Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Cinco de Mayo-5th of May Celebration and Sale

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cinco de Mayo-5th of May Celebration and Sale

Today is the 5th of May-There will be sales in department stores, a few days ahead of sales advertised for this coming Mother's Day. There will be parades, picnics and mariachi music and programs in all of the Mexican-American communities all over the US. Ever since my family resided in US in 1960, we have always heard of the Cinco de Mayo Celebration in the cities that we have resided in the East Coast, Midwest and of course the West Coast where there are a large Mexican-Americans populations. It is similar to the celebration of Labor Day or for that matter a celebration of Spring. So what exactly is the Cinco de Mayo Festival?

Cinco de Mayo—or the fifth of May—commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States. It is not celebrating the Independence of Mexico, which is celebrated on September 16.

On the subject of sales in the Department Stores: The other day my coffee percolator just died. It was only three years old. It was a gift from Gevalia Coffee. I immediately went shopping for a replacement. I was looking for a similar design and it has to be white. Why white? All our other appliances in the kitchen are white, so any other color will not be acceptable. It will stick like a sore thumb in the kitchen décor. I can not believe that in the three department stores ( Macy, Penney, Sears), 99% of the coffee makers in display are either black or stainless steel. Only one or two brands are in white. I saw one brand that I like at JC Penney. The price was $70. However the sales lady whisper to me that if I purchase this during the Cinco de Mayo sale, it will cost me only $40. Since it is only a matter of two days wait, I decided to forgo my brewed coffee and just enjoy Instant coffee during this interim period. If you enjoyed freshly brewed coffee, there is no comparison to Instant Coffee. But for $30 savings I can wait for 2 days.

So my dear readers enjoy the spring-like weather, whether your are celebrating Cinco de Mayo or not, wherever you are!

No comments:

Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree