It is good to be back from the motherland, however now that I am here I can’t express how torn I feel. It’s the strangest feeling belonging to two places at once. Maybe one day there will be an opportunity when I can do that but for now I’ll just have to wait. The greatest part of this trip was being surrounded by family and relatives many who traveled far for my sister’s big day (hang tight as I’ll be posting a select few from the day). I also wanted to extend a huge Thank you to all who wrote while I was away – your concern and enthusiasm was very much appreciated. And to those of you who asked here are just a few from many pics I took while away.
My first night into Science City, Munoz. The marketplace, which is also known to Tagalogs as “palengke”, is quite the happening area, even at night.
This was a quick grabshot at nighttime from the back of a Philippine Jeepney.
The men in my life: my handsome nephews! It is always so good to see these rascals come together each year. From L to R: Leo, John Lerry, Hunter (U.S.), and Ren.
Food is a huge part of Filipino culture and it comes as no surprise that food vendors exist in just about every nook and cranny imaginable. This man makes an earnest living by selling taho, a delicious delicacy made of warm bean curd, sweet raw sugar and soft tapioca balls. [Manila]
The people back home are always so friendly and open. Here the neighborhood kids in my aunt’s provence strike a pose for me. [Science City, Munoz]
Back home people live in ‘hollow block’ homes. Maintenance on wooden homes is costly and now you see less and less of these. My nephews Ren and Reggie taken just outside one of many hollow block homes in Science City, Munoz.
My cousins and I decided to take a day trip to Palawan Beach just a few short miles away from Pampanga. For $10 US you can rent a bahay cubo or bamboo hut complete with a videoke (aka., ‘karaoke’). For the equivalent amount you can rent one of these bad boys for an afternoon ride.
Every major celebration in life calls for a pig. This pig looks a lot smaller than it really was. It was about the same width and length of your average living room sofa weighing in at nearly 500 lbs. Every part of the pig was used from the skin, hooves, ears, blood and some parts of the intestine.
Our trusty driver but more importantly one of my favorite cousins, Kuya Bobot. Kuya Bobot is such a sweet man.
Restobars are quite popular in the Philippines. Our restobar of choice was none other than Bahamas.
Ate is another word to address an older sister, female cousin or even friend. Here my Ate Maricel strikes a pokes with my brother-in-law Carlos.
I’ll be posting several other pictures from my travels so stay tuned! Rr.
. My itinerary while there does include a few trips to very rural provinces with virtually no internet connection to speak of. However there will be internet cafes along the way so I’ll be sure to stop by and leave a quick blog note to let folks know how I’m doing. I’ll be in Manila for a few days with internet cafes a-go-go which also means a quick and dirty check-in post is inevitable.
by rizzariz
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