The public market sits a block back from the bay and is the most useful single stop for understanding the city. The wet section runs every morning with fish brought in overnight — tuna, mackerel, snapper, prawns — laid out on ice next to baskets of crab and squid. The dry section sells everything from rice and dried fish to plastic basins, school uniforms, and pirated DVDs.
Eat at one of the carinderia stalls inside or just outside: a plate of rice with two viands costs less than a dollar, and the lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly) and grilled tuna belly are reliably good. Mornings before 9 am are the busiest and the best time to come.