Makati City, Philippines

[slang]

Ok, Glatt. This is surely not how it's done in the US ( and I'm sure that we're all thankful for that ) but this is how it's done here in the Philippines.

This is not something that you want to watch if you're not comfortable with blood and guts.

Don't watch it to get yourself all pissed off. This is reality in the Philippines, don't bitch and complain if it offends or saddens you in some way. Don't watch it.



Listen to the end of the audio. Rain says that Alex, the butcher should put on a black mask when cutting up the pig.

[slang]

This next clip is even nastier than the first IMO. This one shows the pig's face being cut off from the skull.

Not for the squeemish.

Do not watch the clip if you are going to get sick, angry or cry. I don't want to hear your thoughts on animal cruelty or veganism.

[slang]

Headlines that make you wonder..what kind of place is this?

My bike along the road as I take some long exposure shots of the sun coming up.

[slang]

We live very close to the Global City and what used to be the old US military base during world war II.

There are a variety of choppers flying around during the day. They still get my attention but they are very common. Some are military and some are rescue.

The land traffic flows, shall we say, BADLY here. If you are seriously sick or injured the choppers might save your life by getting you to medical help in time.

Here is a clip of a passing Huey but you can only hear it. One had just passed in the space that I was pointing the camera at in the clip but it didnt pass through the fielf of view.

The sonic from the chopper blades rattle the windows and you can feel them coming. Take a listen.



I didn't see how high this chopper was flying but it felt like it might land on the house.

[slang]

This is the last clip for today.

It shows what you might see stepping up to the counter of the meat shop.

I can and have eaten everything you see there except the pig tongue and ears, and the linked sausage.

Each morning 2 pigs arrive at about 4 am. They weigh 80-85 Kg each. Alex is there to recieve them from the truck. It's funny to see.

A small man pulls a pig out of the truck and holds it on his shoulders. Right hand holds the rear pig legs, left hand holds the front. He plops each one on the counter with a grunt.

[slang]

Hey Slang, what do you wish you had brought that you did not?

Great question.

The first thing that comes to mind is very good hearing protection (muffs) and or foam earplugs. With both, you can all but eliminate any noise.

Here is a list of things that make too much noise here.

Basura truck ( garbage collection )

Dogs

Cats fighting and in heat

Loud exhausts on cars and bikes and jeepnys

The neighbor's construction and pounding and cutting and noise, noise, noise all the effing time.

The other neighbor singing Videoke that often starts at about noon and ends in the early evening.

Helicopters

Commerical jets ( we're right in the approach path to Ninoy International )

The Puto guy that has a certain sound that he makes early in the moring to announce he has arrived and has Puto.

Firecrackers ( in season )

Horns of vehicles of all sorts. Some have the traditional "beep" sound and others have that electronic kind that plays some musical theme. I wish to eff they'd all just go away.

That is the list of most of the sounds that I find annoying here.

[slang]

Here is another little clip. I'm out on the bike with the camera making clips.

This is nothing that you haven't seen in this thread before.





This is the bike that I paid $130 to ship to Manila. The bike with the $130 Cygolite LED super high intensity bike headlight with the "water bottle battery" ( that doesn't work now because of using the 230V outlet ). It's the bike that I put $400 into before shipping it here.

Was it worth it?

I wouldn't bring another one here for sure but it's got heavy duty tires and a gel padded seat that I've not seen available here.

The whole light thing ticks me off but overall I'm glad that it's here with me.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by slang

Ok, Glatt. This is surely not how it's done in the US ( and I'm sure that we're all thankful for that ) but this is how it's done here in the Philippines.

This is not something that you want to watch if you're not comfortable with blood and guts.

Listen to the end of the audio. Rain says that Alex, the butcher should put on a black mask when cutting up the pig.

When I was listening to the audio, the thing that struck me was how loud the traffic noise was, even inside the shop. Then in a few posts you talk about wishing you had brought hearing protection. The place sounds like hustle and bustle to me.

That butcher is skilled with his very sharp knife. He's so fast and confident with his cuts. Amazing.

[glatt]

I just watched the other few clips too. There really is a lot of traffic noise, isn't there? I guess in person it seems less obvious than when you are watching on a computer screen inside a quiet house like I am. The constant stream of motor bikes is remarkable.

[slang]

Yes. It's not just the traffic noise here either. The vehicle noise is probably the biggest part of it but there is a lot more.

The honda mini scooter/ motorcyles are very popular here. These bikes are normally 100-150cc and are the new design. They are quiet.

What does a kid or young adult do when he buys one of these bikes?

He puts a louder exhaust on it. There are many aftermarket exhaust shops here. They must be cheap too becuase so many people have them on their bikes. Not just the new bikes either.

Then what? Some type of stereo that everyone can hear. Not something that plays inside ear buds, something that everyone can hear blasting on the street.

The street noise is so constant that I don't even notice it.

Our apartment is away from the street with another apartment between ours and the noise of the cars. I thought this would surely keep our place very quiet. I was wrong.

The construction continues even today and I don't know which noise pollution is worse, traffic or construction.

This whole building is concrete which tends to deaden most external noise. When there is pounding on the concrete structure however, that noise is transmitted though the whole building. At the height of construction next door there were 10 workers.

That's 10 tappers of my walls, 10 big noise makers. From effing sun up to sun down, people were tapping and pounding. JFCA, I'm sure glad that there aren't 10 of them anymore.

Now there are 2 or 3.

Take a listen to the chopper passing overhead clip posted previously. That's another big source. Not just chopper but airliner noise too.

This is a very noisy place.

[slang]

Originally Posted by glatt

That butcher is skilled with his very sharp knife. He's so fast and confident with his cuts. Amazing.

Yes, that's Alex. Like many others here, he understands English more than he can speak it.

I ask a lot of questions about his work. He's been doing that for over 10 years now. The first thing I looked for was missing fingers or scars on his hands. Everything is intact and unscarred.

Think about it though, he does the exact same thing every day. Early morning brings 2 pigs. Every day.

Every day those pigs are the same size and weight. Every day he cuts the heads off and guts them out. Every day.

Everyday he cuts the legs off and digs the bones out. It's so much the same thing every day that it must get boring.

He should be good. He should be able to do this job in his sleep.

One thing that he does that I think is funny. He's constantly changing knives as he's working. When he picks up a knife, he will rub it twice against the sharpener two times. It's always two times.

That must be some kind of ritual for him. It doesn't sharpen the knives one bit.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Found on the net;

[xoxoxoBruce]

Also;

[slang]

I'd love to get some pics of a Tarsier but they don't live here on Luzon.

They'd be extinct if they did. Someone would capture and sell them for beer or gin.

[slang]

Here are some pics from today.

This is Pateros, the balut capital of the universe. It's also the duck egg capital of the universe.

Pateros just had a festival day and this big duck was left over from the celebrations.

I don't eat the salted duck eggs or the balut....or the monkey on a stick....or the pig's ears....or a whole lot of other things here.