The Philippines was part of Spain for 300 years, and that history is still alive in the language. Tagalog has a huge number of Spanish loanwords: numbers, days of the week, months, and everyday terms like mesa or silla. But there is a region in the south of the country where that heritage goes much further: there, people speak Chavacano, a language very close to Spanish, almost like a simplified version of it.

I discovered this on a beach in Burgos. A guy walked up, beer in hand, and greeted me in Chavacano. I understood him perfectly. It was one of those unexpected experiences that leaves you wanting to know more: hearing something so close to your own language, thousands of kilometers from Spain.

There is still a lot more to tell about this. One minute of PrestoCast is not enough, so I will keep sharing this story in upcoming episodes.