September 1, 2010

Narrow opening

THEME DAY: OPEN AIR MARKET • Alright, I'm cheating a bit for the City Daily Photo theme day today. Metro Manila has several well-organized upscale weekend markets nowadays (markets where rich people don't mind being seen at), but I was too lazy to go out on a Sunday morning just to take pictures since it's the one day in the week when I don't have to wake up early for work. So here is a view of a quite unintentional open-air market: an alley in Manila's Chinatown in Binondo. Contrary to what its narrow, busy streets look like, Binondo has one of the highest land values in the metro. So it is hardly surprising that stores and vendors use every available space to set up their merchandise, and that includes alleys and sidewalks.

alley with market stalls in Manila's Chinatown


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29 comments:

arabesque said...

is this in carvajal?! ^0^
although, a bit pricey, this is a one stop shop to the fil-chi community. ^0^
and i think the shot is perfect.

Chattahoochee Valley Daily said...

Interesting shot. It fits the sterotypical Manilla street scene of my mind.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great place to learn news, meet friends ... peaceful. Please have a good new month.

daily athens

Halcyon said...

This looks like a really nice market. I bet you can find some interesting stuff there!

Reena said...

sandali, so you went to binondo? did you take the pasig ferry ride like what we did before? :) hehe.

nice shots! i was afraid to take out my camera during my trip there. i was so paranoid. haha

Virginia said...

Hilda,
I can imagine how wonderful the street markets are in your wonderful city. I'd love to experience them.
V

Randy said...

Glad you chose this one. Looks like an interesting market.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

a very tight fit for a market. but these alleyway markets can be fun and they bustle with activity. I hope all is well

George said...

I like your photo of the street market. It brings back memories of the markets I saw in China.

escape said...

Anthony Bourdain walked through that alley. we tried the palabok in one of the shops there.

Jilly said...

You've captured so wonderfully the life of a busy market. Love it, Hilda!

Chuck Pefley said...

Reminds me a bit of Chinatown in San Francisco.
Can't say that I blame you for not wanting to go out early on your one day of rest -:)

Cezar and Léia said...

A busy day in the market!Cool shot!
Léia

Jazzy said...

great gathering place.
happy theme day!

Anonymous said...

Great atmosphere, looks a very lively place.

lewi14@gmail.com said...

Looks like busy market. Very nice shot for this theme day.

Mike Rose said...

Hilda it looks so like Thailand! I thought it was just Thais that could use every available inch of space(whether they own it or not).

VP said...

People at the market aren't so much different around the world: almost everywhere you find the same poses and the same attitudes.

Birdman said...

That slash of sky adds a lot.

Mo said...

I love the food markets in Asia. What dud you buy on this day?

EG CameraGirl said...

Cool shot, Hilda. And hey! I don't blame you for wanting to sleep in. :)

B SQUARED said...

I get the impression that the rich are the same everywhere.

mia said...

I haven't been to Salcedo Market ever. I find that I just can't muster up enough energy to wake up early just for that. But I hope to drop by one of these days! I wanna sample the food! :)

Rob Siemann said...

It's a market street without a roof, therefore it is an open air market, no? Enjoy your lay in on sundays!

Francisca said...

Are you telling me you live closer to Binondo than Salcedo, Hilda? I dread driving into Binondo as the traffic snarls are just too outrageous around there. But the vegetables are the best in Metro Manila. Anyway, you managed a great market shot. :-)

Bergson said...

no men in your market ??

Rob said...

narrow street markets are perfect for photography

Louis la Vache said...

«Louis» finds it interesting that Chinatown markets all seem to share certain characteristics world-wide. This one could have just as easily been in Oakland or San Francisco, California...

Tussy said...

Your view and mine are quite similar, sorry that I visit yours so late. :)