My last day in the Philippines was spent sightseeing around a small area of Marikina, the neighborhood where Katti lives. We walked down a few streets and past several shops. When we passed the bike store, she introduced me to a man she rides bikes with frequently. He's a member of the Firefly Brigade with her.
The Firefly Brigade is a group of dedicated and fun-loving cyclists who embody an infectious love for cycling, a spirit of volunteerism, a strong sense of community, positive action for the environment, gender-sensitivity and non-discrimination, and responsible cycling behavior.
When I met Katti in graduate school, she would tell us wonderful tales about the Firefly Bridgade. Katti helped to start this organization. Every year, they all dress up in fabulous costumes and ride around town in a big mass group. They are now getting ready for their 14th Tour of The Fireflies, which happens in November. I wish I could be there!
We crossed a few more streets before coming to the cathedral. (The Philippines was under Spanish rule for close to 500 years, so a good portion of the population are Catholic.)
The cathedral was amazing! You could see it from several streets away because of the incredible amount of flags bedazzling it. We went inside during a mass and I took several pictures of the smaller chapels, and women in the back of the church preparing decorations for an upcoming wedding. As I was leaving, I managed to catch a video of a Hello Kitty balloon stuck on the ceiling.
We stopped for a bite to eat across the way from the church, where we sat in an shoe-factory-turned restaurant and ate a lovely meal of chicken and garlic rice. Marikina was given the title Shoe Capital of The Philippines because of it's notable shoe industry: being the largest manufacturer of shoes in the Philippines, producing 70% of the country's footwear.
After lunch, we walked through the market. I love to browse local markets. This is how I buy most of my groceries in Singapore, so I was thrilled to be able to take a trip through Marikina's market. Local markets are similar to antique stores in the United States, where each vendor has their own stall to arrange and sell from.
There were stalls and stalls of fake flowers. The colors were intense . . . I loved them!
We saw fresh coconut juice being extracted and fit to drink. This was a fascinating process involving 3 quick pairs of hands: split the coconut (with a giant knife), shave the coconut (with a fast-twirling open-blade), juice the coconut (while simultaneously filling plastic bags and containers), repeat.
We saw fresh meats, hanging out.
Shoes were available in a variety of colors, with the option of bow or no bow. Women's shoes were piled as you see above, but men's shoes were shined and placed in nice, neat rows. I can only imagine that this represents the shoppers more than it reflects how the shoe sellers actually displayed the items.
Filipino dolls, baskets, fruit, sea things, costumes for Halloween, dresses, baked goods, rice (please see Texas below), fabrics, sewers sewing things, children running in and out of various stalls, and Christmas decorations. It's all there, all day long. Markets hold the life of a city.
I am so thankful to Katti for taking time out of her busy life to entertain me and teach me about the Philippines. She is a lovely and caring human being, living in a delightful place! I hope to visit with her again soon, possibly in Singapore. But perhaps again in Boracay, with a trip to Baguio to boot!
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