Bikes.bikes.handicrafts

Finally got my pics here. I wanted to posts many pictures here but I still don’t have my own digital camera. Nothing to worry though since it’s number 2 on my list come December. The one thing that I would like for myself is a new mountain bike. I saw a good-looking one in the market a week ago. The bike looks good and from the way it was displayed I was sure that the two-wheeled drive (naks!) is pricey. The bike is hanging on the ceiling and when I asked the attendant how much that cost, she replied that the bike cost 35,000.00. Whoa. Retreat. Even if I have that kind of money for a bike, I still won’t get it. I checked out the other store and yes, their most valuable bike is hanged as well. At least the red one cost 8,000.00 and that’s within my budget. So thanks Rach for taking this picture. I will be using this one on my site’s header. Other pictures will follow, but before that I have to finish first my writing gigs. Seagrass handicraft and abaca handicraft can wait. I will focus first on my writing gigs. The pic on the left is just one of the many seagrass handicraft products that we produce here.More to come later.

Weaving tradition continues

For more than twenty years, I knew this abaca/seagrass and bancuan business. It all started in 1987 and this was our family’s main source of income. This grew into a stable small-scale business that offered a source of income for many families. These families harvested the materials and the materials are often weaved into small baskets and mats. The materials that are commonly used are the seagrass, or more commonly known as the ‘agas’ or the ‘bariw’. These materials are actually grasses that usually grow on rice fields. These are tall and slender green grasses and the ‘body’ of these grasses look like triangular in nature. The top and the bottom part of these grasses are cut and the stalks are dried. When dried the color of the grasses will turn from green to white or pale green in color. These grasses are stored in bultos of 5000 leaves or stalks. These are the materials that are weaved into many hand-woven creations and the source of income for many families.