Binondo, Chinatown (Philippines part 3)

Hey there guys!

It has been almost a week since I last blogged and darn it, I miss blogging. Firstly, I wanna thank you guys for visiting my blog and subscribing to my newsletter, you are an awesome support! 

You may have read my posts on travelling in the Philippines, this is part 3. If you haven't check the first 2 parts, here are the links! Intramuros (Part 1) and Ermita (Part 2).

Binondo also nicknamed Chinatown is the official Chinatown in Manila extending its influence to places of Santa Cruz, Quiapo and San Nicolas. Amazing fact, it is the OLDEST CHINATOWN IN THE WORLD! Dayummm! Oldest! It was established in the 1594 by the Spaniards. It is located just outside of Intramuros but accross the Pasig River. You'll find yourself surounded by chinese stores, vendors and restaurants. That's because business owners are mostly Chinese-Filipino.

Me and Steph walked to Binondo all the way from Intramuros. It was a long long long walk across the bridge. Each ligaments/muscles in our legs were tearing apart bit by bit. Overall, it was exhilarating. Navigating your way into Binondo is easy but still, having Google Maps with you would be handy at times.

I had to keep my DSLR in my Caribee backpack so we used our Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3 to take these pictures. Not all but some of em'. 

Cover Photo: Walking across the bridge over Pasig River to Binondo from Intramuros

Yes, there are lots of skyscrapers in Binondo along Escolta Street which runs parallel to the Pasig River. The skyscrapers are not as fancy nor new looking. They are fine examples of early skyscrapers design in the Philippines.

Pasig River

A glimpse of Pasig River and Lucky Chinatown Mall 

On the bridge over Pasig River

Selfie with the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch

The Friendship Arch Selfie

There is a Filipino-Chinese friendship arch and that is considered as the entry point. From Intramuros, it is approximately 1.5km walk. The sun was scorching hot so we got ourselves small glass bottles of Pepsi which you rarely get here in Malaysia. As far as I could remember, a bottle costs 13₱ (RM1).

Binondo Church also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz is one of the oldest church I've seen so far. It was founded by Dominican priests in 1596 to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity. However, they reconstructed it over and over due to damages inflicted during the world war II. You guys have to visit this church! 

Binondo Church also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Pardon me. I'm not really an enthusiast for taking pictures of food. I normally get so hungry I chomped the whole meal before I could even blink. However, if you're looking for authentic Chinese cuisine, you're in the right place. The food here is awesome! If you're looking for fast food chains, you'll find Jolibee, Mang Inasal, Chow King, or Mc Donalds with ease. 

For those who are looking for Halal food, it is not impossible. You'll find stalls that serve Halal food normally in food court of a mall. 

It is also common to see kids roaming around asking for money/food/drinks. Don't hit them, you're in their country. If you don't like it, reject with manners. We bumped into some too, we gave them our Pepsi leftovers and hell they were euphoric. 

We bumped into the Manila Traffic!

Oh! You can take a Calesa tour around town. It's a horse-drawn carriage. Still, you've gotta make sure you got the right deal or they might cut you off your guard and little did you know, they ripped you off with their price. I'm not saying it will happen, but it happened to me once. :)

This picture was from my first trip to Binondo years back!
In the carriage: My friends, Jas and Bel

So, you're looking for cheap stuffs? You love shopping? HAHAHA! Say or ask no more! In Binondo, there are two ways to shop. Malls or Bazaars. Here is where your negotiation skills will be tested to the maximum limit. Everything here is cheap! It comes with a tag that says "Made in China" though haha! But hey! Still, who doesn't like cheap stuffs right? Here's a map and the names of places you can shop till you drop. DROP!

So, here are the places you can go for shoppings. It is all within a walking distance. 

1. 999 Mall
2. 168 Mall
3. Meisic Mall
4. Juan Luna Plaza
5. Divisoria Bazaar

If you could, make a visit to Divisoria. You won't regret it.

Well, that's it for Binondo. I'll be posting about Ortigas in my upcoming blog posts. I hope you find some of my info useful. Personally, I love writing about my travels because I get to visualize the timeline of my period abroad. You'll only get the best memories when you travel.

Again, here are my links to previous posts of my Philippines trip. Intramuros (part 1) and Ermita (part2). Be sure to check it out!

I'll be posting blog posts probably twice to three times per week as I'm trying to cope up with my upcoming Youtube project. So bear with me :)

You! Yes YOU! Be nasty, stay happy. Thanks for supporting us.

