been there, or so I thought
Anibong is always a very interesting place, and despite the image that has been drawn about the place, the residents are warm and quick to smile at strangers passing through. It is one of the densest populated areas in the city, and is connected to 2 other heavily populated areas, Sabang and Paseo de Legaspi. I have just discovered the backstreets connecting these areas.
What led me here was these two and a half children by the side of the road, and a group of school children who were doing their school work on a parked motorcycle. The school kids ran away when they saw me coming. I probably look like their school principal.
This is also where Oming does his craft painting artwork on vehicles. He is really sought after by a lot of vehicle owners, and he has been working on weekends lately, something he says he doesn’t do when I first featured him on this blog last year. Demand is on the rise.
Walking through the narrow passageways, I happened upon kids playing under a house. They asked for their photo to be taken. This was a totally different kind of experience because these children poked and grabbed at me, but in a nice way as if I was somebody very well acquainted with them.
They also wanted a photo of them with their pets – albino rats! Yes, these kids play with their pets, and have been bitten at least once by these furry creatures. They should be fine, I hope.
This basketball court is at the end of Paseo de Legaspi, a place where I have always wanted to visit but did not find the courage to come yet. I just stumbled upon this place by surprise. There was a basketball tournament going on, and this is the narrowest basketball court I’ve seen. Spectators were all sitting inside the sidelines, and an occasional pedestrian would walk across the court to get to the other side.
The highlight of the day was the conversation with Jonathan, a local fisherman and a father of 2 lovely daughters. They live in a house near the sea wall. A 2nd or maybe a 3rd generation fisherman, he tells of a time when fishes were very abundant and the water was clean. Times have indeed changed.
A walk with my camera 
Brilliant. So much captured in so few photos. You are a great storyteller both visually and in text.
thank you.
Once again. wonderful treat thru photoghraphs and excellent narration!! thank you .
thanks!
That Basketball picture is pretty awesome! Thank you for the trip.
you’re welcome and thank you for walking with me
Lovely set Orlando; particularly like the basketball court photo. Really well taken!
Thank you, Peter. Are you still in India?
Beautiful shots. I especially love the image of the kids under the house. Joyful little faces. Love your work.
thank you, Jane.
A delightful read! I really like how you accompany the photos with your engaging stories. A few years back, I came across an old book by L. Ira, The Streets of Manila, with B&W photos and colorful narratives. You can do something similar, maybe… 🙂
Thanks, Eugene. The book you mentioned sounds familiar; I think I’ve read about it somewhere. I should try to look for it if it’s still available. And yes, I am planning to do a coffee table book for my 2011-2012 photos, hopefully it will be done by December.
Great! Will look forward to it 🙂
I just borrowed that book I mentioned in the library while doing my thesis a couple of years back.
You enable us to see places we would not visit, and show us something of the soul of the place.