#188 Daing at Tuyo

Seafood in Roxas City, it's a reputation that precedes. But today we're in the town of Bay-bay, Roxas City, marveling at a coast blanketed with rows and rows of dried fish. The process is simple enough: small fish are neatly laid out on bamboo trays (called bolaran), doused with salt water, and turned-over several times a day. And just like in photography, it's the sun that does the rest. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: To take successful black & white pictures, you need to see your compositions in black and white. Instead of colors, you need to look for contrasts and shapes, for tonality and patterns. It can be a struggle at first, but the rewards are real.)

Sign-up to receive new postcards weekly by email 

Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

But wait, there's more...

For those who've inquired about buying prints of my postcards, you may purchase them directly from master printmaker Arnel Murillo (murilloarnel@yahoo.com), one of the country's foremost fine-art printmakers.  Arnel uses archival inks and museum-grade paper to ensure his prints will not fade. You will not be disappointed. (All my images are provided gratis to help showcase the beauty of our country. But if you feel generous, help me uplift the lives of the Children of Payatas.  No donation is too big or too small. Get in touch with Fr. Aldrin Suan at aldrinsuan@yahoo.com of the Vincentian Missionaries in the Philippines. As always, thanks and enjoy.)

#187 Night Fishing

On Nagarao Island in Guimaras, the sun had just set without fanfare. There were no bright colors, no intense directional light, no nothing at all. Just this sinking blue hue everywhere we looked. Sigh.

As the night sky took over I noticed a very slight glow on the horizon. No, they were multiple glows. Are those city lights just beyond the water? That's pretty bright even for a city. Wait, there is a city in that direction? Our guide explained the glow is from a fleet of fishing boats out at sea. They light-up their boats to attract fish into their nets. But the real treat was that those boats will likely land their catch at the Estancia fish port, about 4 hours north of where we were, which is our destination the very next day. Awesome. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Some scenes aren't apparent until you take a time-exposure. But why is the glow greenish? If you own a digital camera, you know fluorescent lights turn your photographs green!)

Sign-up to receive new postcards weekly by email 

Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

But wait, there's more...

For those who've inquired about buying prints of my postcards, you may purchase them directly from master printmaker Arnel Murillo (murilloarnel@yahoo.com), one of the country's foremost fine-art printmakers.  Arnel uses archival inks and museum-grade paper to ensure his prints will not fade. You will not be disappointed. (All my images are provided gratis to help showcase the beauty of our country. But if you feel generous, help me uplift the lives of the Children of Payatas.  No donation is too big or too small. Get in touch with Fr. Aldrin Suan at aldrinsuan@yahoo.com of the Vincentian Missionaries in the Philippines. As always, thanks and enjoy.)

#186 Firewood on the Move

Aside from charcoal, firewood is also grown and harvested on Guimaras island. 

Two weeks ago I received a new book about coastal trees and plants, written by a friend who is one of the foremost mangrove and beach plant experts in the country. In her book, and quite by coincidence, she mentioned the exact tree that is grown in Guimaras for this purpose. Firewood from this tree is valued because it burns even when wet. The locals call the tree sibukao (Caesalpinia Sappan.) Now you know. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: I used to take 90% of my photographs with a single 28mm prime lens. I acquired a 50mm lens recently and have learned to see my world with it too. It's sharper and allows me to stand further from my subject, which is just great for today's postcard of men loading firewood on a boat.)

Sign-up to receive new postcards weekly by email 

Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

But wait, there's more...

For those who've inquired about buying prints of my postcards, you may purchase them directly from master printmaker Arnel Murillo (murilloarnel@yahoo.com), one of the country's foremost fine-art printmakers.  Arnel uses archival inks and museum-grade paper to ensure his prints will not fade. You will not be disappointed. (All my images are provided gratis to help showcase the beauty of our country. But if you feel generous, help me uplift the lives of the Children of Payatas.  No donation is too big or too small. Get in touch with Fr. Aldrin Suan at aldrinsuan@yahoo.com of the Vincentian Missionaries in the Philippines. As always, thanks and enjoy.)

#185 Charcoal Trader

Charcoal is used to fire-up our barbecues, and most anything else we need to grill. There is an entire supply chain that turns them from trees into a cooking fuel, and we saw part of it at the Jordan RORO port on the island of Guimaras.

The trees are grown on the island, and when harvested, turned into charcoal right on the farm. This trader is on his way to Iloilo City with a truckload of charcoal collected from several small backyard producers. That's about 100 bags of 50 kgs each on that truck. He said I can have a sack for P250 if I pay him right there, but he can fetch P30 more if he gets them to the city. I love barbecues but I certainly don't need a sack of charcoal today, so no thank you. Enjoy. (No time to track down the starting point of this supply chain, but I know one day I will.) 

(Pixel-peepers: Since it's charcoal we're talking about, I thought this postcard should be rendered in black & white. Agree?)

Sign-up to receive new postcards weekly by email 

Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

But wait, there's more...

For those who've inquired about buying prints of my postcards, you may purchase them directly from master printmaker Arnel Murillo (murilloarnel@yahoo.com), one of the country's foremost fine-art printmakers.  Arnel uses archival inks and museum-grade paper to ensure his prints will not fade. You will not be disappointed. (All my images are provided gratis to help showcase the beauty of our country. But if you feel generous, help me uplift the lives of the Children of Payatas.  No donation is too big or too small. Get in touch with Fr. Aldrin Suan at aldrinsuan@yahoo.com of the Vincentian Missionaries in the Philippines. As always, thanks and enjoy.)