While traveling in Negros recently, I decided to stop by the town's weekly cockfight to finally witness this controversial filipino past time. The government only allows cockfights to be played legally on Sundays, in arenas built by politicians. Undoubtedly, informal fights occur behind the scenes any day of the week, but these Sunday gatherings are by far the most highly attended.

I was one of the only women in the building, and for sure the only foreigner, other than one old British guy I overheard placing bets. When I first walked in, all eyes turned to me, and I wondered if my impulsive exploration had been a bad idea. However, this is the Philippines, and if you are willing to go out of your way to experience something the people love, they will love you for it. I could hardly get to the first row of seats before people were moving over to offer me their places.

Clearly, the practice of tying 4 inch long blades to a rooster's foot and prompting it to kill its opponent, is not the most humane ritual I've come across. But there are few places here you can feel the same type of energy and enthusiasm. It is a show, full of drama, just show filipinos like it. When bets are taken, every man is shouting, throwing his hand up and down, as if to call someone to him. It is hardly necessary to continually call out your bet for several minutes straight, but this exaggeration is part of the fun of participating. It also gets them hyped up for the actual fight. Then the opponents let the roosters get a taste of each other before letting them loose. Final bets are taken, then feathers start to fly. Although I was quite close to the dirt, I could not tell when one rooster was winning, until the other one was dead. Everyone else though, knows exactly what's going on. The men ooohhhh, ahhhhhh, and aaaaiiiiiii!!! in unison, the winners delightedly congratulating one another and the losers quietly throwing in their payments.

At some point, I made my way up to the VIP booth of the arena, where the "big bosses" hang out. These are the fellows who are betting in the thousands of pesos, and who I think, but am not positive, call out the odds, since the rest of the audience is betting off of their money. I met one of these bosses and his bodyguard, who is a policeman by day. This particular boss said he has made as much as 120,000 pesos in a single day ($2,400) and has lost as much as 50,000 pesos. This is hardly Vegas, and the betting here is sketchy. The bodyguard said there were often fights over money, from people not wanting to pay, to others feeling cheated. But again, it's all part of the entertainment.