wandering through roxas city with sticky fingers and bad wifi

the sun was already low and i still hadn't eaten when i rolled into roxas city, capiz. not the most glamorous arrival-i was sticky from a long bus ride, my shirt clinging to my back like a second skin. but that's the thing about travel, right? the messy bits make the stories worth telling.

i just checked and it's 24.4°C there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the humidity though? brutal. 91%. my hair turned into a lion's mane within minutes. locals barely seemed to notice, moving through the heat like it was just another Tuesday.

*first stop: baybay beach.

not the whitest sand i've seen, but the seafood stalls lining the shore? chef's kiss. i overheard someone say the oysters here are so fresh they practically jump onto your plate. i believed it after one bite. cheap, messy, and unforgettable.

"if you're not eating oysters at baybay, you're doing roxas wrong," a sunburned fisherman told me while slurping down a dozen.

i spent the afternoon wandering the public market, dodging puddles and motorbikes. the vendors were quick to laugh, especially when i fumbled with my bisaya. one woman handed me a free mango slice just for trying. kindness in the chaos.

if you get bored, iloilo and boracay are just a short drive away, but honestly? roxas deserves more than a layover. the vibe here is slower, saltier, and way less filtered than the tourist traps up north.

random overheard tip: "don't leave without trying the batchoy at that hole-in-the-wall near the plaza. looks sketchy, tastes like heaven."

i took that advice and nearly cried into my soup. simple, fatty, perfect.

random fact dropped by a tricycle driver: roxas city is the "seafood capital of the philippines." sounded like marketing fluff until i ate my weight in crab.

pro tip:* bring cash. most of the good spots don't take cards, and the ATMs are as rare as a quiet street here.

here's a map if you're brave enough to navigate the chaos:

if you're into slow travel, real food, and conversations that start with "where are you from?" then roxas city is your kind of place. just don't forget to pack extra napkins-things get messy here in the best way possible.

more seafood recs: tripadvisor link
local market vibes: yelp link

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