A Little Christmas

Christmas decorations at J&N Lodge

I think it's like anywhere that Christmas is celebrated -- some people put out a few token decorations while others go "all-out" in adorning their home or business.  I was up at 6:00 AM and out the door to the market within 15 minutes.  I stopped at the hotel canteen on the way out and grabbed a cup of 3-in-1 coffee.  Now for my fellow Americans who don't tolerate instant coffee, I have to tell you that this stuff is not that bad.  It reminds me of the so-called international instant coffees that used to come in a small tin and cost a fortune.  My cup of  "joe" cost P5 ($0.13) and is satisfying enough to get me started.  Anyway, I noted that the hotel had decorated a little more than Peter's Restaurant and used some interesting ornaments so I snapped a few pictures.  Then I was off to the market to see what there was to see.

Aggressive sales lady turned shy as soon as my
 camera came out.

Saturdays are busier than most days for the same reasons as in America: schools are closed, offices are usually closed and so on.  Being that I was there real early, I think I avoided the larger crowds of people.  Being the only foreigner around (I don't  think Ubay gets too  many foreign visitors just because of it's off-the-beaten-trail location), I was greeted eagerly by nearly every stall owner in the market.  They would point to something (usually an expensive 'something' I noted after a while) and encourage me to buy.  Now what am I going to do with a fresh pig's head in my hotel room -- really!  Of course I was always as polite as I could be as I brushed off their offers.  One lady tried to sell me some t-shirts.  They were nice t-shirts and she promised me that they had sizes that would fit me.  I had this experience before -- 3XL does not mean American 3XL and all this woman had to offer was XL . . . I allowed her to try, but as I held the shirt up to my chest it was obvious to all of the onlookers (half a dozen at least) that there was no way that shirt would fit.  I smiled, said "thank you" and started to move on. I felt bad as the woman really did try hard to find a shirt that would fit me.  Then I noticed some Christmas decorations.  I decided to let her show me some of those as well.  There were some interesting ones, but the one that caught my eye the most was actually just made out of plastic drinking straws and a length of garland.  For P35 ($0.87) I couldn't refuse.  I told her that it would cost her -- she had to let me take her picture.  Immediately the somewhat pushy sales woman turned into a shy little girl. I snapped my pictures as she placed my ornament in a plastic bag (everything gets put in a plastic bag, regardless of whether it needs it or not).  She quickly recovered her composure and offered to sell me a Christmas tree.  When I declined, she turned and pointed to her two companions sitting nearby and informed me that they both needed boyfriends.  I wished them good luck in their search and  moved on.

Selection of dried fish at Ubay market.

One of the more popular items in the Philippines is dried fish.  They are generally salted to preserve them, although I don't know how long they last before going bad.  I've had dried fish several times now, and as someone who really enjoys seafood I can appreciate their flavor -- albeit quite salty.  You wouldn't want to eat too much of these dried fish, but as a supplement and source of some protein, they would be fine.  And of course, as I pulled out my camera, the saleswoman immediately became shy and started babbling on to her coworker something that I didn't understand, but I assume was a complaint about tourists with cameras.  I snapped some pictures anyway.  I didn't buy any fish, so maybe that was a part of her complaint as well.  I thanked her and moved on.  I enjoyed a second cup of 3-in-1 at Peter's Restaurant and watched as people piled on and off of buses, Jeepneys and E-vans.  The town was truly coming to life, and as much as I wanted to hang around and observe, I knew I needed to get back "home" and do some writing.

I stopped at my little favorite eatery for a little breakfast: a couple little pieces of pork, a cup of rice and a glass of filtered water. I had some good conversation with the owner and her family while finishing my meal.  I paid for my meal (P15 - $0.45) and returned to the hotel.  I'm not sure what the rest of today (Saturday) will hold for me.  My only scheduled event is dinner at 6:30 with my "host" family.  I will have to close up my laptop and go find some lunch in a few hours, so who knows what I will discover. I do think I will try to find someplace different for lunch -- and maybe I'll find a few more camera-shy Filipinos to take some photos of to share with my readers.

Until then.