Simply Belle

The house below is located in the island of Catanduanes, Philippines, in the town of Baras, in the barrio of Puraran. It is just a short walk to the ocean, about 100 steps to the beach. The 2 pictures on top are of breathtaking Puraran beach.

Puraran is a surfer’s paradise. It has powerful waves that break into corals 100 to 200 meters from the beach. Surfers and tourists from all over the world come to this place to take advantage of the majestics waves that people rave about or just to relax and enjoy the beautiful sceneries. It has white sand. The beach is nestled by the mountains on the east side. Two resorts here offer basic accomodation for reasonable cost. For Ph300, you can have a room and two meals. The meal is mainly composed of rice, fresh fish, veggies, and a bottle of water.

This house is still going through finishing stage. When it is done, it is going to be up for sale for Ph4, 000,000, which includes furnitures and appliances. The house should be finished by March or earlier. Personal items are not included. So, if you are a retired surfer and would want to live frugally in a state of the art house, this is a perfect place for you. You get fresh fish from the local fishermen, and sometimes lobster at reasonable prices. You can also hire a maid for US$50 salary per month. If you are interested, email me at liwayway07@yahoo.com.

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On our walk this morning, I thought of bringing the digital camera along to capture some routine scenes along the way. This lake is within walking distance from our house. It is a beautiful man-made lake. Of course, all lakes in Arizona are man-made except for one. This particular lake, however, uses reclaimed wastewater. It is planted with trout, crappie, and sunfish. People from different places come and fish in this lake.

This afternoon, I saw a kid catch a large trout about 14 inches long. He was happy and excited! He proudly showed his trophy catch to his grandpa who was situated on the other side of the lake, who, also, was fishing.

To fish in this lake, an adult is required to have a license, otherwise, if you are caught, you are fined. The license costs US$16.00 and is good for a year. However, kids, ages 14 years old and below (not sure) are free. When my children were little, we used to go fishing here. It was fairly easy to catch a limit. I cleaned them good and fried them until they were crispy. It was a good treat!

Payson, by the way, is located about 90 miles northeast of Phoenix. It is where the mountains meet the desert. It has the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the country. One thing I like about Payson is, it has four seasons so there are so many things to do and and see all year round from golfing, hunting, fishing, and camping. It is one of the free ozone places in the US.

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Since my daughter is here for Thanksgiving break, I thought of fixing her favorite dish, which was pansit. I used shredded barbeque pork that I bought from Best Hongkong Dining in Phoenix, AZ., and some average sized shrimps. I sliced some carrots, celery, and Taiwan bok choi. I added some stock for more flavor.

It hit the spot. It was flavorful. I had a good serving, and came back for seconds and so was everybody else. The other dish I made was left untouched, hopefully, we will have it for lunch tomorrow.

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