For over four decades I have been a rail and bus photographer.
However, during this time I have aimed the lens at other subjects, be they different transportation, scenery, buildings and other bollocks.
Given these do not really fit the scope of my other sites, I felt compelled to set up a new site so as to inflict my other photographic garbage upon the world.
While primarily Philippine and Australian content, there will be the occasional forays into Fiji and Hong Kong. Perhaps other locations should the current pandemic ever allow it.
So sit back and enjoy, or hate, even be indifferent. That choice is purely up to you.

Official Home Of the 'Brad N Virls Adventure Series' - Images are copyright, so contact us if you would like to use any photos on your site/video! (We don't bite)


Showing posts with label Tagaytay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tagaytay. Show all posts

Tuesday, 8 June 2021

2009 RANDOM PHILIPPINE PICCIES


 

Given the popularity of the last 'random shot' posting, plus finding I have another heap of same, you now find another collection here for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure even).

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Markets are one part of the Philippines that I greatly enjoy photographing, the night ones especially so.

The first lot of photos show a small(ish) market at Litex (Commonwealth, Quezon City). We would pass through here most nights, while transferring from a Jeepney, or bus, to a trike for our ongoing journey home to Payatas.

Not much that you couldn't buy here.




Another vendor, though now it is daytime and in Luneta Park. 
My years of running a Filipino shop helps me to identify much of what she is selling. Tempura and Lobster Crackers, V-Cut BBQ flavoured chips, and the ever popular cheese Piattos, form the bulk of the chips.


This photo has been badly captioned.
It is obviously not Luneta Park, which was half a Ermita block behind me. However, it is Mabini Street, taken from the 9th floor of Mabini Mansion, our place of choice for many early visits.


You didn't think I was possibly going to do a Manila post without including one of my beloved jeepneys did you?
What better way to travel between Baclaran and Divisoria.


The father-in-law's prize cock seemed a bit concerned by all the camera attention.


Divisoria I have covered in the past. It was a regular haunt on my earlier Philippine trips.


Some of the Asawa's family forest while on a Tagaytay day out.


Classic Philippines - A Kalesa at Ermita.


A Jolly Hotdog and two pieces of Chickenjoy thanks.



I don't make a habit of photographing taxi cabs, but when this one rolled up out front of Robinsons Ermita, I noticed it had the name of a godson.
The taxi driver was quite concerned about the sudden photographic interest.


Time to slip in another jeepney shot.
Because I can ;-)


Love that highly photographable Divisoria. 


Oh lookie, now we are on a jeepney.
These will be greatly missed should ever they go.


Grocery Shopping - More Fun In The Philippines.


During one very wet trip from Tutuban to Fairview, one's generous asawa suggested this spot as a good place to fulfill one's need for more jeepney and bus shots.
That it most certainly was.
Took quite a long time to identify where it was.


This was a much drier day, and we found ourselves on the rear of a jeepney from Ermita to Tutuban.
Here we are on Quintin Paredes Road, having just crossed the well known Jones Bridge (visible in background).


Ship 'Ho Mao' at Manila Port.
A bulk carrier, built in 1985, it was originally named the 'Clipper Maestro'. Later it carried the names Sungreen, hen Patria, before finally becoming the Ho Mao in March 2004.
However, that this name was only to be carried for a little more than a year after I got this shot, with it renamed 'Vimaru Ac' in November 2010.


The mammoth Asian King was in Manila port with a delivery of new, South Korean built, railcars for the Philippine National Railways.
The truck hauled each carriage to Tutuban for unloading.


After some fifteen minutes of rain, really torrential rain, the type Manila does so well, a small friend popped out to say hello.
Actually, the railway yard was quite flooded and there were quite a few coaxed from their hiding spot.
Information on the Philippine Toad.


A random back street situated behind the old Calamba station. While the houses/stores, at left, remain the same, all on the right has been completely changed as that ghastly modernization passed through.


Some fascinating houses, one including a barber shop business, in Magsaysay in San Pedro Laguna.
Probably far less busy nowadays, compared to the heyday of the railway that terminated right behind me. When the Carmona branch opened in the 70s, it had 13 return services a day. This had reduced to just one by the time of closure.
Not because it wasn't used, but mostly due to disinterest in providing a service back then. Oh, and a greedy landowner who started demanding money that nobody was willing to pay him.
Today, the street is just a quite, and largely unknown, backwater.
Of other interest, to me at least, is the small red car. We had them in Australia, where they were called the 'Ford Laser'. They are a rarity around here nowadays.


The Carriedo Fountain in Plaza Santa Cruz.
While it was built in honour of the 18th-century Captain General of Manila, Don Francisco Carriedo y Peredo, it is believed to be a replica of the original (which had already been in two different locations around Manila).
The original appears to still exist at the Balara Filters Park in Quezon City.
It is truly amazing what I am able to learn while doing these blog posts :-)


 The MRT3 Guadalupe Bridge, in beautiful downtown Mandaluyong, is something I often joke about. I like to kid people that it was designed by the same person who designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The road we are on is the incredibly busy EDSA, while underneath this road, next to the Pasig River, many people do not realise there was once a railway line.
The EDSA road bridge was built in 1979 and has a length of 114.44 metres between it's two abutments.
The MRT3 arch bridge came later, being part of the MRT3 system that opened in December 1999.
A report done in 2013 found that 220,000 vehicles crossed the bridge each day. One can only imagine what that would be in 2021 given the massive increase in vehicle ownership there.



