A Time of Convalescing

Finally, after seven months of silence, we’re back into blogging. Maybe not as prolific as before due to some limitations but we’re definitely chomping at the bit to share some of our experiences. Nina had a mild case of Covid-19 late April which healed in no time. Leo’s infection, however, became critical and he ended up staying for almost 4 months in the hospital and almost lost his life in the process. It’s no small miracle he survived and was able to return home.

(See the story of Leo’s Covid journey from a faith perspective here.)

It is a long road to recovery as Leo rehabs and undergoes physical therapy. The good thing is that he does not need an oxygen tank anymore and his oxygen level is back to normal levels before Covid, although he still momentarily catches his breath when doing heavy exercises. He’s also able to walk again – something that was impossible for him to do after staying in a hospital bed for 5 months – and learning to drive again. A very large wound that ran across practically the whole width of his back and that morphed from a bed sore is much smaller now and should hopefully heal completely in a few more weeks.

With Leo still recovering and rehabbing we decided to remain pat at home for the moment and probably won’t do any traveling for a while, even with the Covid situation improving in the country. Of course we miss visiting our favorite cafes and restaurants or trying out new food spots in the metro and surrounding areas. But we’re able to order from many of these and have the dishes brought to our place via courier service. And to encourage us friends have also sent several of our favorite dishes.

Goi cuon (fresh summer rolls) from a Vietnamese restaurant in Mandaluyong City

Vegan banh mi

Dong gu dofu – a Chinese Vietnamese dish of silken tofu and mushroom

Mini kimbap (sushi rolls) from a Korean restaurant in Pasig City

Japchae or stir-fried Korean glass noodles

Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi fried rice)

Odeng Bokkeum (Fish cake sheets)

Falafel sandwich from a Mid-Eastern falafel and salad bar

A pile of pita bread with hummus and mutabal dips

Nina also continues to experiment with plant-based versions of dishes we have grown to love such as Malaysian laksa, Korean bibimbap, Vietnamese banh mi and banh xeo among others.

Nina’s version: vegan or plant-based laksa

Plant-based bibimbap

Plant-based banh mi

A big chunk of our time inevitably goes into Leo’s rehab but we still take time to tend our plants at home which have grown back and even increased in number after the punishing summer heat.

While we continue to work out and patiently wait for Leo’s complete recovery we also look forward to resume our travel and food adventures in the near future. Hoping and trusting you are all safe and doing well even during this pandemic.