It's probably well known that Filipinos are crazy in love with sugar. For example, fresh milk marketed as healthy and nutritious, good for your kids, full of healthy additives like vitamins etc etc. But one of the additives is 44 gram pure sugar per one liter milk! Crazy! Sorry to say it's really hard to find foods here in the Philippines without added sugar. But today at Robinson I found a small tiny shelf with foods with low sugar.
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! 

I was happy to find this small space with low sugar products. Here are two brands of fresh milk which is low in sugar. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ​The white poison There are many reasons for why it's good for your body to avoid sugar. One is diabetes. ​According to the International Diabetes Federation Philippines is one of the world’s emerging diabetes hotspots. Ranked in the top 15 in the world for diabetes prevalence, Philippines is home to more than 4 million people diagnosed with the disease – and a worryingly large unknown number who are unaware they have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people should avoid intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to help prevent diabetes typ 2.

White sand beach in Panglao Sonculan Lake Panglao The amazing Chocolate Hills in Bohol Rice farmer with his carabau in Tabuan Garcia Hernandez, Bohol Rainforest in Bohol, once the Tarsier territory The two shy sisters in Tabuan, Bohol Bohol and Panglao have it all ​Bohol together with Panglao are two very nice islands where you can have it all. I have been here many times. Either you can have a quiet beach life at some nice resort in Panglao or a more hectic party life in Alona Beach. I usually have Tagbilaran as my base and going around with tricycles or Habal Habal. I like Reyna's The Haven and Gardens hotel. It’s a nice budget hotel with breakfast included for 1000 PHP. From here I use to make trips out to Panglao or elsewhere on Bohol. Depending on where I am going I decide what transportation is suitable. Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! The Hanging bridges over Loboc River, Bohol The cable car at Loboc Eco-Tourism Adventure Park Loboc River in Bohol where you can do river cruises. My highlights Panglao Island Nature Resort, for its ambience, pools and nice location by the sea. See a review here >>> Buzzz café, for its healthy and delicious food.  See a review here >>> Virgin Island, for its beauty. Good for the budget traveler because everything is based on donations. See more information about Virgin Island >>> Loboc River Cruise, for its evening cruises. Nice and romantic to eat dinner on Loboc river with the loved one. They also have day cruises. Chocolate hills, for its beautiful landscape and it’s a nice day trip going there to see other parts of Bohol. See more information about Chocolate Hills >>> The tarsier, but try to see them in a real tarsier sanctuary. Not in a narrow cage, they are very shy animals and they don’t like to be disturbed. Avoid those places where they have them in small cages and go for the real tarsier sanctuary instead. For example visit the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. near Corella town. See more information about the Tarsier >>> The Philippine Tarsier has been a recorded life span of 12 years at most in captivity. However, a great many of these Tarsiers die only after a day or at most a few days if kept unhealthily in small cages and/or put under great strain while in captivity. