It's been one week since I left the Philippines and now have some time to post some pics from my trip. Below, the view from our apartment in Santa Cruz.



At a "dampa", or wet market, at Seaside Macapagal Blvd. where my aunt haggled with tinderas for fish, shrimp, clams, and crabs, which we took to Josefina's Garden Grill Paluto, one of the many restaurants next to the market, to have cooked for our lunch. A fun experience for balikbayans (Philippine nationals who return to their home country) like me. The cooking was good, though I felt a little queazy afterwards. I wouldn't call it fresh seafood... or maybe I just have a weak "foreign" stomach!



Here are the jeepneys that I mentioned before in a previous post. Cost: 8.5 pesos. Breathing in diesel fumes, enjoying the local scenery, and sharing a bumpy ride with loved ones: priceless. Now I wish I also took a picture-- no, a video-- of my ride through the bumpy streets of Chinatown on a bicycle rickshaw.



What visit to the Philippines would be complete without a meal at Jollibee's? Famous fried chicken and Filipino-style spaghetti, sweet and with hot dogs. Yum!