Well there you go, the end of another random selection of Philippine shots of nearly no relating theme.
Have learnt a lot putting this all together, hope you have learnt something while reading it.
If not, better luck next time.







Thursday, 10 December 2020

Philippines 2009 Random Selection

 


While slowly pawing through the massive collection of Philippine photos, looking for certain topics to cover on this blog, I obviously come across many images that really can't be grouped into a topic.

When over there, I am rarely without a camera in my hand, so sometimes I just grab a random shot here and there, over a wide area of location and topic.

This is the first, of what will likely end up being many, random selections of Philippine views.

This lot come from our trip back in 2009. Quite hard to believe that was 11.5 years ago.


It sure knows how to rain in the Philippines.
What can be a reasonably short downpour, can leave many locations flooded for a while.
Here we have a couple of examples of good Manila downpours.
The above jeepney is sitting in the Jeepney bays at SM Fairview after a brief storm leaves the place under a couple of centimetres of water.
While below there is a longer deluge, which quickly sees the street abandoned of the usual crowds, all of whom have sought shelter in the local malls.


Just in case you are wondering, the railway tracks below originally served the port in Manila.




A couple of Tagaytay jeepneys left over from my earlier Tagaytay articles.



Over the years, I have been very fortunate to have been permitted to visit a few places not normally accessible to the public, mostly due to friendships made in the various rail organisations and local railfan community.

One of these times was a visit to the Port of Manila to view the unloading of the new Rotem Railcars for the 'Philippine National Railways'.

Ship HO MAO (it's fourth name) is a bulk carrier that was built in 1985 at Hakodate in Japan.
Believed to still be in use.


The SEIYO SPIRIT is a general cargo vessel built back in 1995.
At time of typing this, she was still in service and currently in Sandakan, Malaysia.


This is one of the trucks used for hauling the new railcars from the port to the railway yard at Tutuban. While the railways did serve the port, the line fell out of use in the very early 2000s and had become unusable by this time.


The massive ship ASIAN KING, built in 1998 and designated a vehicles carrier, was the ship that brought the new railcars from South Korea.


One of a few second hand buses from Korea that were sitting on the wharf awaiting delivery to their new owners.



The famous (for both good and bad reasons) Philippine Kalesa is a common sight around the Ermita and Luneta Park areas.
 Always colourfully decorated, they are a great way to have a look around the local area. However, ensure you confirm the price a few times before getting on board and don't get conned into any of those 'special extra trip' offers.
Oh, and triple confirm that the price if for the whole group, so it does not change mid-journey too per person.
While looking for information to place in this article, I was surprised that the Jeepney, which inherited the colourful look of the Kalesa, was once referred to as the "auto calesa" back in the 40s.


Nene partaking in one of the most boring jobs imaginable, going through piles and piles of rice separating rice husks from the more edible parts.
A job that no doubt takes an amazing amount of patience, something I lack greatly.


Back to Manila Port for a moment, where I took a photo of this unusual number plate.
Again, while googling for this post, I managed to work out that it is from Palau, an island country in the western Pacific Ocean.
Whatever the vehicle was, and sadly I didn't get a photo, it must have been imported on another ship at some stage.


This is a group I set up in 1999 to meet other railfans with an interest in Philippine railways.
Over the years it has grown immensely, and now covers many areas of transportation there. However, railways remain our primary theme.
I usually have catch-ups with local friends during each of my visits.



 A few more shots taken along the Tagaytay - Santa Rosa Road.




Silang, a municipality in the province of Cavite, was founded in 1917.
It is passed through when travelling between Tagaytay and Santa Rosa.
It is located on the eastern side of Cavite, which is how it got it's name, coming from the Tagalog word 'silanganan', which means, not surprisingly, 'eastern'.



 An ancient old Isuzu TD series truck formerly used by the 'Philippine National Railways'. It is believed to have been acquired in October 1977 and was the last in the operators truck fleet that still numbered 25 vehicles in 1988.
The area has been cleared out for a new elevated roadway, it has since gone to god.


Truck is visible in the background of this image. Via Mark Chua.
Philippine Railway Historical Society Group.


Old cutting courtesy of Gorio Belen.
Philippine Railway Historical Society Group.

My two nieces, and stars of the 'Semi-Retired Foamer Youtube Channel', partaking in the fun park rides at SM Fairview.
This was always a fun family place, so it was quite disappointing to find that it had been removed in recent years.


Nothing compares to the feeling of being on approach to Manila Airport.


A popular pastime in the Philippines, like a few other countries around the world, is the cockfight. Great care is taken with their prize champions.
Beautiful looking creatures, until they start screaming out at 4am, after some two hours sleep after a big night out.
By 4.10am, my thoughts start turning to Chicken Adobo for that nights dinner, and the solution to 4am the next morning.


Travelling Manila in a jeepney is far better than any limo.


Well, that's todays random selection over and done with.
Sorry there was no real theme to this one, however I had to do something with all this guff.

Till next time.


A big thanks to the following for their help:
Victor Agbulos, Gorio Belen, Dirk Paul Celoso, Mark Chua (PRHS), Bamba Florentino, Shang Gow, Joubert Tan


Other Blog Posts Of Interest.