Ormoc market in Leyte

Ormoc Market Leyte Philippines Shopping at the market around Christmas time in Ormoc is an adventure in itself. The holiday season is a mad time of year anywhere in the Philippines where they start preparing for Christmas around Sept 1. Many Filipinos are overseas foreign workers and they come home to the Philippines in droves to spend time with their families at that time. It can be difficult to get boat and airplane tickets but there is usually no problem on the bus because you just keep piling more and more people on top of each other. Just when you think not another person can fit in the aisle, a couple of chicharon vendors will force themselves through the crowd selling pork rinds. The main Ormoc market is near the docks where vegetables, oranges and lechon manok and lehon baboy are sold. (roast chicken and pork)  A whole chicken goes for around 130 pesos and the lechon baboy or pig is around 230 to 240 pesos a kilo. A big favorite is the skin. You can take the whole roast or have them chop it up into bits bones and all.They do the same thing with the chicken. The dock for the fast ferrys to Cebu is right there and the pump boats to the provinces leave from the seawall too. I saw a few herds of goats brought ashore but it seems that live animals are not usually sold at this market. Most of the roast pig was done elsewhere and brought in whole to the kiosks to be cut and sold. Carinderias and other fast food is available but there are only local eateries in the market area. A huge jeepney terminal under one roof has transport to most of the provinces or small towns in the hills around Ormoc. Somehow everything seems to work but it appears pretty random at first glance. 2007   www.dutchpickle.com

 

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