Cebu South Road Trip 1: In search of Tostado in Santander and the Heritage Trail of Oslob
When I am travelling, I am always looking for that local specialty in town, and some culture as well. Last year while we were in Cebu, I made a pact with the parents, as well as with the Dutchman that we will be stopping by the main towns in the south of Cebu on our way back. The goal is to buy a local delicacy and see a bit of culture. My mom was totally into the plan because she likes anything that is food =)
Now, this is going to be rather brief stops as we can’t have 2 men waiting impatiently inside the car, unless of course they want to join in, then I am lucky.
These are the town centres that we will be stopping by – Santander, Oslob, Boljoon, Dalaguete, Argao and Carcar. Since it is impossible for me to put them all into 1 blog post, I will divide them by two’s.
In search of Tostado in Santander, Cebu
Trivia: Did you know that tostado is the main delicacy of Santander? It is that toasted biscuit in floral pattern.
The town even has a festival called ‘Tostado Festival’ that celebrates the existence of this locally-acclaimed toasted biscuit as well as honouring its patron saint, Angel St. Gabriel. The Philippines is a staunch Catholic country, so any fiesta (colloquial term for festival ) is always associated with Catholicism, usually by means of revering a patron saint. The event is held yearly just before Holy Week.
A few inquiries from the locals where we can buy tostado and we were pointed to a local store along the main road. The man we inquired with told us it is the store with the Smart sign where people buy ‘load’. He meant telephone credits for load. We found it quickly!
And the girl was happy as well to pose for me, well she was shy at first.
I really like these tostado biscuits. The taste is in between a speculaas biscuit and a butter biscuit. If only we bought a lot! One can find these in the supermarkets in Cebu but of course they are cheaper if you buy them at the source.
Here are some scenes I shot around Santander town centre.
An open cafeteria selling warm food. In the Philippines (and everywhere else in Asia), all main meals (breakfast-lunch-dinner) are warm meals.
When in Santander, do not forget to treat yourself to some tostados.
The Heritage Trail of Oslob
Recently, Oslob has been getting some attention because of its whale shark tourism. The limelight however has turned into a nationwide and even an international controversy surrounding the consequences of the feeding of the whale sharks and its tourism aspect, of which I will not personally address in this blog as I am not an expert or an environmental-animal preservation critic.
In fact, I find it difficult to condemn the whale shark activities in Oslob without evidence based on proper research from qualified organisations. Everyone can always speculate. For now, the whale shark tourism is on-going and I highly recommend everyone to visit. Just make sure you follow the rules please. No touching of the whale sharks and keep your distance from these friendly beasts.
Here is our whale shark experience: Our close encounter with the Whale Sharks in Oslob, Cebu
We also stopped by the church of Oslob and saw a Heritage Trail Map near the bus stop. We didn’t visit the highlighted places but we managed to go for a little walk around the church property, as well as the beach across. We even had a light-hearted discussion with some friendly locals.
Looking at these pictures make me want to go back ASAP.
My mom said that Oslob doesn’t really have a famous delicacy so we better get on with our journey. Now on to our next stop: Boljoon and then Dalaguete
Travel Period: November 2012
Destination: Santander and Oslob (Cebu), The Philippines
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
Now, this is going to be rather brief stops as we can’t have 2 men waiting impatiently inside the car, unless of course they want to join in, then I am lucky.
These are the town centres that we will be stopping by – Santander, Oslob, Boljoon, Dalaguete, Argao and Carcar. Since it is impossible for me to put them all into 1 blog post, I will divide them by two’s.
In search of Tostado in Santander, Cebu
Trivia: Did you know that tostado is the main delicacy of Santander? It is that toasted biscuit in floral pattern.
The town even has a festival called ‘Tostado Festival’ that celebrates the existence of this locally-acclaimed toasted biscuit as well as honouring its patron saint, Angel St. Gabriel. The Philippines is a staunch Catholic country, so any fiesta (colloquial term for festival ) is always associated with Catholicism, usually by means of revering a patron saint. The event is held yearly just before Holy Week.
A few inquiries from the locals where we can buy tostado and we were pointed to a local store along the main road. The man we inquired with told us it is the store with the Smart sign where people buy ‘load’. He meant telephone credits for load. We found it quickly!
And the girl was happy as well to pose for me, well she was shy at first.
I really like these tostado biscuits. The taste is in between a speculaas biscuit and a butter biscuit. If only we bought a lot! One can find these in the supermarkets in Cebu but of course they are cheaper if you buy them at the source.
Here are some scenes I shot around Santander town centre.
An open cafeteria selling warm food. In the Philippines (and everywhere else in Asia), all main meals (breakfast-lunch-dinner) are warm meals.
When in Santander, do not forget to treat yourself to some tostados.
The Heritage Trail of Oslob
Recently, Oslob has been getting some attention because of its whale shark tourism. The limelight however has turned into a nationwide and even an international controversy surrounding the consequences of the feeding of the whale sharks and its tourism aspect, of which I will not personally address in this blog as I am not an expert or an environmental-animal preservation critic.
In fact, I find it difficult to condemn the whale shark activities in Oslob without evidence based on proper research from qualified organisations. Everyone can always speculate. For now, the whale shark tourism is on-going and I highly recommend everyone to visit. Just make sure you follow the rules please. No touching of the whale sharks and keep your distance from these friendly beasts.
Here is our whale shark experience: Our close encounter with the Whale Sharks in Oslob, Cebu
We also stopped by the church of Oslob and saw a Heritage Trail Map near the bus stop. We didn’t visit the highlighted places but we managed to go for a little walk around the church property, as well as the beach across. We even had a light-hearted discussion with some friendly locals.
Looking at these pictures make me want to go back ASAP.
My mom said that Oslob doesn’t really have a famous delicacy so we better get on with our journey. Now on to our next stop: Boljoon and then Dalaguete
Travel Period: November 2012
Destination: Santander and Oslob (Cebu), The Philippines
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
