Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-29270351-20160519085835

I visited Southeast Asia a few weeks ago, primarily because of gathering exotic food stories from a prominent food mag. Have you heard of Munch Magazine? Well, that was the name of my work. My once work. I decided to never travel to Asia, even if it's not in the Southeast. Why? It's quite a long story, a scarring story.

See, our mag wanted us to basically travel to the places we need to. It was his strict order to not gather information via digital means or something. He wanted us to just experience it ourselves. To capture the genuine feeling, he said. A real jerk. Trust me, you don't want to be friends with this bossy feel-good guy.

The only ups were we didn't have to pay for anything, visas, food, hotel, free! At least that's the only good thing I can think of. I mean, what else?

So let me get straight to the point.

Sorry for being just a loud-mouth, I guess that's the perfect quality the boss wants. Okay, let's start.

All of us head writers were called for a meeting, I hoped that it was a vacation, a promotion or something good. Well, can't blame me, being the head writer was a lot of boring work. Who doesn't need a vacation?

Let's nickname my boss Ryan.

Ryan told us sixteen that we should go to Asia to find the latest desserts, food and exotic delicacies. " I want to capture the essence of the nature of the exotic food for the quite-relaxing feel this month." He said in his squeaky voice. Always hated his teenager voice.

I was gladdened that we will base our next edition in Asian foods. I really wanted to do a mag for Asia, I have been to Japan few years prior to my first day.

Munch was new, so we took our 20th Special Mag for Asia, the whole Asia.

So, back to the conversation, Ryan picked each one of us a certain prominent country. As there were 48 countries, we can't afford to write about all of them.

My close friend, got to be for Japan. Bad luck for me. I wanted Japan.

I am picked for the Philippines. I also went to the Philippines but it was about a decade before my job. So, in the same way, I also wanted the Philippines.

Ryan handed us the tickets, baggage, et cetera.

Fast forward to 2 weeks.

My flight was for Mactan, Cebu (a city in Visayas): seven sharp in the morning. Bummer right? Anyways, I managed to get there on time, in my comfy clothes and even had a breakfast this morning. 3:00 AM Breakfast.

At least I got the window seat. I took a flight through Philippine Airlines, the airplane was neat, the crew were friendly. But they were a different kind of friendly, the Filipino touch, they say.

Mactan was a very hot place. But, I just can't explain their level of hospitality, it was just so extreme.

I took a boat ride from Cebu to Aklan, through what they call a large bangka. Capiz, Aklan was my destination, anyway.

I still took interviews from the locals in Cebu about what they call Cebu Lechon, a famous cuisine favorite around Cebu, roasted pig.

The journey was very, very long, as in 4-6 hours boat ride. A bad place to have a grumpy stomach, trust me, I had issues.

We were in the shore of Aklan, white sands and moist air. Much more tropical than Cebu. Cebu was more urban, an urbanized beach city.

The locals had an ugly look towards me, me only. I thought I was over exaggerating it.

Ryan booked me a beach resort, near our bangkas. The day after was very important. I knew I needed sleep.

The next day, I interviewed the natives at Capiz, near a blunder of coconut trees. I interviewed them and tried to be friends with them.

I asked them what their favorite delicacy is, can they cook it for me, et cetera. Most of them still wanted Cebu Lechon, guess the pig was popular.

They bantered me a creepy story about a cryptoid. Surprisingly, one of them took a vacation from Cebu to Aklan, she said that she worked in Cebu, but grew up with her family in Aklan. She was fluent.

She tried to translate the words of her grandmother who tells the story to fluent English. This were the words, at least what I tried to note.

" Have you ever heard of the Aswang? The Aswang is woman by day, monster by night. It comes from the two tagalog words, a'sin and b'awang meaning salt and garlic, which is the Aswang's weaknesses. They are real, very real. They have wings of a demon, have a woman's body, deformed. They have sharp teeth but do not really bite their prey. Their prey is either a pregnant woman, the fetus itself, or someone protecting the mother and child. Using its long tongue, it sucks the water from the baby chamber. Then in a way, sucking the baby out. Here in Aklan lies the Aswang, it is the Aswang Capital of the Philippines, after all. "

The translator, Hannah, was a very intelligent lady. She said, "Google Aswang. Google Aswang Festival."

I know it's irrelevant to my real purpose but I just became so curious.

I went home after many food interviews, then I took my laptop out of my luggage quickly then I googled it and it showed gruesome photos, I can still feel chills down my spine. But I only thought, "A Filipino Vampire? Nonsense."

While I was searching, I heard angry shouting.

It was the police and I concluded, inspectors. They forced us to leave the establishments since they were illegally using Narra wood, from the Filipino National Tree in an atrocious number.

My comfort room's walls was made of Narra. You see, they said that Narra is an endangered tree.

I thought, "All this time, today they just realized that they were ilegally using the wood?". We were sent to stay at the huts of the natives I met, coincidentially.

We were drastically few who checked in the hotels, about 15 all in all. About 10 of them left Aklan and went somewhere more comfortable.

So, we were basically five. But three of them decided to just leave near Capiz.

Now, we were two. Me and a young teenager, probably in his 18's.

Why would we agree to stay in the huts? Maybe that was even illegal to simply kick us out, but we have choices so, maybe not. But it's my job, besides I want to experience and learn more about the Aswang and the friendly locals.

We stayed in two seperate vacant huts with doors and locks (which I wished for). Hannah knocked at my door and handed me a glass of salt and 4 pieces of garlic. She said, "Use this for important purposes only."

It was midnight that time, but she still looks fresh and awake. Surprisingly, as I looked out my windows, people were alert and fully awake, carrying torches.

I felt safe, that led me to sleep. I slept while hearing the waves, relaxing.

Somebody knocked again at my door. It was four in the morning that time, just in time to wake up. I opened my straw door, and saw no one but a long, long tongue.

I locked the door immediately, and screamed. I prepared my luggage to hit the long-tongued creature, making me remember the Aswang.

I can see its sharp claws piercing my ceiling. But, when it heard shouts of people, it flew with a loud flapping sound.

The men tried to barge in my door, in thinking that maybe I am injured, hoping of saving me. I just simply opened the door and they said, "Are you okay? The Aswang went here."

-"Oh, no, I'm fine."

-"Good, come with us."

They led me to a small hut, with Hannah and her grandmother, Nina resides. They left me there for safety.

-"Sorry, mister.", Hannah said.

-"Why? It's okay for Aswangs to come here right? Normal?", I said.

-"No, they're coming because of me, I'm pregnant. The father died."

I opened my eyes and understood her story.

-"The Aswang you saw once resides here, we didn't accept her since her confession of being a cryptoid at night."

I had second thoughts of staying, but, I didn't.

I travelled across the urban cities of Aklan and interviewed famous cuisine owners about foods and desserts.

-End of Part 1 