Aired (June 23, 2024): Join Biyahero Drew as he explores the timeless charm and serene beauty of Leyte with Kusinerong Biyahero.
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00:00Who's got a fight?
00:02I don't have a fight.
00:03Oh, you don't? Okay, sorry.
00:04This might be poisoned.
00:06Oh, no.
00:07If they're not cooked yet, they're color purple.
00:10Ube crab?
00:13As General Douglas MacArthur said,
00:15I shall return.
00:20And as promised,
00:21let's go back to a province that's not only rich in history,
00:25but also rich in many things to see and experience.
00:28We're here now to taste their guest.
00:31This is the surprise of Eastlack.
00:34When we come back,
00:35there are new surprises waiting for us.
00:40Because of this smoke,
00:41the pain in your body will disappear,
00:43as well as the troubles in your life.
00:45Do you want that?
00:46Yes, we do!
00:48And new friends to meet.
00:50I'm sure you'll come back.
00:53So, see you later.
00:59Viejos, do you know what fruit this is?
01:03You're wrong.
01:05This is not a fruit.
01:06This is the fruit of nipa,
01:08or nipa palm fruit.
01:09But do you know how and where it's obtained?
01:13For those who are curious,
01:15this video just got 34 million views.
01:18It was made by a vlogger named Cusinerong Viejero,
01:20from Hilongos, Leyte.
01:23He used to be a driver in Mindanao,
01:25but because of being a vlogger,
01:27he now has his own car,
01:29house, and land.
01:30What do you think, Viejos?
01:32In his videos,
01:33he shows the simple way to live in the province,
01:36and how to cook their bakuran.
01:38He sells it to his 2.3 million followers on Facebook.
01:42But this is hard.
01:43Nice content.
01:44But I hope you talk.
01:45I hope we can hear your voice.
01:47Talk to your videos.
01:50Their online Lodi
01:51doesn't talk to his viewers.
01:53Can we hear the voice of Cusinerong Viejero
01:55for the first time?
01:58Hey, sir Drew, welcome!
01:59I'm Cusinerong Viejero.
02:00Welcome!
02:01I'm so happy!
02:03You're talking?
02:04I didn't know!
02:05Okay, okay.
02:06Let's go.
02:08Viejero Drew meets Cusinerong Viejero.
02:11That's why today,
02:12we'll literally taste the life of the province.
02:15First on the list,
02:16we'll taste the viral nipa palm fruit.
02:19Do you really eat this?
02:20Yes.
02:21Nipa palm fruit.
02:22Do you really eat this?
02:23Isn't it supposed to be eaten?
02:25You don't really eat it?
02:26We eat it, sir.
02:27It's delicious, sir.
02:28People know that
02:29nipa is made from seeds.
02:31But here, we eat it.
02:33Is there no one dying?
02:34No.
02:35It's delicious.
02:36There's no one dying.
02:37Wait, wait.
02:38First of all,
02:39this is not normal.
02:40I didn't know
02:41because I haven't tried this.
02:42But for you,
02:43it's normal.
02:44Yes.
02:45Here,
02:46for us,
02:47I'm the only one...
02:48You're the only one
02:49who can cook nipa.
02:54Where did you learn this?
02:55From your parents?
02:56From your grandparents?
02:58Yes, from my parents.
02:59Even before that.
03:00Even before that?
03:01Okay.
03:02So, how do we do this?
03:03Here.
03:04Let's start.
03:10Try it.
03:11It's delicious.
03:12So,
03:13if I do this,
03:14I don't have to cook it anymore?
03:15No.
03:16You can eat it.
03:17How do you do that, bro?
03:18Be careful, sir.
03:19It's like...
03:20It's like lansones.
03:22Yes.
03:23It's like lansones.
03:24But...
03:25It's more delicious than buko.
03:27Maybe because this is lanson.
03:29Oh, no.
03:31It's delicious.
03:35It's funny because...
03:36You'll forget your nickname.
03:39True.
03:40But I said lansones,
03:42but you said it's more delicious than buko.
