Local Night

(by Madison Schwartz)

One of the most rewarding and unique aspects of traveling is the opportunity to interact with the local population. While it might seem intimidating at first, spending a night hanging out with some of the locals rather than just within your “circle” often presents some incredibly interesting and unique opportunities.

Because I know firsthand just how much fun a “local night” can be, I find myself often seeking them out, rather than letting them find me. This particular local night started, as nights often do, with that magical incantation: “I think I’m going to have an easy night, maybe just one beer and then bed”. Once you have uttered these words, you have essentially guaranteed that you will be out until after sunrise, and the night will be incredibly epic (I don’t know the science behind it, but it’s true. Trust me.).

Being the fast food gourmet that I am, I was excited to dine at one of the Philippines’ many delicious pizza chains (insert ad for Yellow Cab Pizza). However, Bertus, my colleague and good friend suggested that perhaps we should instead try what he called “the most random BBQ place ever”. Well, I like my pizza, but I also like my random, so we rounded up the group, and off we went to “random BBQ place”.

Well, it certainly delivered on the random, and was what I would describe as a BBQ circus. About 50 or 60 BBQ stalls surrounding a giant big top circus tent, all selling delicious meat (as an alternative to meat, meat was also served), and cheap beer. So we filled up on cheap local food, and beer, a much more satisfying experience than pizza, I must admit, and it was about this time that the group of Filipinos a few tables away, and our group decided to become one.

Interacting with local Filipinos is incredibly fun, because they love to joke, generally speak better English than you do, and often have a few very talented musicians in their midst, this crew was no exception. We swapped English songs for Tagalog ones, Bertus and I both trying to keep up in the guitar and singing department, all the while filling the table with more and more San Miguel beer bottles. Another interesting phenomena with locals is that you must often fight very hard to buy the next round, as they always seem to sneak away to get more drinks and food before you can. Filipino hospitality, much like Thai hospitality, is pretty much endless.

As the night went on, the conversation shifted to politics, our new friends were both surprised and delighted that we were following the results of their recent Presidential election. When we expressed our hope that the frontrunner, NoyNoy Aquino would win, Bertus and I were presented with bracelets for  NoyNoy’s campaign, emblazoned with the slogan “The Filipino is worth dying for” (this phrase also appears on the 500 peso bill), I was honoured.

We drank more beer, told jokes and stories, they asked about Canada, and we asked about the Philippines. Everyone in the group was having an awesome time. At some point, Bertus was asked what his favorite Filipino food was, and his reply, Fish Kinilaw, resulted in my most random and unique experience of the night. A quick phone call, resulted in a new friend arriving by scooter, and I was told (to the jealous looks of my friends), that I was going to the night fish market to buy the fish we’d need. So off we went through the streets of Cebu, cruising on a scooter wearing helmets which made me reminisce about my first bicycle as a child (“very safe my friend”).

When we arrived at the fish market, I was floored by the size of the place, it was also immediately clear from the stares and pictures that I was the only westerner in the whole market. My friend, Waray, explained that the market opens at midnight each day, and closes at 5 am when the fishermen go back out to sea. It is the seafood wholesaler for the entire area. After touring the whole market, we bough our fish for our Kinilaw, and Waray decided it might also be fun to tour the adjacent butcher’s market, it was; I even got to try my hand at butchering, which I will gladly leave to the professionals. By this time, the sun was beginning to come up, and I figured I should get back to my friends in the group. We put our bike helmets on and sped back to random BBQ place, where our friends waited.

Bertus explained that we were true locals, as they no longer made us pay the 2 pesos (about 6 cents) to use the bathroom. After a long goodbye, and a promise that we would be back the following weekend to attend Waray’s son’s birthday party, Bertus, myself, and the remaining group members left random BBQ place and headed back to our guesthouse. Of course, the next day was a travel day, as it often seems to be after the biggest of nights. But spirits were high as I regaled the crew with my tales from the fish-market, and bragged about my new bracelet. Everyone agreed that random BBQ place would be our first stop upon our return to Cebu, after all, we’re now regulars.

So the next time you see a group of locals, take a chance, go say hi, more often than not it will provide with a unique adventure, and an understanding that no matter where you are in the world, good, fun people will always attract more good, fun people.