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| Bobong, our motorcycle dude. |
Like a Filipino town name, the etymological origins of the
skylab (a motorcycle with a plank to accommodate a life-threatening amount of passengers) are numerous. My sister-in-law, who grew up in Mindanao, says that it is a contraction of "
sakay, lab" ("ride, love"), a driver's holler to potential female passengers.
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| Some rubber strips to secure baggage... |
Others say it is named after the Skylab satellite that fell to the earth during the 70s. And so on, and so forth.
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| ... or squish it, as they did our vegetables. |
Unfortunately, the most boring explanation is usually true. In this case, the
Skylab was a brand of tuk-tuk from northern Thailand. The local incarnation has neither the roof nor the paltry safety features of the Thai version, but is fun. Take a cue: more terrain-versatile, cheap, modifiable (according to load) vehicles are in order.
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| The ride. |
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| A skylab, not quite fully loaded yet. |
National Day of Sweden last June 6. Dat yellow cross flag be everywhere in Stockholm.
(A previous jeepney ceiling post can be found here .) Retro space ship (or cheap motel)style. Shiny mirrors, a little television screen.
Green mango peels look like attacking octopi. Dyed quailettes. Too small to survive. Red balloons. Oranges from China. A duck seat. An old a...
Ten peso empanadas... And the husband of the woman who makes them. Drying fish. Drying peanuts.