Articles in Philippines
Nearly Defeated by One Rusty Bolt
Friday January 31, 2014
5:00 a.m. Cebu, Philippines
Just to pick up the story from yesterday: I was sitting in Bo’s coffee shop in Park Mall waiting for the friendly people at Cycle Logic to fix my bike. I had asked the clerk to let me know when they had the grip shifter open so that I could see the insides. I honestly didn’t expect that to …
The Parade of Idiocy Continues
Saturday February 1, 2014
6:15 a.m. Cebu City, Philippines
Room 406 Hallmark Hotel
An account of yesterday will, unfortunately, sound much like the accounts of all my days in Cebu. I went to shopping malls and couldn’t find the things I was looking for. But there were variations, so here I go:
I was up quite early, and I went out into Cebu to get something to eat. Unfortunately, …
Selling Candles in Cebu City
This woman is one of many selling prayer candles on the street outside the Basilica del Santo Nino in Cebu City in the Philippines. Inside the basilica, it is possible to buy small red candles to light as you make your prayer. These women sell candles on the street to people who are passing by and don’t have the time to go inside the basilica. …
Lighting Prayer Candles in Cebu City, Philippines
When I bought my prayer candles from this woman, I lit them myself. I wasn’t sure about the etiquette, but I lit them using the other candles already burning on the grill. I noticed that some people would never even touch their own candles. They passed by on their motorcycles or in their cars and simply handed the women money for the candles and trusted …
Woman Selling Prayer Candles in Cebu City
All the women selling prayer candles outside the Basilica del Santo Nino in Cebu City had pretty much the same selection of candles to choose from. I don’t know where they get them from, but I assumed that they came from the same place. I also don’t know if these women were working for someone else and had to share the proceeds or if they …
Gunshot Wounds and a Breathing Tube
I met this man early in the morning in the streets of Cebu City. He was breathing through a plastic tube inserted in his throat. The only way he could speak to me was by putting his finger over the opening. When he removed his finger, his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. In halting sentences, he explained that he had been …
A Stroll Through the Taboan Market in Cebu City
The Taboan Public Market is a small market in Cebu City in the Philippines. I walked over that way one morning and snapped a few pictures. The outside of the market was ringed by a series of stalls selling dried fish. Everyone was very friendly and encouraged me to buy some fish. I had to explain over and over again that, coming as I did …
A Morning Stroll in Cebu City
It was pretty early in the morning in Cebu City when I took this picture – around 6:45 – and there weren’t many people on the streets yet. This man was selling some kind of breakfast snack. I didn’t get a chance to look inside the buckets, so I don’t know what it was. Just a couple of hours later, this sidewalk was crowded with …