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| April - July 2005 - I had a great summer in Manila, the best months of my life. I really like Manila, for the friends I have met and the fascinating everyday life of 10 million people. Manila is one of my favorite cities - you can experience all kinds of adventures - if you are open, a little brave and have a willingness to be with regular people. In my eyes, the life of a city and the people can really be seen through the markets. I love markets. Not just because I love food and eating, but beacuse you get a taste for how people live. Because I love fruits and vegetables, my friend Bonnie (pictured left) |
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| arranged for the "Queen of Divisoria" (her mom) to take me around the famous market. Now who could pass up an opportunity like that? Divisoria is a dry goods market area that turns into a fruit and vegetable paradise at night. All the vegetables and fruits arrive from Baguio at around 8 or 9 pm. The local wholesalers go there and buy large quantities to sell at their markets or stalls throughout the city the next day. I saw wonderful carrots, asparagus, sweet potatoes and bananas. The "Queen" has a great system - she walks to her chosen vendors and tells them what she wants. Then she walks away. Her hired helper follows her and carries her large purchases back to the car. | ||||||||||||||||
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| I had no idea one could do that. If I can that setup I would never shop at Landmark or SM (local supermarkets) again! One of the more interesting tours available in Manila is the Intramuros (the former walled city of the Spanish) guided talk by Carlos (picture left with the orange bag). He has a funny presentation about the history of the Philippines - from the Spanish Colonization and American Occupation. He is a smart and funny guy, I learned a lot from his talk. |
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| From the historical sights of Intramuros, we move to my neighborhood. Salcedo Village is in Makati City and is the center of the business district. There are many nice business restaurants located around, but there are also many "Jolly Jeeps" - little food stall set up on the street, serving street food. To your left is a little picture of the merienda (afternoon snacktime) fare. Pancit is being served on a plate, but also for sale are Lumpia and lasagna. The office workers can get a quick lunch or snack at these jeeps for a fraction of the price at the high end restaurants. It is, in my opinion, much tastier food as well. | ||||||||||||||||
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| From street food, we move to Frank Provost hair salon, a very "high end" salon in Makati. I am not a stylish guy and I had never visited a stylist before. But my yoga friend Germaine (picture left) invited me to a styling session with her, so of course I went. During my 2 years in Leyte, I paid 25 pesos ($.50) for my haircuts. They were good haircuts, if you ask me. Germaine however corrected my ways, so, now I look like a hip city guy from Makati! (or maybe that's just in my dreams...) | ||||||||||||||||
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