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! The amazing Chocolate Hills Nice beach with white sand and shallow water in Panglao Two hills marked by the earthquake 2013 Talibon, a small city in north of Bohol Going around In Tagbilaran it’s very convenient with tricycle or Habal Habal. Going around in the central of Tagbilaran should cost 8 PHP. But as soon as you want to go to Panglao or further out in Bohol it will be rather expensive. Consequently if you are staying in Panglao you should rent a motorcycle. The price should be around 250-350 depending on the rental period and your negotiating skills. Ask around at the pier in Tagbilaran or in Alona. At Island City Mall (ICM) there is a busterminal for buses going around Bohol. Around A. Hontanosas Street, north of  the Plaza Rizal Park (City square) there are bus terminals for buses going to Panglao. When arriving to Bohol by the ferry or plane you need to negotiate hard when taking a tricycle. The tricycle drivers tend to try to take advantage of the tourists. At the airport there is a signboard with the tariffs for going to different places with tricycle. ​How to get there There are direct flights from Manila with all the domestic airlines. You can also take the ferry from Cebu. There are two major ferry companies, the Ocean Jet ferry company and the 2Go company. The fare is around 500 PHP from Cebu to Tagbilaran. But look out for promos! ​Where to stay There are numerous hotels in Tagbilaran. I prefer Reyna's The Haven and Gardens hotel at New Calceta street. 1000 PHP per night with breakfast. If Reynas is fully booked there are three other hotels just door to door to Reyna’s. One of those is Arabelle Suites see review >>>, a slightly more expensive option than Reyna's. This particular location in Tagbilaran and around the airport has very good LTE connection. Can be worth thinking of if you are dependent of a good internet connection via your portable WiFi device. You have also Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast near the airport, see review >>>. Staylite is a relatively new hotel. Nice and clean and suitable for the budget traveler. In Panglao you have tons of resorts from very cheap up to very expensive and luxury. ​Where to eat There are of course plenty of alternatives in both Bohol and Panglao. But here is a list of places where I have been to in Bohol and made reviews of. Click the link and you will see the review. Swiss Zurigo Restaurant Bojol Grill Restaurant A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant Bo's Coffee The Buzzz Café, my favourite. Golden Cowrie In Panglao there are even more choices specially around Alona Beach. Click the link and you will see the review: Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa Henann Resort Alona Beach Related links: Where to eat in Tagbilaran? Find a house for rent in Panglao Review of the Food Court in Island City Mall (Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines) Isola de Francesco or Virgin Island, Panglao, Philippines Review of Swiss Zurigo Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bojol Grill Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of A's Chicken Nuggets & Grill Haus (Bohol, Philippines) The giant Arogo and the smallest primate, what do they have in common? Review of Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa  (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Henann Resort Alona Beach (Panglao, Philippines) Review of Shang Palace Seafood Restaurant (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Bo's Coffee (Bohol, Philippines) Review of The Buzzz Café (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Golden Cowrie (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Staylite Park Bed and Breakfast (Bohol, Philippines) Review of Arabelle Suites (Bohol, Philippines)

