6

memoirs of a fish-a

i was trying to scour my photo archives for a "funny photo" to possibly enter at hallmark cards' "yourbloopers card" contest (open only to legal U.S. residents), where you can upload a funny photo, add funny text, and compete for $2,500 plus the chance for your card to be sold at hallmark stores. deadline for submissions is on february 1st.

well, i found this rather confusing sign at the fishport town of estancia in iloilo, philippines from my vacation last february 2008. i took a photo of it because of the funny engrish-ness of the message. please look closely:



"memoirs from estancia with love & fish to haunt you"

i only came there to buy dried fish to take back to the states, but i certainly didn't dream of having danggit nightmares...or be haunted by one of these. haha. i can't enter this photo in the hallmark contest...it's not universally "funny" enough. also, i'm not sure if this can count as a valentine card or a halloween card.

wikipedia tells me that estancia is known as the "alaska of the philippines." interesting. i didn't know that. alaska governor sarah palin probably doesn't, too.



aside from its fishport identity, estancia is also a pier. i remember going to my province of capiz through this very pier as a kid on summer vacations, on ships from long ago that sailed oh-so-slowly--it took more than 24 hours to get there from manila. also, the trip would always include sea turbulence at some point, usually when everyone was trying to get a good night's sleep. the ship would tilt at almost a 45-degree angle at sea, i consider it a miracle surviving each voyage.



from estancia, we would ride a jeepney to capiz--the kind of jeepneys that allowed passengers to sit on the rooftops. the roads were also unpaved so the women wore head scarves more for protection against dust than as a fashion accessory.

times have changed now. there are public utility vans that regularly ply the estancia-roxas route, and flying domestically has become more affordable. when i went to estancia last year, it was unusually rainy, so the dried fish weren't that abundant or superb.

until my next fish-shopping visit, thanks for the memoir-worthy photos, estancia! fish be with you!

6 vandalized my wall:

Sidney said...

Indeed a very funny advertisement...maybe their fish is so good that it will haunt you once you have eaten them all?

fortuitous faery said...

that's an interesting way of interpreting it...but i don't think food and hauntings should go together...haha.

Sreisaat said...

I have never been to Estancia! Maybe worth a visit next time. I have the same experience with slow-boats - pero subong may Superferry na!

fortuitous faery said...

you're right, zj...superferry is so much better! pero dugay na ako kasakay sa superferry nga barko...hehe.

ang amon banwa (pilar) is close to estancia...around 20 minutes...and we're used to buying our dried fish there. if we're in roxas, we buy from there, too.

Marites said...

Hmm...hindi ba Capiz is the Seafood capital of the Philippines? Wow! tsosyal! Alaska of the Phils ang Estancia. Natawa ako sa Engrish ng ads hehehe!

fortuitous faery said...

tama ka, marites! nakakamiss nga ang pagkain sa capiz.

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