Miss Iggy at the Cafe Mezzanine

Different kinds of siopao, among other gustatory delights

Cafe Mezzanine, the Volunteer Fireman's Coffee Shop, is located at Ongpin corner Nueva Streets in Binondo, Manila.  

The placemat has a name game you can play while waiting for your order to arrive.

The little line at the bottom reads "Part of the revenue of Cafe Mezzanine will be donated to Binondo Volunteer Fire Search & Rescue Brigade."  Cool!

Schoolgirl Iggy had lunch here.  She was very hungry, so...

...she had camaron rebosado (shrimp coated with flour-and-egg batter and then fried), asado (thin slices of roast marinated pork loin), and pata tim (braised pork hocks)!

oh, and her favorite sauteed mushrooms, too!

Miss Iggy was so full, her tummy had no space for dessert anymore!  Next time, she thought, I'll save some space for ice cream!

Egg-citing Time in Albany

 

Miss Iggy found herself once again in New York's capital: Albany. She had more time to roam around, and the weather was perfect.  Here she is by The Egg, so-called because of its half-eggshell shape. It's located at the Empire State Plaza and is a popular venue for conventions, concerts, and special performances.

Speaking of eggs, this post comes at a time when there is currently a salmonella outbreak in the States due to some bad eggs being sold in supermarkets. Make sure you cook your eggs thoroughly! Here's the list of recalled eggs by brand and box numbers!

miss iggy rides the pasig ferry

miss iggy wants you to guess where she is. Hullo from Hulo!

miss iggy brandishing tickets. one for her minder and one for her, of course.

tada! she's going on a river cruise! stay afloat miss iggy!

miss iggy boarded m/v pasig also known as the pasig river ferry to see what's it like to cruise down pasig river. it's totally a world different from what we normally see when we travel by road or track in the metropolis. miss iggy recommends you try it some time.

she saw a tugboat graveyard of some sort:

and a whole lot of other live boats such as these:

she learned that the old rubber wheels on the side act as bumpers for when the boat is docking.



for the passengers' safety, there are life vests under the seats:

and an emergency stop:

in a good 30 minutes or so, miss iggy found herself in manila. and here she is under the quiapo bridge:

is all lovely, her cruise, miss iggy says. but the river still needs a lot of help:

murky river is murky.

Pretty Painted Parasols

Miss Iggy wants to show you the colorful gallery of painted parasols on the ceiling of Taoyuan Airport's (Taipei) duty-free area! She saw these last June.

If only she could pluck one out for a souvenir! 

But of course, she can only crane her neck and admire the artful paper umbrellas! 

Miss Iggy & The Flower Rangers

Is this Petal Hero? Floral Version of Rock Band? Miss Iggy was curious.

These colorful characters welcomed travelers at Taipei's Taoyuan Airport. They're the mascots for Taipei's International Flora Exposition which will start on November 6th this year. The horticultural expo is said to feature a theme of “Rivers, Flowers, New Horizons.” The Expo will include 14 exhibition halls, each with its own unique style, spread across an area of 91.8 hectares, all dedicated to showcasing notable achievements in horticulture, science, and environmental protection technology."

The mascots are actually "flower fairies" representing the changing of the seasons in harmony with the rhythm of nature, hence forming this "flower band." Aren't they horticulturally cute?

Go, go, Flower Rangers!

weekend by the pool

The rainy season didn't stop Schoolgirl Iggy from going for a swim at Canyon Cove Beach Club in Nasugbu, Batangas.

the sky was a bit overcast, so miss schoolgirl iggy wasn't too worried about getting a bad tan.

swim trips are never complete without an underwater camera! seen here is a snap sights reusable film camera that can go to a depth of 25 feet.

canyon cove's playground looks very inviting too!  

they made sure to put on sunblock before lounging on the deck chairs.

after lunch, iggy went up to her room for some siesta. this is the view from her balcony!

this is the life!