03:44I get you
03:45because the consistency
03:46is closer to buko
03:48than lansones.
03:49The lansones have a distinct sweetness.
03:52This is like...
03:55Actually, it has a bit of lychee.
03:58Usually, nipa palm fruit leaves are used
04:00in the roof of the house.
04:02And the fruit,
04:03aside from being eaten raw,
04:05can also be used as a snack.
04:07That's why it's considered
04:08to be one of the most important
04:10economic Philippine crops
04:11because of its many uses.
04:13Wait.
04:14Do we just eat this?
04:16You can also make it sweet.
04:19Sir, we'll make nipa con hielo.
04:21Okay.
04:22Let's try it.
04:23Let's start.
04:24Ice first?
04:25Yes.
04:26Okay.
04:27It's okay.
04:28You're holding the ice.
04:33This is what I do.
04:35Try it, sir.
04:39It's delicious.
04:42Did you like it, sir?
04:43It's delicious.
04:44It's not too sweet.
04:45And you can't get tired of the sweetness.
04:50It's good.
04:52In the taste of nipa con hielo,
04:54I almost forgot the real name
04:56of the chef.
04:57Chefs,
04:58this is Arnel Celesio,
05:0035 years old.
05:01What I want to show is
05:03the life in the province
05:05is not boring.
05:06If you're patient here,
05:08you'll live.
05:09There are a lot of people
05:10who can cook vegetables.
05:12There's a lot of food.
05:15Because of vlogging,
05:16he's able to help
05:17hundreds of people
05:18in their barangay
05:19by giving free groceries
05:21every year.
05:22He's fond of cooking.
05:24He also used it
05:25to make his wife's sweet Oon
05:26taste better.
05:28My wife
05:29pushed me to vlog.
05:31She's also a food vlogger
05:33that even my followers
05:34don't know her.
05:36They're ready
05:37to have a hard lunch.
05:38Chef Bihero's wife
05:40is at the back of the page
05:41called Taste of Pinas
05:43with 1.8 million followers.
05:46This is Irene Celesio.
05:48We met in Manila.
05:50At first,
05:51I persuaded the caretaker
05:54to bring the food.
05:57But the time came
05:58when I brought the food
06:00because I wanted
06:01to court her.
06:03It was the first time
06:04we met people
06:06who were together.
06:08They didn't know
06:09that they're ex-girlfriends.
06:12Yes, it was the first time.
06:14We're separate pages.
06:15For me,
06:16my content is more on
06:18business recipes,
06:20home cooked meals.
06:21For him,
06:22it's counter side cooking.
06:24Watch out.
06:25Food vlogger,
06:26sweet lover.
06:28We started
06:29our relationship
06:30because of food.
06:31That's why
06:32we were able to
06:33vlog.
06:35Who do you think
06:36is better at cooking?
06:38Me.
06:40He's fast.
06:41You're fast.
06:42Kids always request
06:44to cook like this.
06:51Not new in Irene's vlog,
06:53Taste of Pinas,
06:54are the recipes of different kinds of rice.
06:55But we found a suman
06:57with a big arm
06:58that can fill three people.
07:00This is Magsaysay.
07:02But it's not only
07:04that it's big,
07:05it also has a surprise.
07:07Surprise.
07:17It has different fillings
07:18that you can choose from.
07:20There's Mango Bud
07:22with mango filling.
07:23Choco Bud
07:24with chocolate.
07:25And Res Marias
07:26made from two colors
07:27of sticky rice.
07:31Behind this strong business
07:33is the 80 years old
07:34Sinanay Natividad.
07:36I started when I was 25 years old.
07:39And until now,
07:41I don't have a job at home.
07:43That's the job
07:45that I thought of doing
07:47to help my husband.
07:50Because of the requests
07:51of her customers,
07:52the ordinary suman
07:53was made extraordinary.
07:55Bigger
07:56and more expensive.
07:58Before,
07:59we didn't have anything.
08:00Now,
08:01thanks to God,
08:03we were able to build a house,
08:05we were able to buy
08:06a small plot of land.