Siquijor my favourite island! Voodoo dolls for souvenirs. The pier View at Salagdoong Beach Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ​​My favourite island in Visayan This is so far my favourite island among the Visayan Islands. I was here almost two weeks. As long as you have a motorcycle everything is easy accessible. You can dive, snorkel and swim at beautiful beaches with white sand. In San Juan you have a variety of nice restaurants which can satisfy even your most hard headed tastebuds. I stayed at Xylla’s Guest House in Lazi, a simple and nice accommodation. It was located a little bit far though from San Juan and the beaches but on the other hand, if you appreciate the quietness this is the right place to be. But with your rented motorcycle you can easily go everywhere.  The friendly hotel dog La Gann Falls in Lazi View at Salagdoong Beach Nice sunset at the Danish lagoon. Sunbathing at Salagdoong Beach ​My highlights Kagusuan Beach, a nice and quiet white sand beach without tourists. Suitable for relaxing, swimming and snorkelling. The beach is little bit hard to find but with some map reading it will be no problem. There is a sign at the last turn, but sign is well hidden by a tree though. Tulapos Marine Sanctuary, for its nice snorkelling. It costs 20 PHP for snorkelling. You can also rent equipment there. You will probably be asked to be accompanied by a guide. It’s not really necessary, just go straight out a couple of hundred meters and you will see some rocks. There it is. Try to be there at high tide, the sea is very shallow at low tide. Baha Bar, for its food and drinks. The house is built in traditional Filipino style with four different woods and the ambience is really nice there. Larena Triad Coffee Shop, for its nice location with the most beautiful view. They have good Filipino food and a bakery with delicious bread. Infinity Heights Resort, for its good food, nice view over the north of the island. They also have a pool which shares the same astonishing view. Old Enchanted Balete Tree, for its fish spa. You can drink buko juice at the same time you enjoy the fish cleaning your feet. There are some bigger fish there too, but don’t be afraid it feels really nice when they are chewing, almost like foot massage. Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! Kagusuan Beach with white sand and no tourists. Tulapos Marine Sanctuary Baha Bar, the building is built with four different type of woods Fantastic view from the Larena Triad Coffee Shop The pool at Infinity Heights Resort is nice for a swim Old Enchanted Balete Tree The fish spa at the Old Enchanted Balete Tree. The big fish felt almost like foot massage. The pool at the Danish Lagoon ​How to get there I went there from Dumaguete with the Ocean Jet company and paid 220 PHP one way trip. You can also take the ferry from Cebu. If you encounter bad weather the Ocean Jet Ferry might be cancelled but then you can try with Montenegro Shipping Lines. They are using bigger and slower ferries and are not likely to be cancelled as easy as the Ocean Jet due to bad weather. ​Where to stay There are numerous resorts and guesthouses scattered allover Siquijor. Most of them you will find in San Juan where the most tourists are. I stayed at Xylla's guesthouse and paid 810 PHP. It was a simple accommodation with AC and fan in the room. Private toilet with cold shower. Breakfast was not included, but you could order Filipino breakfast for around 75-100 PHP. They had also motorcycles for rent. The nice Honda Beat automatic for 300 PHP day. I also stayed at Charisma Beach Resort in San Juan and had a nice bungalow for 1000 PHP. If you need to stay in Siquijor Siquijor I can recommend the Belleview hotel near the pier. New and fresh rooms from 1200 with AC and hot shower. They also have a very good restaurant which serving Cafe Latte and freshly baked bread from the Triad bakery. Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! The Belleview hotel near the pier. They had a nice restaurant also. Xylla's guesthouse in Lazi. A good simple accommodation. ​Going around Siquijor is a small island, you can drive around the whole island with motorcycle in a couple of hours. And talking about motorcycles you must rent one otherwise it will be both expensive and difficult to travel around. You can rent a motorcycle for around 250 to 350 per day depending on the rental time and your negotiating skills.  There are also tricycles and Habal Habal. The tricycles are using a tariff system with fixed prices for tourists. So for example going between the the port and San Juan expect to pay 250 PHP. Going from the port to Lazi is 500 PHP. There are also tricycles going fixed routes and if you can catch one of those you pay only 20 PHP for going Siquijor Siquijor (the port) to San Juan. Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! It's necessary to rent a motorcycle in Siquijor. Riding a motorcycle is a perfect way to explore the island. ​Where to eat You have plenty of restaurants in San Juan. You find the whole range from small barbecue places and canderias to more expensive resorts. My favourites in San Juan are Baha Bar and Danish Lagoon which serving Scandinavian food with a beautiful view over the sea. In Larena, try the Infinity Heights Resort and Larena Triad Coffee Shop. If you are in Siquijor Siquijor you have the Belleview hotel or Joel’s Lechon Manok, just opposite the Belleview hotel. Joel’s is really a good budget alternative for dinner. The secret is that they use lemongrass when they barbecues their chicken which makes it so delicious. Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! Bangus ala Pobre in Belleview restaurant The cat is waiting for the scraps The menu for Rastaman restaurant in San Juan. The food was nice there. Baby squids adobo with rice and a sea view. This was at Charisma Beach Resort in San Juan. Joel's Lechon Manok, deliciously grilled chicken. Larena Triad Coffee Shop, they had Cafe Latte, freshly baked bread and a fabulous view from the restaurant.

