Just A Thought: On Flea Markets and Haggling

On Flea Markets and Haggling

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Welcome to the Philippines! The tricks of the trade...

Along the streets of Manila, I journeyed through Escolta and the famous 168 Shopping Mall. It was a rainy afternoon here in the Philippines and everything seemed gloomy, traffic was really bad, and streets were flooded. These conditions didn't stop me to get what I want today and to stay on the right track with my blog writing.

If you get to come here in the Philippines, visit The Original Savory Restaurant located at the foot of Jones Bridge just at the tip of Escolta. Escolta is the street parallel to Pasig River, you wouldn't miss it! This Restaurant serves the best Chinese dishes but when you get there please, please, please do order their famous savory chicken! It's a simple whole fried chicken served with the most delicious gravy mangkok/bowl (not boat, cause that's how we roll here in the Philippines) that can serve as a soup for your hungry stomachs.

I have nothing else to say and I'm not here to give you the history of the place but many famous people, even politicians came to visit this place because of these god damn chickens! You better try it for yourself!

Ahh yes, after lunch...

168 Mall. This place has been one of the business districts of Manila. You can find almost anything in this place but the trick is having patience in your pockets at all times. Getting lost, is NORMAL. Everything you see, every place you get in to, every short stops, they look the same not until you notice the small signs hanging on their ceilings for directions. Information centers are USELESS, you just need your INTUITION to go around.

SHOOOOPPPPIINNNGGG!!!

Ultimately the goal for today was to shop for, Taaadahhh! Nothing in particular. Whatever I laid my eyes on would do. haha. I guess that material-girl thing kicked in for the day. If you go there and you have a list of "to-buy" things it wouldn't work. Everywhere you look there are bargains, people window shopping, shopping, haggling, barking this and that! So the moment you get to see that stuff you like HAGGLE, BITE, and BUY!

HAGGLE and say yes I want this but the other store offered this much for this and so on. BITE the moment the price is in your range. BUY, no more second thoughts, just pick it out, after all every store inside the place sells the same things just at different prices and with different people marketing.

The results...

After 4 hours of going around the mall, window shopping haggling with different people, getting lost, and finding my way again, I was able to buy 7 pairs of shorts, a long summer dress, shirts, and yeah a whole lot more. Php 700 was my total. Who knew? A good deal for someone like me who loves cheap finds. I didn't have to go to those fancy malls to shop for those things. Girls, this place is your SHOPPING DREAMLAND! You can find cheap clothes, bags, and accessories all over the place with the same quality that you can find in shopping malls or trendy stores. You just need patience, a set of comfy clothes, and a water bottle to go around the whole 7 floors of that building.

What I thought?

I guess everybody knows Metro Manila, Philippines, though the place is polluted and traffic is really bad, in my opinion this is the place where "real" Filipinos are. Where everyone thrives in their own natural habitat. It's a vast area where you can explore the history of the Philippines in a subtle or a harsh way, depending on perception.

This is where you can see that "real life" that adults are talking about all the time. No sugar coats; not a single bit of pretense. This is where you will see the real state of the Filipino Society. This place is where you will see true lack and true abundance coexisting perfectly. The workings of businessmen, hard workers, bums, pick-pockets, drivers, and elite collide in one big area where they have the same goals in mind: To be happy.

Everybody wants to be happy, whether emotionally, spiritually, mentally, but you have to agree with me when I say that these things are imperceptible? That it would take a lot of time, a lot of energy, and a lot of focus to get to that state of perfect balance?

Physically happy. I believe that this is the easiest to attain when you have the resources to get what you want with just a simple glance, point of your finger, and the need to have that which you want. When we want something, we strive to get it at all cost. We label it in our heads as a "want" all the time to motivate us, to make us do more, and to help us get that achievement.

Going through the streets of Manila, seeing the poverty around me, I just felt really lucky. Money is always in my pocket, I get to spend it at will. Seeing through the faces of those people who want to earn and/or beg to earn somewhat made me feel guilty that I am spending my money for the things that I just "want" and not "need," like those people do.

Life is one big bargain. Haggling our way in is the challenge to attain that happiness we have always dreamed of in our minds. What I learned is that not everyone gets the chance to be lucky and when luck is in our hands we just need to hold it dearly and accept that at any moment it can slip away.

Just A Thought

On Flea Markets and Haggling

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