08:08The sales of Magsaysay
08:09didn't stop
08:11because the income
08:12of Sinanay Natividad
08:13was enough
08:14for her one dozen children.
08:17The Extraordinary Suman.
08:18Did it pass the taste test
08:19of the tourists?
08:21It's sweet
08:22and it has a chocolate filling.
08:24It's delicious
08:25and unique.
08:26When I go back to America,
08:28I'll bring this
08:29to Pasalubong
08:30because a lot of Filipinos
08:31are looking for rice.
08:34It's delicious
08:35because
08:36I like it sweet.
08:37And it's soft
08:39and crunchy.
08:41It's delicious.
08:42It's super soft.
08:44And the chocolate
08:45is just right in sweetness.
08:47It's really delicious.
08:50The business started
08:51to be passed on
08:52to the children of Sinanay Natividad.
08:54Partida,
08:5545 years and counting
08:56was the Magsaysay of Sinanay.
08:58I'm thankful to God
09:00that I thought of this
09:02so that I can help.
09:03And until now,
09:05to my children,
09:06I'm old
09:07and I can't work anymore.
09:10It's my children
09:11who are doing it
09:12until now,
09:13to my grandchildren.
09:17Filled with the gigantic suman,
09:19it's ready for island hopping.
09:21We'll go to
09:22a group of islands
09:23in the town of Inupakan
09:24and Hindang.
09:25The bad news is
09:26it's being avoided
09:27by a strong storm
09:29and occasional thunderstorms.
09:31The secret?
09:32The islands are protected
09:33by the saints.
09:39Travelers visit
09:40the four islands
09:41not only because of the white sand
09:43and the blue color of the water
09:45but also because of the surprises
09:47waiting for each island.
09:53First stop, Mahaba Island.
09:55It's called Mahaba
09:56because its shape
09:57is literally long.
09:59On this island,
10:00you can experience
10:01a unique spa.
10:03But the masseur
10:04is not a human
10:05but a shrimp.
10:07What do the tourists
10:08do here?
10:09They put their feet
10:10in the water
10:11and it's called
10:12a shrimp spa.
10:13Shrimp spa?
10:14Yes, shrimp spa.
10:15That's what they call it.
10:16Wow, those spas
10:17are really popular now.
10:19Yes,
10:20because they take care
10:21of the dead skin
10:22on their feet.
10:23Dead skin?
10:24Do you come here
10:25often?
10:26No,
10:27because here,
10:28it's like
10:29full sight seeing.
10:30It's unique.
10:31You won't see this
10:32anywhere else
10:33in other
10:34protected areas
10:35or other places.
10:37The shrimp are like this?
10:38Yes, they're red.
10:39Of course,
10:40it's a bit cloudy
10:41and not very visible.
10:43But even if
10:44it's not that sunny,
10:47a lot of them are moving.
10:49It's like
10:50it's becoming
10:52their habitat.
10:55The red shrimp
10:56is known for being
10:57an active scavenger.
10:58It means
10:59that they eat
11:00the rotting plants
11:01around them,
11:02as well as
11:03the dry skin
11:04on our feet.
11:07But shrimp spas
11:08are not the only
11:09surprises in Mahaba Island.
11:11If we're lucky,
11:12we also have friends
11:13waiting for us
11:14in Lubungin.
11:21Next stop,
11:22the smallest
11:23of the four islands,
11:24Digyo.
11:25The name comes from
11:26the Bisayan word
11:27Digyot,
11:28which means
11:29small.
11:30But don't miss out
11:31on this island
11:32because there's a
11:33unique seafood treat
11:34to try here.
11:35Travelers,
11:36have you seen
11:37Alimango in purple?
11:38But they're not
11:39cockroaches, okay?
11:40They call this
11:41Alikwai.
11:42They say
11:43it's hard to catch
11:44because
11:45there's only a month
11:46when there's a lot of them.
11:47This is not
11:48AI
11:49or just
11:50a computer background.
11:52We're here
11:53to try
11:54their
11:55I guess
11:56this is the
11:57surprise
11:58of the island
11:59when you
12:00visit here.
