Smokey Fashion for People
Natalie, a fellow AYAD has been busy establishing 'Smokey: Fashion for People'. This week she launched the Smokey
website with information on their range of clothing. Please check out the site and let me or her know if you want to order any of their great clothes. And please link their site to yours to spread the word!
'Smokey – Fashion for People' is a funky new label coming out of the back streets of Manila. orking together with emerging Australian fashion designers, the Smokey Mountain community is producing exciting poverty-busting urban designs with an ethical edge. For more information email us on
smokeyfashion@gmail.comYou can read more about Nat's earlier exerience
here in my blog archives.
Smokey Mountain visit
A few weeks ago we headed out to Nat's work at Smokey Mountain for an awards ceremony. They had held a t-shirt art-work competition for the residents at Smokey so that they could sell them to VIPs and tourists who come out to view the community. It was a great chance to see the infamous Smokey Mountain and just where Nat worked.
Smokey Mountain. To the left is the rubbish dump - you can see how close the units have been built next to the dumpsite. 
Nat with her fellow judges announcing the winners.
Some dancers who entertained us during the awards ceremony.
One of the gorgeous girls at Smokey. Despite some of their living conditions the people are so warm and friendly!
This little girl 'Angel' was one of the dancers during the ceremony. She just didn't want to let go of Sally!
More lovely people from Smokey.
A cheeky boy who just loved having his photo taken. The kids especially liked having their photo taken when they were showed the pictures afterwards. Smokey in the background.
Smokey's neighbours are also not so well off - cardboard and tin make up their housing and there is a permanent odour in the air - not sure if this is still from Smokey, from the river you can't quite see in this photo - or from Manila Bay docks which are to the right of this pic.
Mom's visit - Siquijor
Mommy and Liss arrived late on a warm Pilipino evening on the 14th of Feb to a crowded airport. It was great to see them. After a late night we woke up to a lovely grey Manila day. Their first day, after a brief and annoying detour to Malate to try and pick up some plan tickets, I took them for a brief walk along the picturesque (**cough, splutter**) Manila Bay and made friends with the local wildlife (beach cockroaches). Then it was over to Makati – where there aren’t as many cockroaches to lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in Manila– People’s Palace. We are lots of yummy, fresh Thai food before hitting the shopping! We toured through the 4 counter-joining malls of Greenbelt, Landmark, Glorietta and SM where momma found one of her favourite brands - Kipling. Being good and purchasing only 1 bag, we then took the train to Greenhills – a big market close to our house. Mum and Melissa went slightly crazy J before heading home for a rest.
The next morning we were up bright and early at 4 am to catch a flight down to Siquijor. Siquijor is known for its ‘mysticism’ and witch-doctors. Somewhat disappointingly, we didn’t see any during our time there.
We spent 4 nights at CoCo Grove resort, a lovely little resort on the south west side of the island. After a taxi, plane, ferry and car ride we arrived to our welcome drinks of fresh watermelon juice – and set about immediately relaxing (after some annoying conversations with Philippine Airlines!!). We went for a walk along the beach, had a swim in the pool and took a kayak out on the water for a while. We then settled in next to the pool for the evening with gin and tonics, caprioskas and a pack of uno cards.
Manila has fostered a growth spurt in Emily
The next day we got off to a bit of a slow start – with fruit shakes, banana pancakes, Spanish omelets and American bacon. We then hired bicycles and went for a short ride along the quiet roads of south western Siquijor. As with many places in the Visayas, the local people were very friendly and would wave, yell out hello and of course stare as we rode past. We started searching for a beach that was supposed to be really beautiful and after a couple of dead ends – we think we may possibly have found it . . .but we’re not quite sure! It was nice though to spend the morning riding around.
At about 3, Neil arrived and joined us in lazing by the pool. We had a late lunch and set in early with the drinks. After 5 o’clock massages, a few swims in the pool, and of course a few drinks we had another nice dinner on the beach. That evening we enjoyed an extremely enjoyable game of cards with Neil.
The next day we headed out on motorbikes to explore the island. Motorbikes are a great way to get around on the islands down in the Visayas. You are able to see how people spend their days and stop wherever you want. And you see a lot more than you normally would in a bus. Our first destination was an old church of which there are plenty scattered around the islands. Then was a quick dip at the local waterfalls, and then we rode up to the highest point on the island. Unfortunately there were clouds everywhere so we didn’t get to see a whole lot, but it was a strange and eerie change from the areas around the coastline. After a lunch break we braved the rain for a few hours trying to get back to our accommodation! We were well and truly soaked through by the time we got home!
