crazymalc.co.nz - Home Page of Malcolm Trevena

Training Days

2nd October 2005

The 2nd and 3rd of October were the official training days for the program. Raymund, Pom, Rowen and myself all headed south to Quezon City. We stayed at a holiday place that had hot mineral pools. Kinda like Rotorua for those of you who hail from Aotearoa.

Over the next two days, Raymund and I learnt about the history of the Philippines and some dos and don'ts. Most of it was common sense.

We slept through the night in some bamboo huts. Very basic living conditions, but very cool as well.

Rowen and I decided to trust Raymund with the food selection. Maybe we shouldn't have...

Century Eggs
We had these at a Chinese fast food restaurant. To prepare a Century Egg, you take a normal chicken egg and bury it for 100 days. The egg is then boiled in salted water before serving
Pig Brain and Pig Face
The pig's brain and pig's face is sliced into small cubes, and then fried together before serving.
Pig Intestines
The intestines are cleaned, then deep fried. They are eaten as snack food.
Snails
These are boiled and then dipped in a coconut cream sauce. They are smaller than the famous French snails.
Raw Fish
The fish is cleaned, then served in vinegar.
Chicken Intestine
The intestine is cleaned, then threaded around a bamboo skewer. The intestine is then cooked over a BBQ and coated with a sweet sauce.
Pig's Blood
The blood is collected when pigs throat is cut. The blood is then boiled and left to congeal. Once it has congealed, it is cut into small cubes. The cubes are then threaded onto a skewer and cooked on a BBQ.

The crowning glory shall be the Balut Egg. The Balut Egg (it deserves capital letters) contains a duck embryo. You first punch a small hole in the top of the egg, then drink the juice. The embryo is removed from the egg (it looks like a small yellow duck) and you munch away. Some of you may have seen these on the television program "Fear Factor". I am looking forward to eating one.

After the training, we all headed into Manila, where Raymund gave us a tour. Some pictures are shown below.


Looking at Manila from Fort Santiago	A small boy collecting rubbish in Manila. Note the bamboo raft and the plastic paddles.

Much of Manila was destroyed during the war. This church survived but lost one of its bell towers.	People in the street yell out "Hey Cowboy!" when the see me.

Pom, Raymund and Rowen at a restaurant.	Rowen and I at Fort Santiago. Every volunteer that comes to the Philippines poses for this picture.

Home Boy Rowen and DJ Malc.	Home Boy Rowen and DJ Malc. Take 2.

Playing pool in Manila.	Malcolm eating snails. I'm so glad I'm not crazy anymore...