HONEY LIKE NO OTHER

We finally were able to get our act together in visiting Bob and Looey Maglaya's farm in Morong, Bataan. Originally planned to harvest from numerous trees, their papaya of different sizes and shapes on the farm.

Starting off from West Triangle in Quezon City at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, we got to Morong at almost noon. There was traffic  along the way, some accident that kept us in a bumper-to-bumper situation -- which fortunately didn't affect our mood as we were comfortably taken care of by Roree  in her Grandia, and her zero-accident record of a driver, James.

The Maglaya farm sits on a thousand sqm lot along the highway.  Its fence is strengthened by bamboo trees, my impression is that it’s going to be difficult for burglars or intruders to climb and jump over the fence.  In big cities, even in gated subdivisions, shards are planted on top of the fence as a safeguard.

Bob was all prepared when we got there, he and his helpers  cooked Chicken Tinola (of course with raw papaya fresh from a tree) and Fish Sarsiado.  My type of lunch, healthy and easy to do.  He then served us the roundest papaya I have ever seen in my entire life, and burgundy colored macopa.   

Couple of days back, he sold a cow for fifteen thousand pesos,  when it’s fully grown it will be slaughtered and its meat will find its way in the market.  Way to go, Bob!

For the rest of the day,  Roree was on a shopping binge for honey, cashew nuts, arrow root biscuits, pork cracklings and ice cream in the next towns. 

I bought only one bottle of raw honey to try.  Apparently, Roree already knew how flavorful honey from Morong is, she bought four!  And to this day, I regret I didn’t buy more.  The ones I get at the supermarket are no match.

“A taste of honey… much sweeter than wine” as the song has it.  NO OTHER.

Our way home was via San Fernando, and we did a last stop to have early dinner at a restaurant, by which time my stomach nearly full.  The drive back to Quezon City in the evening, all except James napped intermittently and I was on guard when Roree’s Grandia passed any humps or bumps, praying that I don’t regurgitate…

Morong is a municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines.  Its population is about 30,000 according to 2010 statistics.  It is home to the Subic Bay International Airport, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, and the former Philippine Refugee Processing Center.

Out where the Maglaya farm is, near the highway, a square meter  would cost  Php 3,000.  Any day soon will rise a Jollibee branch in less than a kilometer away from the farm.  Boon or bane depends on the lifestyle you chose to have.  Me, so long as there are bees and they’re busy producing honey I like.