Sagada

Discussion in 'The Chatterbox' started by Woknblues, Oct 31, 2007.

  1. Woknblues

    Woknblues New Member

    Just felt like sharing a recent experience with coffee, shaving and my favorite place in the Philippines. The Philippines has many areas that grow coffee. I just happen to live near the epicenter. As a result, I get all kinds of pretty damn good coffee at laughable pricing. My most recent "find" is the coffee grown and picked from Sagada. Sagada is a twisty curvy half paved, half dirt road, meandering through rice terraces, and a 6.5 hour bus ride away. This sleepy but lovely little town has some amazing caves, waterfalls and many other natural wonders. What makes Sagada, "Sagada" (and keeps me coming back) to me though is the coffee, and my morning ritual, that got about 100X better with the introduction of the DE wetshave.

    So here was my daily routine while on my vacation there last week.

    It's 5:30AM. Crack of dawn is about half way done, and the sun is just hinting at poking it's head over the green mountain peaks that are fighting a beautiful and silent war with the thick morning clouds that roll in. Everything is in high contrast, Mountain ridges, switch backs and trails easily seen. Pine trees jutting above rock formations covered in thick nearly malachite colored moss... Crystal clear and the only noise is the rooster, starting his morning ritual as well.

    I put a pot of the "literally right from a natural spring" water on the stove, and when it starts to rumble, I keep about 2 cups of it in a bowl, then fill the percolator bin about half way with Sagada's characteristic ground coffee bean. A smallish light/medium roasted bean, ground coarsely. Then, back on the stove to bubble for a few minutes, then off. After a minute to allow the settling of the grains, my leather covered stainless thermal mug is filled to 3/4 full. In this coffee, you can absolutely taste the earth, the ground, the mountains, the trees, everything. Cream or sugar is completely forbidden. After a greedy sip, full of air so as not to scald, I place it down on the bathroom sink, and take a short and hot shower.

    Out of the shower, that bowl of boiling hot water is ready to do it's part. My travel kit, a Gillette Rubie loaded with a fresh Derby, a QED grapefruit and peppermint shave stick. The shave is gloriously smooth, crisp high pitched notes of that blade leaving a glass smooth face looking back at me. A cold water rinse and a dab of WH were all that I ever needed on this trip.

    Mug in hand, 10 steps out onto the balcony at the corner, I sat on small stool placed so that I could see 270 degrees of peace, nature and profound tranquility. Just me, my coffee and the glory of mother earth.
     
  2. Queen of Blades

    Queen of Blades Mistress of Mischief Staff Member

    Moderator Supporting Vendor
  3. IsaacRN

    IsaacRN Active Member

    OMG.....just rub it in why dont you
     
  4. Bronco

    Bronco Mac Daddy

    You are an artist, nice picture you painted! I may have to take a day off. :D
     
  5. moviemaniac

    moviemaniac Tool Time

    Wow, sounds like a really great place to be ::
     
  6. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    Very nice indeed,

    Beautiful scenery, fresh coffee and a great shave....Excellent :D
     
  7. qhsdoitall

    qhsdoitall Wilbur

    And then we'll show up to share it with you and spoil the whole thing. :D When can I buy a ticket! Sounds very nice and well done on the imagery. ::
     
  8. Woknblues

    Woknblues New Member

    thanks guys. I was blogging about it, and felt that it had a place on this forum, too.

    Actually, a few wet shavers probably wouldn't spoil the serenity. It's the canned goo multi-blade types that screw crap up. Our small group took a guided tour across some beautiful scenery to get to the waterfalls. Along the way, about 3 or 4 times, there was something on the "trail" (the trail was actually a raised portion of a rice terrace or paddy). My group was shocked at first to see me pick up the occasional candy wrapper or cigarette butt and toss it into an empty water bottle that I carried with me. But the began to understand, and a couple of them started doing it as well. "Bring it in, pack it out". I felt really good about that. I am not some foaming at the mouth environmentalist, but some things are just so obvious.....

    Anyways, I will be going back two more times this school year, once in December with my GF, my GF's sister and her BF, and in March with my mother and GF. (Mom's gonna visit! I can't wait.)

    I bought a few kilos of the coffee to hold me over until my next visit. Actually, it can be purchased where I live here, but I like to spend my money at the local level if ever possible. I also found this real interesting meat there. I guess it is basically hang dried, smoked and salted beef. It goes for about $3 a kilo, and I bought a 2 Kilo slab of it. Yesterday, I put up a big pot of mungo beans (like a lentil, but green and round), cut up about a pound of the meat, tossed it in with a couple of onions and about 6 cloves of garlic. An hour in the pressure cooker, and I had a huge pot of some awesome food. The kind that gets better every day.

    This is the life. I am eager to get back to the world and start "real life" again, but I will surely miss this experience.
     
  9. Queen of Blades

    Queen of Blades Mistress of Mischief Staff Member

    Moderator Supporting Vendor
    I'll take a kilo. ;)
     
  10. Woknblues

    Woknblues New Member

    actually, I never buy my own... ;)
     

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