Articles in Philippines Bike Trip 2013
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 …
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 …
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. …
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, …
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 …
A Hotel Room of Despair and Creativity in Cebu
Tuesday January 28, 2014
4:45 a.m. Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
Getting out of bed this early might not be a wise idea, but I had woken up and I felt like having a cup of coffee. I’m fairly certain that I am not allowed to fire up my little Trangia cookstove inside this hotel room, but I’m careful and clean. I often do little things like this …
Pet Peeves and a World of Junk
It rained a great deal during the night and the morning sky looks grey and overcast in the narrow views I get from my windows. Not great prospects for the day, but the weather could improve.
The karaoke never started up again last night, and I will be eternally grateful for that. I really should work on my attitude, though, and knock off the passive-aggressive routine. …
Photo Walkabout and Karaoke Horror
It’s 6:30 p.m., an unusual time for me to fire up the NEO, but I have been ambushed by the horror of the Philippines once more: karaoke. I don’t know how people in this country can live like this. I find the tension is like living on top of an armed nuclear weapon. You never know when the darn thing will go off. It can …