Prevents Kidney Stones
Drinking buko juice has beneficial effects on the body, especially in preventing the formation of kidney stones.

Reduces Sugar Levels
It contains a great amount of magnesium, which has the ability to increase the sensitivity of insulin that can reduce the blood sugar levels.

Regulates Blood Pressure
It is an excellent source of potassium and fights the buildup of sodium, which is one of the major causes of clogging in the arteries that can result in cardiovascular diseases and even cardiac arrest.

Improves Digestion
Coconut water is rich in enzymes that help our digestive system to flush out toxins from the body.

Keeps Us Hydrated
This juice was composed of well-balanced fluid containing sugar and calories, which fight dehydration. Experts suggested athletes to drink coconut water to prevent dehydration.

Source: Philippine News

Go to nearest wet market, find the guy who sell coco nuts and ask for buko juice. Expect to pay around 20 PHP.

Related links:
Mixed delicacies
Breakfast, it's a big thing
Food, one of life's necessities

Breakfast is the first meal of a day, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work. Some believe it to be the most important meal of the day. I myself am a believer. I always eat breakfast in the morning and I am convinced that it's the most important meal of the day. ​

Anyway depending on where I am in the world, breakfast can consist of different things. At home in Sweden I generally eat bread in combination with hard cheese, egg or ham together with coffee or tea. The basic one is just two slices of dark bread with hard cheese. If I have more time, I make an omelette with some nice filling together with some veggies. A winner is always hard boiled egg sandwich. Dark bread, hard boiled egg with caviar on top. Caviar is a Swedish specialty which actually deserve its own blog post. But in short, it's salted fish eggs you spread on your sandwich.
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions! 

Two slices of dark bread with hard cheese is always a winner! If I am hungry, I make an omelette with with a nice filling of onions, tomatoes and cheese together with olives and some green veggies. My absolute favourite and also what I am longing for after a while abroad is hard boiled egg sandwich with caviar. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Fried rice with crispy fish heads ​Filipino breakfast The main ingredience in a Filipino breakfast is the rice. Then you add some protein in shape of fish, egg or meat. The drink? Brewed coffee is not always available not even tea sometimes. So called 3 in 1 (coffee, creamer and sugar) and coffee stick are always available. My choice is the coffee stick, it contains no sugar. Fresh milk is expensive and not that common either, so creamer is the choice. The defintion on creamer is: Non-dairy creamers or coffee whiteners are liquid or granular substances intended to substitute for milk or cream as an additive to coffee, tea, hot chocolate or other beverages. Mmm I guess it contains lot's chemicals... Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!  Bangus, is fried milk fish. Salty, crispy and delicious! Beef with onions, rice, egg, water melon, soya, coffee stick, creamer Danggit, dried salted rabbitfish which you dip in spicy vinegar. Hungarian sausage. Longanisa, a skinless sweet and salty sausage. My personally opinion is that it's horrible! Too sweet taste and often poor meat quality. The poor meat quality made this longanisa uneatable Omelette. Sorry to say the bread is often too sweet for my taste. Filipino Beef Tapas is thinly-sliced sirloin cured in calamansi, soy sauce, sugar and minced garlic; served with garlic fried rice and sunny side up. Pork patties, and fried chicken with rice and egg. Yes, it's a really full worthy meal, no need for lunch! Pork tocino, is sweet and salt marinated pork belly. Usually good quality and a nice taste according to my taste buds anyway. After a while with rice every morning, Bo's BLT sandwich with caffe latte is a real life saviour! Another unusual combo as breakfast, Pork Afritada and Pinakbet. Pork Afritada is basically a pork stew with pork meat and veggies. Pinakbet is more interesting, it's made from mixed vegetables steamed in fish or shrimp sauce. Very delicious! Related links: Mixed delicacies Buko juice, nature's own energy drink!​ Food, one of life's necessities

This morning the regular breakfast room was occupied with conference guests, so I was transferred to another place which also was occupied with conference guests... it's always more fun in the Philippines!

At the airport when checking in:
Airport staff: Oh mr Lord, your hand luggage is too heavy... 11 kg. You are only allowed to have 7 kg.
Mr Lord thinking: Oh shit not again!
But Mr Lord replying: Ok give me a minute.
I remove a book, put it in the checked in luggage. I remove my giant camera and hang it over my shoulder. I take out my laptop and holding it in my hand. Give my hand luggage back to the airport staff. Once again she checks my hand luggage and now the weight is only 6 kg.
Airport staff: Thank you Mr Lord. You are now good for check in!
Mr Lord thinking: Thank you so much for this wonderful logic!