On Good Finds

Just got back from our Ukay-Ukay trip here in Baguio. Ukay-ukay means "sift through" or "dig up" and ukay-ukay shops are the best places to find a bargain out of a pile. You can usually find a very nice leather jacket for 50 pesos or a pair of knee-high boots for 150 pesos, all used of course. Ukay-ukay is not for the faint-hearted, though. There are reasons why they are dirt-cheap and if you're someone who hates wearing something that was previously owned by someone who died, then ukay-ukay is not for you. Anyway, we didn't see anything worth buying for. The prices have increased from 2 years ago when you can buy a nice RL bag for only 200-500 pesos. Now, most of them, at least the original branded ones, cost P1200-P2500. The ukay shops in Baguio have also expanded to selling used furniture and home accessories. I saw several cheap antique items, old bathroom fixtures, vessel sinks, slightly cracked mirrors, French lamps and more. I'd buy some of them if only we don't have to cart them back to Manila. To cut the story short, ukay-ukay just lost its appeal to me. Or perhaps, it just probably has something to do with the location of the ukay shop that we went to. I bet there are more authentic shops that we can go to if it was just the Husband and me.