Makati City, Philippines

[slang]

Hey Slang, what do you wish you had brought that you did not?

Great question.

The first thing that comes to mind is very good hearing protection (muffs) and or foam earplugs. With both, you can all but eliminate any noise.

Here is a list of things that make too much noise here.

Basura truck ( garbage collection )

Dogs

Cats fighting and in heat

Loud exhausts on cars and bikes and jeepnys

The neighbor's construction and pounding and cutting and noise, noise, noise all the effing time.

The other neighbor singing Videoke that often starts at about noon and ends in the early evening.

Helicopters

Commerical jets ( we're right in the approach path to Ninoy International )

The Puto guy that has a certain sound that he makes early in the moring to announce he has arrived and has Puto.

Firecrackers ( in season )

Horns of vehicles of all sorts. Some have the traditional "beep" sound and others have that electronic kind that plays some musical theme. I wish to eff they'd all just go away.

That is the list of most of the sounds that I find annoying here.

[slang]

Here is another little clip. I'm out on the bike with the camera making clips.

This is nothing that you haven't seen in this thread before.





This is the bike that I paid $130 to ship to Manila. The bike with the $130 Cygolite LED super high intensity bike headlight with the "water bottle battery" ( that doesn't work now because of using the 230V outlet ). It's the bike that I put $400 into before shipping it here.

Was it worth it?

I wouldn't bring another one here for sure but it's got heavy duty tires and a gel padded seat that I've not seen available here.

The whole light thing ticks me off but overall I'm glad that it's here with me.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by slang

Ok, Glatt. This is surely not how it's done in the US ( and I'm sure that we're all thankful for that ) but this is how it's done here in the Philippines.

This is not something that you want to watch if you're not comfortable with blood and guts.

Listen to the end of the audio. Rain says that Alex, the butcher should put on a black mask when cutting up the pig.

When I was listening to the audio, the thing that struck me was how loud the traffic noise was, even inside the shop. Then in a few posts you talk about wishing you had brought hearing protection. The place sounds like hustle and bustle to me.

That butcher is skilled with his very sharp knife. He's so fast and confident with his cuts. Amazing.

[glatt]

I just watched the other few clips too. There really is a lot of traffic noise, isn't there? I guess in person it seems less obvious than when you are watching on a computer screen inside a quiet house like I am. The constant stream of motor bikes is remarkable.

[slang]

Yes. It's not just the traffic noise here either. The vehicle noise is probably the biggest part of it but there is a lot more.

The honda mini scooter/ motorcyles are very popular here. These bikes are normally 100-150cc and are the new design. They are quiet.

What does a kid or young adult do when he buys one of these bikes?

He puts a louder exhaust on it. There are many aftermarket exhaust shops here. They must be cheap too becuase so many people have them on their bikes. Not just the new bikes either.

Then what? Some type of stereo that everyone can hear. Not something that plays inside ear buds, something that everyone can hear blasting on the street.

The street noise is so constant that I don't even notice it.

Our apartment is away from the street with another apartment between ours and the noise of the cars. I thought this would surely keep our place very quiet. I was wrong.

The construction continues even today and I don't know which noise pollution is worse, traffic or construction.

This whole building is concrete which tends to deaden most external noise. When there is pounding on the concrete structure however, that noise is transmitted though the whole building. At the height of construction next door there were 10 workers.

That's 10 tappers of my walls, 10 big noise makers. From effing sun up to sun down, people were tapping and pounding. JFCA, I'm sure glad that there aren't 10 of them anymore.

Now there are 2 or 3.

Take a listen to the chopper passing overhead clip posted previously. That's another big source. Not just chopper but airliner noise too.

This is a very noisy place.

[slang]

Originally Posted by glatt

That butcher is skilled with his very sharp knife. He's so fast and confident with his cuts. Amazing.

Yes, that's Alex. Like many others here, he understands English more than he can speak it.

I ask a lot of questions about his work. He's been doing that for over 10 years now. The first thing I looked for was missing fingers or scars on his hands. Everything is intact and unscarred.

Think about it though, he does the exact same thing every day. Early morning brings 2 pigs. Every day.

Every day those pigs are the same size and weight. Every day he cuts the heads off and guts them out. Every day.

Everyday he cuts the legs off and digs the bones out. It's so much the same thing every day that it must get boring.

He should be good. He should be able to do this job in his sleep.

One thing that he does that I think is funny. He's constantly changing knives as he's working. When he picks up a knife, he will rub it twice against the sharpener two times. It's always two times.

That must be some kind of ritual for him. It doesn't sharpen the knives one bit.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Found on the net;

[xoxoxoBruce]

Also;

[slang]

I'd love to get some pics of a Tarsier but they don't live here on Luzon.

They'd be extinct if they did. Someone would capture and sell them for beer or gin.

[slang]

Here are some pics from today.

This is Pateros, the balut capital of the universe. It's also the duck egg capital of the universe.

Pateros just had a festival day and this big duck was left over from the celebrations.

I don't eat the salted duck eggs or the balut....or the monkey on a stick....or the pig's ears....or a whole lot of other things here.

[slang]

Looking for a place to hide away to do something naughty without it costing you a lot of pesos?

You're in luck.

There are a number of these "hide away" types of bars here that all have regular transportation to the SOGO hotel for a little bang bang ala native style.

Or so I've heard.

[slang]

This sign just hit me as ridiculous. See what you think.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Cheap advertising for Nokia.

[slang]

It seems as though this texting is common while walking. Many don't need to look at the keypad but may still be distracted and hit by a passing Jeepny when trying to text at the intersections.

Another clip for your enjoyment. Black water in Pateros. Fish are visible swimming in it as you look over the railing.

Probably not something you'd like to eat though.



It is much quieter over here in Pateros.

[slang]

I went to the new fire station / police station today to get some interviews and photos.

The PNP officers invited me to go with them on patrol which I did go with them.

I also talked with the dep Fire Chief of the Makati Central Fire Station in downtown Makati.

There are some cool photos and clips from today but I'm exhausted from doing next to nothing and I'm going directly to sleep now.

Pics and clips coming tomorrow.