Direct to the Supplier - Ochando, Philippines.
Easily one of the coolest parts about spending time in a fishing village is waking up early as the catch comes in to not only witness the day’s harvest, but also pick up some fresh fish. When we talk about food being fresh and organic here in the West, nothing truly compares to meat, fish and produce being collected and prepared in your own backyard!
Seen here: my aunts, cousins and I waking up at 4am to leave by 5am in order to walk to the various fishing stations as the catch comes in before the wholesalers arrive to pick up fish for distribution at the local markets. These local fishermen will actually spend the entire night (somewhere between 9pm and 5am) catching fish for the next day.
The best part about waking up this early to pick up fish? Not only do you get the best pick of the litter, but you also avoid mark-up prices since you’re going direct to the supplier; skipping out on the middle man. We actually picked up two lofty bags of fish for a mere $25 CAD; where as something like this in Canada would have easily cost us closer to $60-80 CAD.
Fun fact: I initially thought that the young boys in the photos might have been trainees learning to become future fishermen. Turns out, during this time, it was summer break so this was more of a bonding experience for the kids and their dads while they were out of school. Talk about an epic summer adventure!
-never forget: there’s an entire world outside of your own world.
