Northern Exposure - Part 2

the ukay-ukay is very famous here in manila. you see a lot of stalls that have a banner outside proclaiming they're an authentic ukay-ukay outlet. but i believe that the original ukay-ukay concept came from baguio. also known as wagwagan, this is where you'll find clothes, shoes, bags, toys and believe it or not, underwear for sale. the items are either second-hand, slightly used (underwear, slightly-used? uh, i'll pass...), brand new, maybe even from customs. a lot of people have found items that are truly a bargain (imagine an authentic - i suspect class a - ralph lauren handbag goin' for a hundred bucks!!!). that is if you have enough patience, stamina and perseverance to go from stall to stall, floor to floor and literally dig thru heaps or boxes of items to get those fashion finds.

i was so tempted to take pictures of the bayanihan ukay-ukay (THE place for ukay-ukay stalls according to the taxi driver and rose's friend) but my camera might end up in one of the stores so, never mind. we were also advised that 3 - 4 p.m. is the most ideal time to go to the ukay-ukay since that's when the goods turn up (read: bagsakan ng mga tinda).

so, at the bayanihan building (yes, it's a building!) we started our treasure hunt for items that might catch our fancy. what i didn't know was that aileen wanted to update or add some pieces to her wardrobe thus, the ukay-ukay was where she really wanted to go. i on the otherhand, was there for the experience. now i can truly say that i've seen and gone through the ukay-ukay! :)) after stalls and stalls and a couple of floors, it's off to the hilltop area for more ukay-ukay finds. hilltop is like the palengke but along the street, it's not just the vegetables and fruits that take centerstage. look for all the cots lined up laden with shirts, bags, track suits, jackets and all that stuff...

aileen purchased a couple of items, rona and rose got a bag and i, well, i really didn't get anything - i couldn't find anything that i wanted. so, we decided to go somewhere else...we found ourselves in a taxi going to camp john hay...

now, Camp John Hay is a place that i often hear about from our good friend T. they always stayed at the manor in CJH. unfortunately, we couldn't explore CJH as we should've. we were a bit tired and it was almost evening so we settled for the butterfly sanctuary, then the el rancho resto and the filling station.


(l-r: rona and rose beside the entrance, a goddess in the middle of the sanctuary and, before you leave the sanctuary, the caretaker allows you to pose with 2 or 3 butterflies that "cling" to you while you take a picture. here, it's rose's turn...)


(l-r: rose and rona posing beside the wishing well at el rancho, the signage that beckons you to savor the oh-so delicious strawberry and ice cream concoctions they have...)

our stomachs still wanted to have dinner even if we just had so much strawberries, mangoes and ice cream. so, it was off to Cafe By The Ruins.

Cafe by the Ruins is known for their coffee and scrumptuous bread (their hot chocolate is good too!). unfortunately, i had neither since i wanted rice for dinner. but i do vow to have that when i return ...

(l-r: one of their delicious salads, the baguio bounty - alfalfa sprouts, shrimps, chicken, bananas, mangoes and of course strawberries!!!; for my main course i tried their longanisang hubad...there's also mountain rice - like brown rice - and an egg..)

tummies content, body weary from all that walking, we go home and rest for tomorrow is a long day...