
Being a tropical country, the Philippines offers the sweetest and most luscious
tropical fruits one can ever hope to find.
Ripe mangoes, bananas, and watermelons
abound in plentiful numbers offering a taste of sunshine in every bite.
But hey, why stop there?
In addition to the more commonly known tropical fruits, the
Philippines has more exotic and equally luscious offerings. Among these is the lanzones.
For those unfamiliar with Lanzones (Lansium
Domesticum), it is a prized fruit that grows from slender trees in bunches much like
grapes, but with thicker stems.
Sweet and tangy, the fruit itself is
covered with a slightly thick but smooth skin that turns yellow when ripe. The Lanzones is
opened by simply pressing the skin with your fingers until the translucent pulp sections
are revealed, each containing a small seed or two. The seeds are not eaten, just the sweet
fleshy parts around it.
The only drawback with Lanzones as a crop
is that it is very seasonal. The Lanzones tree only produces fruits in late September
through the first two weeks of November.
CAMIGUIN ISLAND
While the bulk of Lanzones sold in Metro
Manila comes from Paete, Laguna due to its relative proximity, the best Lanzones come from
the volcanic island of Camiguin, a pear shaped island found off the coast of Cagayan de
Oro in the Bohol Sea.
And while youre at it, have a look
see around the area too for Camiguin isnt just a place for tasty lanzones. It is
also one of the Philippines best hideaways.
A one hour ferry boat ride away from
Cagayan de Oro (CdO is a 1.5 hour plane ride from Manila), Camiguin is a picture perfect
paradise of steep volcanoes, lush foliage, waterfalls, extremely white sand beaches and
hot and cold springs.
For the visitor wanting to get away from
life in the fast lane, Camiguin is the perfect spot to park for a few days.
Starting from the ferry ride, visitors are
pleasantly surprised at the clearness of the waters surrounding the island.
Some visitors to the island even go as far
as describing the ferry ride as like "skating over a sheet of cobalt-blue ice."
Volcanoes abound in Camiguin. Ferry
passengers first see Mt. Timpoong on the approach to the island. Not far from it is Mt.
Mambajao and not much farther inland to the North are the three tiny peaks of the Tres
Marias, which in turn stands in the shadows of Mt. Hibok-Hibok. At the opposite side of
the island stands Mt. Volcan (Volcan Daan as it is called by the locals). Hikers haven in
fact.
Visit the Beautiful Philippine Islands today! A great vacation for the entire
family...
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