Summer Shorts - Anthology

Anything Once by AmbergrisJane

Anything Once by AmbergrisJane

I swore to myself that I'd be willing to try anything once. But as I stared at the rotting piece of mangrove trunk getting dissected in front of me, I questioned myself. "Am I really willing to try this even once? What mess did I get into?"

Exactly. What mess did I get into?

It was the summer of 2006 when I found myself backpacking in the province of Palawan. Palawan is the westernmost island in the Philippines and is touted as the "Last Frontier." Home to picture perfect beaches and to the world famous subterranean river, Palawan is one of the best destinations in the country. 

The first two days were spent exploring the capital city of Puerto Princesa. The landlady of the pension house I was staying in was very kind and let me borrow her son's bicycle. Touring the city on a bike allowed me to meet fellow backpackers on motorbikes who were friendly enough to let me join their group. Names and stories were exchanged over plates of barbecued meats and offal, vietnamese noodles and super cold halo halo. Itineraries were also shared and as lady luck smiled upon me, they invited me to join them on their ride the next day towards the Puerto Princesa subterranean river.

They picked me up at the pension house before dawn. The route to our destination traversed through winding, mountainous forest roads that showcased Palawan's limestone formations. It was a long, often bumpy, ride and soon enough, I was watching the sun rise while riding shotgun on a motorcycle.

Speedy bike + beautiful winding mountain roads + cool morning wind + gentle sunlight on my face = best feeling ever. It was, and still is, one of the best sunrises of my life.

Arriving at the quiet village of Sabang, we had to leave the motorbikes at the port for a 30 minute banca ride to get to the underground river itself. We made friends with the banca driver named Kuya Bong and asked him if there was a place where we can eat after the river tour. He said yes, and after arrangements, he waved us goodbye and reminded us to enjoy and have fun. 

The underground river was awesome. The docking area was a white sandy beach that led to the river's jade waters. The river's entrance was through a cave located in a limestone face that could only be accessed by a small paddleboat. Our boatman was a funny guy who handed me a flashlight to be his "assistant spotter." Creatively nicknamed stalactites and stalagmites were pinpointed one by one: "the virgin", "the cathedral dome", "garlic", and "radish". Several more were naughtily named, but I'd leave that to your imagination.

The tour lasted for about an hour. We were glad to see Kuya Bong waiting for us, and he was more than happy to announce that lunch was already waiting.

We were led to a lunch at a beach resort. It was a delicious buffet that served seafood and other local delicacies, with the sweetest mangoes and chico for desert. We "attacked" the food with gusto to the delight of the lady host, who we discovered was Kuya Bong's cousin.

With the food almost decimated, the banca driver smiled and said, "Oi, meron pa, para sa matapang ang sikmura." (Hey, there's more, for those with guts). We already had an inkling of what it was, and everyone responded to the challenge. We dared Kuya Bong. Bring it on!

And so he did. We helped clear the table quickly as he and one of his cousins went to get the "food for those with guts". We were all hooting already when the two men brought out big, black hunks of rotting mangrove trunks and set it right on the table. Which brings me back to my first question.

"Am I really willing try this even once in my life?"

I watched anxiously as the two men tore the rotting wood apart to reveal several holes inside. 

"Bingo!" The banca driver said happily. The two men expertly fished out things from those holes and carefully gathered them in a small bowl.

"My dear friends," the man proudly said, "meet the tamilok."

 Everyone was laughing out loud now, we all knew what the tamilok was.

The tamilok or ship worm, is a worm that can be found burrowed inside rotting wood. The name was supposedly from a tourist who saw the worm for the first time and pointed it out to his companion named Tom by saying, "Tommy, look!" Lol.

The worm finds sustenance in the wood and can grow a finger thick and several feet long. It is a local delicacy, eaten fresh, or dredged in vinegar and calamansi juice. It is said to taste like oysters.

But oysters they were not. They were huge. Big worms. We watched in awe as Kuya Bong washed them in seawater, slit it open and drained its refuse. He then sliced some labuyo chillies, added vinegar, calamansi juice and dunked the tamilok in. Popping one in his mouth, he passed the bowl around.

The first person to get the bowl took one worm and hesitated. She passed the bowl to me next, so I took one. I passed the bowl to the next person and took a long look at my tamilok. Man, was it fleshy. And really long too. I took a deep breath, and without a second thought, popped the whole thing in my mouth. 

I wrinkled my nose for a moment as the chilli kicked its heat. I chewed the thing slowly. It was chewy, and slimy and tasted of the sea. It did not break apart as I was chewing it. It was not bad at all. As I chewed on it more, I deemed that it did taste like oysters. Believe it or not, I was smiling as I swallowed the tamilok. I even asked for a second one, and earned my bragging rights. And so I proved myself willing to try anything once.

That summer trip in Palawan ended on a very high note. In just five days, I've experienced first-hand the warmth and goodness from total strangers, made very good friends and saw the most exquisite and majestic beauty of nature. I also tested my limits, even just by eating a newly harvested worm from a rotting tree trunk. Bragging rights right here.

And so my friend, it's my turn to ask you.

Are you willing to test yourself and try anything once?

***