62 Dog Brain
Rick Bein
Not My Highest Choice for Lunch.
When it came time to return to the States and leave Papua New Guinea in July 1999 Maryellen and I booked our flight on Qantas Airlines. We purchased the special round the world ticket that allowed six stops where passengers could disembark and stay for a number of days or months before re-boarding to continue our journey back to Australia. Our first stop was Manila, in the Philippines. After exploring the Island of Luzon, it was suggested that we take a two-hour boat trip to the Island of Boracay where tourists normally visited.
Snobbishly we ignored the activities on the beautiful beach and began looking for something more typically Filipino in culture. We spotted on a map of Boracay, a museum located on a hill overlooking the ocean, and decided to check it out.
Location of Boracay. Maps online free www.pinsdaddy.com
It was a bit removed from the regular tourist area and as there were no cars on the Island, we hired a motorbike taxi to take us there. Motorbikes were quite common all over the Philippines and Boracay was no exception. We told the bike operator where we wanted to go and climbed on when he took off. As it turned out the weight of three of us was a bit much for the bike on the steeper parts of the hill, so we had to walk.
He came to a stop in some remote place and pointed toward a trail leading into the forest. After fifty yards we came to a building on stilts. Climbing the wooden steps up to the veranda we found the front door was locked and the place seemed to be deserted. We walked around the building and found two curators enjoying their lunch. They were so intent on their food that they hardly noticed us approach. They were eating out of the same container with their chopsticks and as we drew closer, we saw that they were eating what looked like a brain out of a sawed-off skull!
Cracked Wall nut simulates how the brain looked.
They were patient with our intrusion and offered us something to eat. Maryellen immediately did a “180” and headed back around the building! My curiosity was too much, and I asked what they were eating.
“Woof-woof” was the answer. Even though she was trying to get out of earshot as quickly as possible, Maryellen still heard their answer and after seeing the expression on her face, I decided it would be a good idea to decline the offer!
When I caught up to her, “You just had to ask!” was her comment.
Once the delicacy was finished the curators came and opened the museum. We paid a token amount and spent the next hour looking at a variety of costumes, jewelry, and other artifacts stacked on benches along the wall.