Makati City, Philippines

[slang]

I've been sending cheap cameras out to net pals all over the world in the last 3 months or so and the photos coming in now are good enough to show off a bit.

It's a genuine challenge for both the photographer and for me in getting their skills up to speed, many of whom have never taken pictures before even with film cameras, let alone a digital. The camera itself is just a cheapie and has specific limits and weaknesses. It took a lot of trial and error for me to be able to get good photos out of this model camera. Having exactly the same style and model here with me that was sent, I was able to immediately spot technical fixes for symptoms seen in the images coming in.

It's also true that some people just have a knack for taking good photos while others do not.

Anyway, these are from the Philippines. There are more available here than you would ever care to see but I thought you might appreciate these.

[slang]

Look at the billboards. The one to the right is an ad for "Desparate Housewives". Interesting. The second is just a shot of some of the trees there. Very cool

[slang]

These are shots of the Philippine "Jeepnys" . Part Jeep, but mostly bus. This is the cheap way around metro city Philippines. The street scenes of the cars are of particular interest to me. Everything is small.

[dar512]

Nice pics.

It would seem your shooter likes to shoot down from a height.

[slang]

I'll pass the compliment on to her. The overall quality of her shots have improved greatly in a very short time.


As for the angle, there is a walkway that runs around the malls. Many of these shots were taken from there. A few of the others were taken from the train station walkway.

Here are a few shots of the walkway.

[Elspode]

Bravo on the concept, Slang. More! I think the results are quite passable. Thanks for the careful work and consideration in putting these here. Seeing people's pics from around the world is one of The Cellar's most satisfying aspects for me.

What cameras, how cheap, and where sourced? Reply in private if you don't want to reveal in public?

[zippyt]

Remimd me to tell you about a jeepny ride from hell some time ,
Dude do you have the collection posted any where , like Flickr ???

[slang]

Dam Zip. I just get here to Makati city and what do I find? Seems like you've made quite an impression on the Philippines. Dont worry though, what happens in the Philippines stays in the Philippines.

[slang]

Hey if anyone wants photos of something specific that wont get me arrested or sent directly to HELL, let me know. This is a very interesting place and I'll be here for a long time. I have enough batteries and memory cards to take about 650 million photos so sound off if you are looking for something specific.

[zippyt]

Don't bother my sweat shop workers !!!!!!!

[Sundae]

Can you take some pictures of street food vendors? And markets...?

Partly because I like looking at other people's dinner, but also because I think the way people cook & sell food is a good introduction to their culture.

[slang]

Zip - I havent found much middle between rich and poor here. If you have a job of **any** (legal) kind, your a step ahead of most people.

SG - Yes, I'll get exactly those sorts of photos as this type of thing also interests me. It grosses me out and makes me vomit sometimes too but it's interesting in a car wreck sort of way.

The only photo to post right now is lame and not even of the Philippine Islands but Japan from quite a distance up from the flight into Narita airport.

More to come.

[zippyt]

Slang , you HAVE to try the Monkey meat on a stick !!!!!
A little BBQ sauce and Chim Chim on a stick tastes pretty damn good !!!

[Tonchi]

Slang, if you wanted Philippines, my best friend over there could give you Philippines to make your head spin. And Luisa already knew how to take pictures.

Nothing against your pen pal, but did you have any idea that she has only photographed the ONE enclave in the entire country which is fit to live it? The rest of Manila, all 10 million plus inhabitants, is crumbling infrastructure, open sewers and incredible filth, shacks built in the middle of streets, total gridlock in the midst of crater-like potholes, armed roberies in broad daylight on crowded sidewalks and in malls, more than 50% of the city is homeless, and diseased people wander the streets freely, going to the bathroom anywhere they feel like it.

Makati is the expat area, where NON-NATIVES live and shop in heavily-guarded gated communities with 10-foot walls. Makati is the only place in Manila where consumer goods of any quality are available (for astronomical prices), and likewise where PEOPLE of any quality can be found, so that is why the insurgents target this place. In their near-yearly coup attempts they always try to blow up Makati, and a few years ago there was a major gun battle to recapture the hotel there. Nope, Makati is not the Philippines. No more than if you took photos of Rodeo Drive in LA and never saw Watts.

P.S. Guess what I am giving my Filipina friend for Christmas this year? The stun gun everybody reccommended and several martial arts VCR classes.

[Luisa]

Hi Sundae Girl. Listen, Filipino food is not for the faint of heart and stomach. If you thought the food served on Fear Factor was bad, you have not dared to try eating the local Filipino delicacies like Dinuguan (pork blood with pork entrails like liver and spleen) which are usually served to guests at home in a formal meal setting. There is also Kilawin (spleen stir fried with white raddish).

If you get hungry for a snack in the street, there is always Adiddas ( grilled chicken feet), Bituka ng manok (Grilled chicken intestines), Grilled pork blood, Fried chicken bottoms/ tails, and the ever popular Balut (unsuccessfully hatched chicken eggs steamed to become soupy), Let's not forget the Penoy (duck egg fried in an orange batter and dipped in chili vinegar). that's just the tip of the "street food" iceberg. In fact, there are 2 streets in Manila, Quiapo and Blumentritt, that are lined with vendors and their pushcarts hawking the above wares. These 2 places would be the place to go to get the best pictures of local street food and more. both places are about an hour or 2 away from Makati. Provided your driver knows where to go.

If you are in the mood for local rice soup, you can always try the pushcarts in Blumentritt and try the Lugao (sticky rice) with pork or beef intestines. Another place to get good pictures of people enjoying a street meal is the local wet market. They have food stalls there that serve stuff even I don't recognize. But the people there eat with gusto anyway.

I could go on and on about the local street food but I warn anyone who wishes to try it, proceed with caution. These foods are not exactly cooked under the most hygenic circumstances. The food is cooked in the middle of the street and tends to soak up the pollution from the passing cars. The ones served at the local wet market are somewhat cleaner but then the air is not that good to breath as you have to figure out what that scent in the air is. Ameboiasis and Hepatitis are a real threat when ingesting these foods.

The places and food I mentioned above will never be found in the Makati area. Makati is an expat district and the government wants them to think that the country is all lollipops and roses. The places I told you about are the places the government wishes would get swallowed up by a typhoon one time. It is an embarassment to them and they would rather sweep it under the rug. I can get pictures of these places for anybody who wants to see it. The things I mentioned above usually make it to CNN as part of a special report on the hardships of Filipino living documentaries. You will have to see it with your own eyes to believe such foods are eaten by human beings. Usually, the street food is eaten by people who can't afford anything else.

To eat the best of the HEALTHY local food like various sinigang (sour soup) dishes, pinakbet (Mixed Filipino vegetables in coconut cream) and local ensiladas (salads), it would be best to ask your host family to prepare a meal for you or trek to the local Barrio Fiesta or Kamayan restaurant. These 2 restaurants serve the best of Home Filipino cooking in a Fiesta atmosphere. Those restaurants are frequently visited by the tourists and expats. That I would highly recommend.

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Can you take some pictures of street food vendors? And markets...?

Partly because I like looking at other people's dinner, but also because I think the way people cook & sell food is a good introduction to their culture.