12:01They call this
12:02Alikwai.
12:03When they're not
12:04cooked yet,
12:05they're color purple.
12:06Ube crabs?
12:08But when they're
12:09cooked,
12:10they're red
12:11as expected.
12:13So,
12:14they're cooked.
12:15But it looks like
12:16they just graduated
12:17and they have
12:18a title.
12:19I don't know
12:20if
12:21it's included.
12:22Ah,
12:23it looks like
12:24there's meat.
12:25There's meat
12:26in the crab
12:27with coconut.
12:28So,
12:29are they still
12:30opening it?
12:31There,
12:32it's open.
12:33So,
12:34it's like
12:35they're stuffing it.
12:36Sorry,
12:37they're stuffing it
12:38like it's the crab's
12:39relish.
12:44Ginger.
12:45It tastes like coconut milk.
12:50But the ginger
12:51has a stronger
12:53taste
12:54which is
12:55needed
12:56to
12:57remove
12:58the
12:59fishy taste.
13:02I guess,
13:03that's their
13:05style here.
13:06They're relishing
13:07or adding
13:08different ingredients
13:09including
13:10coconut milk
13:11and ginger.
13:12They're mixing it
13:13inside.
13:15And
13:16they're mixing
13:17the crab's meat
13:18inside
13:19the different
13:20ingredients.
13:21Another unique
13:22food trip here
13:23is the Sea Cucumber
13:24which they call
13:25Bat.
13:26It looks like
13:27it's being grilled.
13:28But,
13:29this is actually
13:30eaten here.
13:31This is what they call
13:32Bat,
13:33Sea Cucumber.
13:34It's like
13:35they grilled it.
13:36Grilled,
13:37not grilled,
13:38just grilled.
13:39Okay.
13:46That's what's good
13:47about traveling.
13:49It's nice
13:50when you try
13:51different things
13:52that you can eat
13:53and that's where
13:56your mind
13:57and eyes
13:58will open
13:59to the local
14:00food here.
14:01That's not all.
14:02Aside from the food trip,
14:03tourists are also
14:04bringing back
14:05the sunken
14:06and glistening
14:07sandbar.
14:13Here on
14:14Apid Island,
14:15they're making
14:16handicrafts
14:17and living
14:18the locals.
14:19The locals
14:20are the ones
14:21in charge of
14:22making products
14:23like bags,
14:24wallets,
14:25and umbrellas.
14:32They're living
14:33a peaceful life here
14:34but the island
14:35has a hidden
14:36mystery.
14:37What is it?
14:38They say
14:39the island is
14:40avoided
14:41by birds.
14:48On the nearby
14:49island of
14:50Himukilan,
14:51the largest
14:52of the four
14:53islands,
14:54the strong
14:55typhoon
14:56is also avoided.
14:57If the typhoon
14:58hits the island,
14:59it's not strong
15:00and there are no
15:01damaged houses.
15:02The secret?
15:06They're protected
15:07by saints
15:08who are
15:09in charge
15:10of the island.
15:12Upon entering
15:13the island,
15:14the image
15:15of the two saints
15:16San Pedro
15:17and San Tonino
15:18are believed
15:19to be the reason
15:20why there are
15:21not many
15:22calamities
15:23on the island.
15:25But how true
15:26is this belief?
15:45According to
15:46the Inupakan LGU,
15:47the northern part
15:48of Leyte
15:49is usually hit
15:50by a strong typhoon.
15:51The towns
15:52of Inupakan
15:53and Hindang,
15:54where the four
15:55islands are located,
15:56are located in
15:57the eastern part
15:58of the province.
15:59They're lucky
16:00because only a weak
16:01typhoon hits them.
16:02The last strong
16:03typhoon
16:04that hit the island
16:05was the typhoon
16:06Odette in 2021.
16:09After touring
16:10the islands,
16:11let's tour
16:12the market
16:13of Hilongos Bejeros.
16:14Not only food,
16:15there are also
16:16souvenirs
16:17that you can see here
16:18such as
16:19tamarind
16:20and chili.
