#192 Paid-in-Kind

When you live along the coast, the sea feeds your family. And if you work on a boat that sets out to sea every night, you might just be paid-in-kind. With fish, that is.

We were at the Estancia Fish Port on the northern tip of Iloilo, bucking the wee hours of the morning, to witness the arrival of fish-laden boats. After the fish had been unloaded and sold,  I followed a group of deckhands out to the parking lot where they each received a pail of fish, more or less. It was their share of the take, their wage.  I witnessed a similar practice in Mindoro where hired hands were paid with newly harvested grain. Whether your economy runs on grain or fish, that's your currency. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: I took several shots because I was unsure which one will work. In the end, it was the back view that illustrated the story best. X marked the spot.)

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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.)

#191 Taksayan

Walking along the shore of Bay-bay in Roxas City, we saw several men pulling a long net to shore. Somewhere in the distant shore, another group is doing exactly the same thing. And if you guessed they were pulling the same net, only at different ends, then you would be right. Imagine further that with all the pulling, the center of the net eventually gets to land, and within it all the lucked-out fish that were out swimming the shallows that morning. Bummer.

The net is called a taksay, and the process of working together to get the net to shore is called taksayan. It's a practice known by many other names, and found in many other parts of the country. But the idea is the same, it only works when folks work together. Just as it does in many other aspects in life. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: It was a grayish day and the light was muggy. Shooting in color guaranteed washed-out images. I'd normally put my camera away and simply enjoy the show, except that there's always black & white!)

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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.)

#190 Dawn Silhouettes

Even when dawn disappoints, all is not lost.

On Nagarao Island just past the main island of Guimaras, we woke up to a blue dawn. We see this often during the rainy season, when the clouds are just too thick around the horizon at sunrise. The sun tries to punch through, but today the night is more than its match, leaving everything around us a gloomy blue. Have we been defeated? Nah. At least not in the bigger scheme of things. We will make such a trip again, and when we do, we will wake-up at 4:30am again to stalk the next sunrise. Who knows? Luck can change. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: My camera was mounted on a tripod, pointed in the direction of where I thought the sun could break through. And thanks to a friend who spotted this passing pump boat my composition came together.)

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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.)

#189 Salting Fish

How do you make dried fish salty? By dousing them in salt, of course! But it's not how you think. 

Along the coast in the town of Bay-bay in Roxas City, we discovered exactly how that salt is applied. I was expecting them to tumble the fish in tubs filled with salt before setting them out to dry. But no. After laying the fish out on trays, someone would simply walk to the edge of the beach, fill their sprinklers with natural sea water, and then sprinkle this water onto the fish until they're soaking wet. After the water evaporates, the salt from the seawater will be left behind. Instant salted fish. Makes sense, right? Enjoy. (No, I dared not look at the water too closely, but if you have to ask, you should stick to salmon or sole.)

(Pixel-peepers: How do you make sprinkled drops of water stand-out of your composition? Try shooting them against the light. Part of your foreground may turn into a silhouette, but that's ok because your main focus are the droplets.)

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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.)