A Post for Alan

This post is for my friend Alan Bouchard. Having worked on the communication/data side of the electrical industry, I suspect he’ll take a particular interest in the street wiring photographs I’m sharing today. As it happens, these feature some of the more orderly examples here in Metro Manila.

These pictures are what I’ve come to call “drive-by shootings,” quick attempts to catch a moment through the window of a moving car as we slip from one part of the city to another in a Grab ride. The results are not always perfectly framed, but they tend to be authentic.

In time, I’ll try to share a few captures of what I consider the more… improvisational work in the outlying neighborhoods as the opportunities present themselves.

Street Wiring

Street Wiring

—Mitchell Hegman

The Durian Thing

If you glance at the first photograph I’ve posted today, you’ll see, in the foreground, some large spiky-looking fruit. That’s durian. If you are unfamiliar, durian is the train-wreck of fruit in the tropics. This is due to the horrendous, off-putting scent emitted from the fruit once it is sliced open.

Travel and food writer Richard Sterling states that "its odor is best described as pig-excrement, turpentine, and onions, garnished with a gym sock."

Interestingly enough, the smell is only the opening act, a kind of olfactory toll you must pay before marching in for a taste. Once cut open, the flesh inside is soft and custard-like, with a flavor that seems to argue with itself: sweet, savory, faintly nutty, and somehow reminiscent of things that ought not belong in fruit at all. Some swear by it, speaking of durian with something near unwavering loyalty. Others recoil at first encounter and never quite recover. Here in the Philippines, though, it is treated not as a novelty but as a matter of fact—another offering from the tropics, equal parts challenge and reward, waiting patiently for you to decide which side of the argument you fall on. 

I tried durian while in Vietnam in 2009 and tried it again here in the Philippines recently. I would describe the flavor as sweet at the start, with a weird, chemical, industrial-cleaning-agent finish. The smell is such that many establishments in Vietnam would not allow you to bring it inside. I don’t wholly object to durian, but it is not a favorite by any measure.

Durian on Display (and Desiree)

Open Durian Fruit (Wikipedia)

—Mitchell Hegman

Metro Manila

We have settled onto the 43rd floor of a tower in the Uptown Parksuites in Taguig, Metro Manila. Three bedrooms, a full kitchen, a living room and dining area, and balcony views stretch out over modern Manila below.

This is the highest floor I’ve ever occupied. Standing out on either of our two balconies can be a bit dizzying, but I don’t let that stop me.

Naturally, I’m sharing a few balcony photographs here today.

The City Below

A Corner Room

On the Balcony

The Expanse at Night

—Mitchell Hegman

Apple and Star Apples

One of the servers at the resort tiki bar was a diminutive girl of perhaps twenty named Apple. I love the name. It’s a simple twist on a common word, but for some reason it stays with me. Unfortunately, I did not get a photograph of her to share.

But I will be sharing a couple of photographs of another kind of apple: the star apple. It is a rather softish fruit I had not encountered before coming to the Philippines, known locally as caimito. From the outside, it does not look particularly remarkable, usually a smooth purple or green sphere about the size of a small apple. But when it is sliced across the middle, the seeds inside form a small, natural star, which explains its name.

The flesh is soft and slightly jelly-like, with a gentle sweetness that reminds me a bit of grape and custard combined. It is typically eaten chilled and scooped from the rind with a spoon, as the skin itself is not eaten. It’s one of those simple tropical treats that seems perfectly suited to a warm afternoon, when something cool, mildly sweet, and refreshing feels exactly right.

Star Apples and Tangerines

Star Apple Ready to Eat

—Mitchell Hegman

Goodbye to Mövenpick Resort

Today I am sharing a few parting photographs from the beautiful Mövenpick Resort. Our time here has come to a close, and the next several days will find us in the Manila area.

Our Private Beach

Waves Rolling In

At the Pool

—Mitchell Hegman

In the Water

One of the first things I did before we embarked on our series of water adventures here in the Philippines was give an underwater sports camera we’d purchased in the U.S. to Desiree’s youngest daughter, Ina (Shanaia). She’s a water bug and will get plenty of use from it.

Yesterday, while swimming at the coral gardens off the shores of Boracay, Ash, Desiree’s brother, grabbed the camera and managed to get a few photographs of me snorkeling with huge schools of tropical fish.

Good stuff, this!

Lots of Fish

Me Snorkeling

Fish Under Me

Feeding the Fish

—Mitchell Hegman

Snorkeling Day

Yesterday (though by no official reckoning but our own) was snorkeling day. We chartered a boat out to two “coral gardens” just offshore from Boracay. Though the wind made for some choppy waters, we were treated to plentiful small and colorful reef fish. We also stopped for lunch at a fairly quiet private beach.

Posted are a few photographs from the day:

Walking out on the Floating Pier to Our Boat

Me Snorkeling

Our Boat Landed for a Lunch Break

Feb on the Beach at Boracay

—Mitchell Hegman