16:21What are these?
16:23They say that
16:24because of this typhoon,
16:25the pain in your body
16:26and the bad luck
16:27in your life
16:28will disappear.
16:29Do you want that?
16:31Where did you come from?
16:34It's like a typhoon.
16:35What are you doing there?
16:36I'm cleaning, sir.
16:37What is the process
16:38of cleaning?
16:39Why are people
16:40doing this?
16:41Sir,
16:42some people
16:43get sick,
16:44it's easy
16:45to get sick
16:46and it's easy
16:47to recover.
16:48Others,
16:49if you have fish,
16:50it's easier
16:51to catch more fish.
16:53Others,
16:54if you travel,
16:56it's easy
16:57to travel.
16:58Okay,
16:59how do you do this?
17:01Do you burn this?
17:03No, sir.
17:04It's on the plate.
17:06This is the peel, sir.
17:08This is the peel
17:09on the bottom.
17:10They use tamarind
17:11and chili
17:12for cleaning
17:13which is part
17:14of tambal binisaya,
17:15which is used
17:16to cure
17:17various herbal medicines.
17:19This is tamarind, sir.
17:20This is papalina.
17:22It can also be used
17:23at home.
17:24For example,
17:25if there are bad spirits,
17:26they can remove it
17:27so that they can be free.
17:28This is tambal binisaya, sir.
17:30For example,
17:31if you have a room,
17:32it's easy
17:33to clean.
17:34It's cheap.
17:35Tamarind is 60 pesos
17:36or 30 pesos.
17:38This is 60.
17:39Yes.
17:40People,
17:41if they don't have money,
17:43this is their solution
17:44to get better.
17:47Yes, sir.
17:48Because it's more expensive
17:49when you go to the hospital.
17:51If I'm sick,
17:52I'll get sick easily.
17:53If I'm like this,
17:56I'll get better easily.
17:57I feel good.
17:59You can use this
18:00to get lucky.
18:02Let's go to the lotto.
18:03Let's go to the lotto.
18:06If tamarind
18:07and chili
18:08can cure
18:09bad spirits,
18:10I don't think
18:11this can solve
18:12the hunger
18:13that I'm feeling.
18:14So, let's go
18:15to the famous
18:16hot pot.
18:17Let's taste
18:18the foods
18:19to get rid of hunger
18:20for our spirits.
18:22Excuse me, ma'am.
18:23What's happening there?
18:24Why are there so many people?
18:25There's a rumble.
18:26There's a rumble?
18:27There's a fight?
18:28Where? There's a rumble.
18:29Oh, no.
18:30Should I call the police?
18:31I'll leave it.
18:33Who has a fight?
18:34There's no fight, sir.
18:35No? Okay, sorry.
18:38We can relax now, spirits.
18:39There's no fight.
18:40But there's really a rumble
18:42that Nanay Nena is selling.
18:44This is what we sell,
18:45puto rumble.
18:47Puto rumble?
18:48Yes, this is the native delicacy
18:49of Hilongos.
18:50Puto rumble?
18:51Yes.
18:52Why is it called
18:53puto rumble?
18:54It's a mix, sir.
18:55Three kinds.
18:56Puto,
18:57munggo,
18:58and sikwate.
18:59Mom,
19:00what is this?
19:01Normally,
19:02you sell this all day.
19:04Is it cheaper
19:05in the morning?
19:06Do the locals
19:07eat this in the afternoon?
19:09Anytime, sir.
19:10Anytime?
19:11Yeah.
19:12From dawn
19:14until dusk.
19:16I'll just taste it.
19:22I remember when I was young.
19:24Because in our house,
19:27there's always
19:28champorado.
19:29We call it
19:31champorado.
19:33And that's also
19:34the taste of this.
19:36It's hot,
19:38and the texture
19:39of the rice
19:40is delicious.
19:42And then,
19:43it's a bit sweet
19:44because
19:45I guess you added
19:46sugar to the chocolate,
19:47right?
19:48Yes, sir.
19:49How much is this?
19:50That's
19:5120 pesos.
