Hello, welcome to a special mini episode of Women Who Travel.

I'm Lalei Arikobleu.

This month, we're taking a break from our typical episode schedule.

Instead, you'll be hearing some phone calls between our listeners and me

about travels they've taken in search of something. And this week, we start with Sinell,

who called us from South Carolina. The South is its own country, but at the same time,

there were parts of it that felt like home, the weather, the fauna, flora, so much

rain, so many bugs, that felt like the Philippines.

You may remember her from our Mother's Day episode, where she shared a story about taking

her daughter to the annual Cynologue Festival in the Philippines for the first time.

Sunnell spoke to me about a reunion from that same trip, specifically a reunion with foods

that she hadn't tasted in 20 years.

How did you even decide what you're going to eat first?

I would say that to all travelers out there, always sign up for the breakfast buffet.

That way you don't have to make a choice. Wait, I love this

tip. But I'm assuming, is this specific to the Philippines, I'm assuming? Yes, especially in the

Philippines, you know, we tend to have a very big breakfast. We eat rice with every meal and breakfast

usually comes with garlic rice and many vines,

you know, from dried fish to cured meats to soup and noodles and broth to fried noodles to

noodles to sticky rice. But at our very first breakfast buffet, the thing I was most excited about was,

and because the Philippines really is all about, you know, just being extra when it comes to

celebrating anything. Every day is a celebration in the Philippines, but even breakfast is one

...