Look ma, no people!

elevated walkway towards landmark

Originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

This is a shot of the elevated walkway in Ayala on a lunch time. Where is everyone?

empty streets of makati

empty streets of makati

Originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

A shot of Makati avenue in Ayala. Behind (the upper right building) is Makati Shangri-La. Again, taking this kind of shot on a regular day is a bit different.

greenbelt walkway (still empty)

greenbelt walkway (still empty)

Originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

another vantage view of greenbelt from thwe elevated walkway in the central business district of Makati. The place is empty starting Wednesday – the start of the long Holy Week vacation. Millions of Filipinos troop to the provinces, abandoning this bustling area in Makati. This is about lunch time. I could not take this kind of photo on a regular day.

greenbelt looks nice but empty

greenbelt looks nice but empty

Originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

Virtually a ghost city, the central business district in Makati looks abandoned, saved for the greenery in the background.

wish EDSA is this empty everyday

wish EDSA is this empty everyday

Originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

I took a quick walk around Metro Manila on Wednesday, and I was happy to find most of the streets empty (well almost). Notice the upper right, a taxicab smashes into a private vehicle. Strange.

Enjoying a dip

natasha poses, originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

My daughters take a dip to escape the summer heat in the kiddie's pool. They're lucky! When I was a kid, the closest I got to a kiddie pool was a "batya" full of water. Hehehe.

Chatuchak and back (and a pink shirt)

I wanted to title this post as "Around in Chatuchak in two hours" but what I have now sounds perfect

Yes, that's the name of the place in Bangkok. It is a weekend market, just like our very own Divisoria (which I haven't been for a while). So here's my story:

I have often heard about Chatuchak, a weekend market in Bangkok, Thailand. People rave about the gourmet of goods they sell there. Old books, antiques, food (authentic Thai included), displays, Thai silk products, shirts, shoes, novelties, and almost anything that you can think of taking home when you go shopping.

First off, I am not a shopper. I hate shopping and endless walks. I use to engage my wife in debates about how men "hunt" and they "gather" when shopping. Yes I hunt when I shop. I hunt for that one thing I love to buy. And If I see it, I buy it. And this time, I was hunting for a baby T, they call it. I discovered this type of shirt in Greenhills one time, which carry known brands of Guitar. I already bought a yellow-orange Ibanez branded baby T to go with my jeans.

When I got to Chatuchak, we (I was with a group of journalists from Asia) were given two hours to do our shopping. Thus that signalled the hunt. It was 11 a.m. and a Saturday. People were all over. Asian, European, Americans, and Filipinos (I heard some of them talking while I passed by shops). It was hot and beads of sweat started forming on my head. We were given a simple instruction: we would be meeting each other at the entrance near the parking lot in two hours. Two hours??? Some lady journalists grumbled. Oh well, I just need an hour to go around and find that baby T anyway.

So we're off. Remember Chatuchak is a 35-acre market. I read somewhere that one could take one to two days to cover every shop in this area. But that would depend on you, of course. You might linger in one of the shops and forget about time.

I made a quick mental note of what I've read and remember, and decided to circle the market and hope I find that baby T. But as I was about to enter the market, I found the second hand book section. Similar to the "booksale" shops in Manila, they had volumes of old and second hand books about anything. They also had magazines. I saw one great title but I resisted the temptation (I always buy a book in places I visit for the first time–a tip I got from my editor). So I went on, and on, and on, and on. I checked my watch. I had been walking for 30 minutes. Hmmmm…That was fast.

I then found myself in the middle of a section of jewelries and amulets. I once again resisted the temptation of buying one. They looked cool, I thought.

I went on. Until I saw this pink baby T. Yeah baby!!! I asked for the price, the shop said, "100 baht." Wow! "Do you have any other colors?" But I thought this pink baby T had a nice logo of Fender in it. So I gave in, and bought it, and I am now wearing this pink baby T-shirt proudly.

Fastforward: I was back in Manila and I decided to wear that pink shirt! And people just loved it (not me but the shirt, I mean).

Why take a roadtrip when you can walk around

The long holiday is coming and perhaps you’re now thinking, “Should I take that roadtrip, or should I just stay home and walk around places I never seen near my house?” Well, if you’re low on budget these days, a stroll in a park or in your neighborhood may not be a bad idea after all.

Shanghai tower by night

Shanghai tower by night, originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

My trip in Shanghai was unforgettable. I took this photo using a very nice camera, thus the result. In China, they like building big structures. This one you can see from afar. The Tower (behind the orange lighted building) is one of the tallest structures in Asia. And I was there! hehehe

I miss El Nido

More El Nido, originally uploaded by cyberbaguioboy.

This is a photo I took while I was in El Nido in Palawan. Nice shot, noh. Calm waters, nice for kayaking.