Farm People Series, 4

These two are not going fishing. The pole that the guy is carrying is used to herd the ducks back to their cages. And yes, they really like walking about barefoot.

Farm People Series, 3

A newer model, the 4-feet, 2 wheel pickup truck. You have to admire their ingenuity and imagination. They didn't stop for me to take their picture (they weren't going that fast), but they smiled for the camera. Nice, quiet couple on their way home.

Farm People Series, 2

A 4-feet drive pick-up truck. Seriously, this is a typical mode of transportation in the farm. Carabaos are not called beasts of burden for nothing. Not only do they do the plowing, but they also drag heavy things behind. Those are harvested coconuts being delivered to town. I was lucky to have met this farmer on the rough road. Can you believe, he actually stopped the carabao to let me take this photo? Nice huh.

(Layra, do you notice the sundang strapped to his waist? There's your request!)

Leyte Landing Revisited

Today is the anniversary of D-Day which we call here, the Leyte Landing. That's the day Gen. McArthur and his troops attacked the Japanese occupied Philippines in 1944. His first landing/attack was here in Leyte (although when you travel around the country, you will realize that many provinces make that claim). My mother tells stories of that attack. She said when they looked up at the sky, it was filled with planes flying and bombs falling and that the sounds of the explosions and gunfire were terrifying. They had fled to the mountains and were hiding in dugouts by then, having been warned by the guerillas and US spies about the attack. Celebration is called Leyte Landing Anniversary at the McArthur Park, Palo.

Photo above with the kids is one of my personal favorites. I always wonder, what could these kids be thinking and discussing and hoping and dreaming?



Night of the anniversary.

Chicharon vendor

A chicaron vendor resting at the McArthur Park.


(For the unintiated, chicharon is deep fried pork fat. And speaking of McArthur, tomorrow is the Leyte Landing Anniversary, the time Gen. McArthur and his troops attacked the Japanese occupied Philippines. He's supposed to have landed here first, then set up the first commonwealth government in Tacloban.)

UP Botanical Garden

Children playing at the UP Tacloban Botanical Garden.

The university's botanical garden is right across the AS Building. It's not very well maintained, although attempts have been made in the past. Old gnarled trees can be found inside, so if you're into that kind of thing, this would be a nice place to find them. Other than the old trees, there's nothing else to earn it the 'botanical garden' name.

Gathering dinner

At a sandbar in the middle of the sea.. I saw these two kids gathering sea urchins and shells and sea cucumbers and snakes for their family dinner. I ate some raw sea urchin too.. it's supposed to be a delicacy. But can't say I liked it... It took too much effort to open and pick at the 'meat' that was too miniscule. Ok, it tasted a bit like sea. And if you're wondering why the sandbar had seaweeds.. that's because the tide was coming back in.

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty is relative

A family of 8 lives here.



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Blog Action Day tomorrow!

This is a view from the area of the sea which is still part of the marine and mangrove sanctuary. Going to the pier, you will see these shacks on stilts, which is a squatter problem for the LGU. Hm.. the view is the problem, not the poverty.

Tomorrow is Blog Action Day, topic is Poverty. You can still participate. All you have to do is register at Blog Action Day, and dedicate your blog's post topic tomorrow to Poverty, which is the theme this year.

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Pottery Series 8: End

This ends my pottery series. Above photo: A family of potters posing for the camera.

(The photos from this series come from my friend's (JT) camera, but since I was assigned to take photos from her digital camera which she sometimes borrowed from me, I can't anymore tell who took which photos. That was my disclaimer:)

Pottery Series 7

You're probably tired of looking at pots and clay by now. (Wait till I come up with a longer series!) So, a word of advice to claypot buyers. Ask around where Brgy Canramos (Tanauan) is located. It's just a few blocks from the market. It's where these clay pots are made and where you will see stands like the one in the picture above. You have a variety of pots to choose from, they're cheaper and you can buy wholesale, you can bargain, and the stands are right next to each other lining the street.