A Day At The Market

To celebrate our last day in the Philippines, Rene and Carolyn decided to hold a get-together in our honor. And that meant two things: lots of relatives and even more food. To prepare for this, we went to the market.

We wanted an authentic experience, so Carolyn suggested we take a Jeepney. A Jeepney is a colorful Philippine bus, originally derived from left-over American Jeeps but now manufactured locally. There are thousands jamming the streets of Manila. The operators appear to be independent businessmen, and the vehicles themselves look like stretched jeeps with two long benches in the back. They seat about fifteen, and it is not unusual to see people hanging on the back or sitting on the roof during rush hour. Fare is about fifty cents.

Our stylish ride. The route is painted on the side.

The driver's view is limited by stickers on the windshield. Our vehicle was quite modern, equipped with both cassette and eight-track.

A chicken vendor. Where's the sneeze guard?

A fish vendor. I liked the bucket of blood behind the counter.

Some Fruit. The guy on the right is peeling a pineapple into an interesting spiral design.

We also bought some flowers for a centerpiece.

Carolyn buys some live crabs. One of them later got revenge by biting a maid.

Nieces and Nephews wait pass the time waiting for dinner by playing pictionary.

Dinner is served!