19:5220 pesos?
19:53Yes.
19:56Their mother's house
19:57has been filling up
19:58for the locals
19:59for 37 years.
20:01Is this from
20:02your ancestors
20:04or did you start this?
20:05No.
20:06I was young
20:07because
20:08we started this
20:09before we
20:10went to school.
20:11School.
20:12Yeah.
20:13Then I observed
20:14how smart they were.
20:15I thought
20:17that I should
20:18just do business
20:20like this.
20:22Okay,
20:23puto sikwati,
20:24puto mungos,
20:25and puto rambol.
20:28Aside from puto rambol,
20:29their puto mungos
20:30is also one of
20:31the most popular dishes here.
20:33The puto rambol
20:34has mungo in it.
20:35Yeah.
20:36But what's different
20:37about this
20:38is that there's no sikwati.
20:39No sikwati.
20:40Aha.
20:46So,
20:47if this is champorado,
20:48it's sweet
20:49and there's
20:50chocolate in it.
20:52This one,
20:54it's also sweet
20:55because there's sugar
20:56in the mungo.
20:58So,
20:59is it ulam
21:01or panghimagas?
21:03I think it's panghimagas
21:04on the panghimagas side
21:05because it's still sweet.
21:07I feel like
21:08you can mix
21:09tinapa here.
21:11Tinapa?
21:12Isda?
21:13Isda.
21:14It's salty.
21:15It's okay.
21:16It's okay, right?
21:17Yes, it's okay.
21:18There's no clear
21:19and clean
21:20Bukal in Leyte.
21:21It's foggy.
21:28The water in Bukal
21:29is so clear
21:30that it's raining.
21:31No sweat
21:32in finding
21:33the fallen peso.
21:34Residents believe
21:35that if you
21:36go fishing in Bukal,
21:37the fish will be beautiful.
21:39Those who forget
21:40to go fishing
21:41get sick.
21:43No,
21:44at first,
21:45if you ask,
21:46the first thing
21:47you need to do
21:48is go fishing.
21:50If you don't go fishing,
21:51you'll get sick.
21:52You'll get sick
21:53to people
21:54who are not like us.
21:56Eat this.
21:57Eat this.
21:59This water,
22:00even if it's made of aluminum,
22:01it won't dry up.
22:02And according to locals,
22:03even if there's a storm,
22:04it won't become
22:05cloudy water.
22:09But the desire
22:10to go fishing in the rain,
22:11is it still continuing now?
22:33There's no entrance fee
22:34to go to the place.
22:35But what Tata Jano
22:36is asking for
22:37is to be a responsible traveler.
22:39Whatever garbage
22:40you bring,
22:41don't throw it
22:42in the water
22:43and in the forest.
22:45They say
22:46you can't bring
22:47wealth to the sky.
22:48But for just 10 pesos,
22:49you can reach
22:50the sky with your hands.
22:53Even if the sun
22:54doesn't rise yet,
22:55you need to leave
22:56to get to the place.
22:58You'll ride
22:59a long boat
23:00that reaches
23:01the sky
23:02in just 5 minutes.
23:05And when it arrives,
23:07the waiting game begins.
23:16But what we're waiting for
23:18is the surprising
23:19sea of clouds
23:20here in the town
23:21of Baybay, Salaiteng.
23:26We saw it
23:27on Facebook
23:28that it's posted
23:29so we went here.
23:30It's beautiful
23:31because you can see
23:32the whole town
23:33of Baybay.
23:35There's also
23:36the sunrise
23:37which is good
23:38for the view
23:40especially when
23:41you're with your family.
23:42It's beautiful
23:43because it's cold
23:44and you can see
23:45a lot of beautiful views.
23:48It's really quiet here.
23:50There's no stress.
23:57There are places
23:58that you come back
23:59to experience again
24:00the things
24:01that make us happy.
24:04But it's different.
24:06Every time you come back,
24:07there are new surprises
24:08waiting for you
24:09and new experiences
24:11that add to
24:12the happy memories
24:14that you'll
24:15surely come back to.