was done. Hey, everybody wins, right?

The story is set in the 1930s. Christopher Banks is the most celebrated detective in England, having solved a number of high-profile cases--but the one case that continues to haunt him is his parents' disappearance when he was just nine years old. It tracks his return to Shanghai--the scene of the crime--decades after he was orphaned, to try and find some resolution once and for all.

We woke up bright and early by vacation standards so that we could catch an early bus to Pagudpud, the last item on my very flexible itinerary. We took a trike to the bus station then boarded a rickety wooden bus. Halfway through the trip, H whispered, "Medyo delikado 'to. Mahina ang preno." I managed to convince myself that the bus made this trip on a regular basis without incident.

The hard wooden seats were uncomfortable after a while, but I fell asleep anyway--there was no traffic, so we moved steadily along, the morning breeze pleasant against my face. The trip proved my theory that I could pretty much fall asleep in any vehicle, as long as I’m traveling by land. (Ask my co-workers!)

 

I am not big on the Pinoy food. When I gave a rundown of my favorite restos, my friends remarked, "You like Italian food, huh?" Indeed, I do. Overall, I think my palate favors Western food.

Going to Ilocos Norte, I knew I would embrace the bagnet, but I was a bit iffy about the pinakbet--ordinarily, I don't eat it, but I kind of try to make it a point to eat food that is native to certain localities (e.g., durian in Davao…although I cheated and just had durian coffee at Blugré). Then I found a version of pinakbet that I was more than willing to stuff myself with--Pinakbet Pizza!