Evening Rush hour
A visual story by Ubo Pakes
My name is Ubo Pakes and I am Dutch national living and working in Cebu City for more than 10 years now. I moved to the Philippines in 2008 and photography became a way for me of getting to know the Philippines better. Observing the world around me through my camera is a great way to remain curious of the area where I now live and the many differences between my home country, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. Photography turned out to be a great way to be in contact with society, learning parts of the language and the customs of the big city and surrounding province.
My interests are mainly in documenting the lives of ordinary people in all facets of daily life. Living and working in a big metropolitan area like Cebu City has set my on the people who are working and living a big part of their lives on the streets of the City. I think my style is a bit in between street and documentary photography. A few years ago I traded my DLSR in for a small mirrorless camera and since then, wherever I go, my camera goes and I feel that this really improved my photography. I travel a lot and I have taken many nice shots while waiting in airports, from a taxi and so..
A few years ago, I noticed that around five o'clock food stalls suddenly occupy the sidewalk near the campus. At that time, I contributed that to the absence of police after 5 pm. When my wife had a number of evening meetings in downtown Cebu, I took the opportunity to go around downtown Cebu City in the Philippines. A new world opened for me in a City I thought I knew.
What I realized is that there is a whole temporary business in the Philippines during the evening rush hour. Between, say five and eight, people commute home. For many this is the time to have a quick bite or relax before diving into the heavy traffic. For some, it is may be the only time of the day to relax a little. Others relax with a beer and some karaoke or something spicier in the red-light district.
Vendors know this and suddenly all kinds of small stalls and food carts take over the streets. They set up shop in front of the stores that just closed. In a short time, there are loads of people getting on and off the jeepneys, buying things or grabbing a quick bite from the many food stalls. At the same time, traffic is at its busiest with cars, jeepneys and motorbikes clogging the streets.
The city at night is a different place. The people and traffic, busy and quiet corners, colors, light and dark areas makes the city come to life in a different way. A city you need to learn to love again. A city that presents you with many new images once you get to know her.
