This photograph is from April 17th, 2024 and was captured somewhere in Zambales, Central Luzon, Philippines. It’s an icebox containing yellowfin tuna at a local fish market.

I got to visit the Philippines for the first time with my mom. We have relatives in the Manilla metro area, and wow(owee) did the filipino fam bring the hospitality. After taking a detour east of the city to Mount Daraitan, we headed north to the Province of Zambales where my mom’s side of the family is from.

One highlight was at a beachfront resort. The resort connected us with a snorkel guide and my aunt talked them into taking me ashore to the local town’s fish market.

We were supposed to stay longer, but cut the resort trip short; I was afflicted by a nasty stomach bug earlier in the week that lopped off a couple travel days. Treatment included a regiment of Tums, Imodium, cranberry juice, and raw garlic 🥳 I’d also been taking a colostrum supplement as a preventative, although I’m not entirely sure if I can recommend it. Tums has a permanent place in my toiletries bag.