an interesting mix of photos from a walk in Bothell WA 3 years ago, 6Feb2021

Mama Mary #1 - The "Miraculous Castle Church of Mama Mary" in Simala is huge, and it has an amazing variety of religious statuary, castle/church architecture, beautiful gardens and flowers. A lot of visitors were checking out Mama Mary that day and I had many options for taking photos. What fascinated me most was that many of those people were just taking pictures of themselves.

Kawasan Falls 2024 #1 It was over 30 years ago when we last visited Kawasan Falls in south Cebu Island. I remember a dirt road, dirt paths and a climb of sorts from that trip. Typhoon Odette did a lot of damage in 2021. The "Canyoneering" tours were cancelled for a long time, and it felt good seeing all of the young guides getting ready for customers when we returned to the parking lot. We had arrived early in the morning. As we were walking up to see the Falls, we saw children who lived up in the hills around Kawasan Falls walking down to go to school.

Sinulog 2024 Faces

Carinderia Tricycles #2: the guys across the street were "watching the world go by" just like me. Sometimes, a rider would stop to say hi and visit with them. "Chika chika" is slang for gossiping in the Philippines. "'Have you heard about the latest chika (gossip)?' or 'Ano’ng chika mo?' (What’s new with you?)" It was fun listening to Inday visit with the carinderia lady, seeing the smiles and laughter across the street, and just watching the parade of so many people and vehicles move through the market area...

Sitting in a carinderia yesterday, in the Moalboal Cebu Market. Carinderias are small cafes or food stalls with home cooked dishes, often in a market or along the roadside. These shots were shot from inside the carinderia, and just like in Simala, I was fascinated by the Tricycles...and the occasional Resort bus with dogs.

Motorcycles with passenger sidecars in the Philippines are called "Tricycles", and they vary in style from area to area. These shots are from our excursion to and from the "Miraculous Castle Church of Mama Mary" in Simala on Monday.

Sinulog 2024 feathers...

during Sinulog, the Christmas Tree and it's lights was the star, but food was a close second...