Salamat sa iyong suporta! 

Love, Nath.

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Ermita, United Nations Avenue (Philippines part 2)

Hi Kaibigan!

Kaibigan means friend(s) in Tagalog. I've procrastinated this post for quite awhile now. I've got readers who are going to the Philippines and asking when will I be posting this up. So here it is. It's not as thorough or complete as I want it to be.

We've been to the Philippines a couple of times before and it's becoming a familiar place now. Well this trip was on February 2014 almost a year ago from the date of this post. Overall, Philippines is a diversity of everything in this world! You will find yourself fortified by sky scrappers in Central Manila, unique building designs in rural areas, various mode of transportations, citizens' lifestyle and more!

In this post, we will share with you on what to do in Ermita (United Nations Avenue), and how to get to places and the list goes on.

So we landed in Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Well I can't say that it is the best airport ever but at least we landed safely haha! Yes, yes, yes, I admit. The airport does look a lil' bit old.

Jeepney, Cover Photo

Just so you know, Jeepneys are famously known as a mode of transportation in Philippines. Sort of like a public bus. Jeepneys were originally made from the United States.
The Jeepneys you see in Philippines are military jeeps left over from World War II. They were smart enough to refurbished or reconditioned the Jeepneys and made them as public transportation.

When you walk out of the airport, you will find that there are lots of taxis. We stayed in Ermita, Metro Manila, United Nations Avenue to be exact.

Well, there are two way to go to wherever you are going.

1. Taxi (Airport Taxis charge you a fixed amount depending on the place you wish to go, not metered) Our example, we took a taxi that costs 500₱ (RM40) to United Nations Avenue.
2. Take a taxi to Baclaran (nearest MRT station to Ninoy Aquino International Airport) which cost 120₱-200₱ (RM10 - RM15). Then, take the MRT to wherever you wish to go. 

Credit: roomrent.ph

You'll eventually find yourself stuck in jam if you're gonna use the taxi especially during rush hours. I would say that taxi drivers in Philippines are the second best drivers in the world! You'll be shocked to see a lorry tyre right up your window. 

MRT on the other hand, uhmmm.. If you think you've tried being "sardined", you should try taking the MRT. By that, it means the amount of people using the MRT is enormous and they would do anything just to get into it. 

Remember! It is best for you to book a hotel before travelling over. This is to avoid hassles and you normally get cheaper prices when booking is done online instead of walking into the hotel/motel. There are lots of website but I always recommend  www.agoda.com and www.booking.com

Here's a few tips in choosing the right hotel,

1. Convenient (nearby restaurants, convenience store, laundry)
2. Centralised (easy to access to places you wish to visit)
3. Offer mobility (accessible to taxis, mrt, and other mode of transportation)
4. Has WiFi
5. Comfortable and clean
6. Read reviews/testimonials of others

We stayed in Casa Bocobo Hotel. The people there are friendly, like supercalifragilisticly friendly!

It has WiFi, restaurants, massage parlours and laundry station on the opposite, 24 hours convenient store (7 eleven) just 50 meters walk away, a Mc Donald which is less than 5 minutes walk and more!

Current rate on Agoda.com (18/1/15)

The Price List

Checking In

The Cafe

If I'm gonna have to rate this hotel, I would say 9/10. Couldn't ask for more. Before I came to the Philippines, I did some research that resulted in a list of places I have to visit. Well, most of the places I wanna visit is located in Intramuros. Check out my post on Intramuros here! 

2 of the places on my list is, Manila Ocean Park and Rizal Park. We walked from Casa Bocobo to Rizal Park first which is only at least 10 minutes walk. There are a lot of street vendors and pedestrians. There are a lot of joggers/runners who look as fit as hell! Students on field trips also contribute to the big number of people in Rizal Park. Rizal Park is peaceful and filled with historical monuments. The park is open to public and it is supeeeer huge. 

Avoid taking horse carriages. They might cheat your money off your pockets. I'm not saying all of them are cheaters, but I've experienced them before so if would be advisable to avoid them. WALK! IT IS HEALTHY AND FUN! 

A map from Casa Bocobo to Rizal Park and to Manila Ocean Park

Rizal Park

Do not commit these offences abroad

If you're not the type of person who appreciates yourself being somewhere away from home, learning different cultures, living in a different environment, then you are no fun at all. I've learnt so much from walking 2 kilometres. 

IMPORTANT! Go get yourself a sim card so you can text/call/access the internet. You can get it in any convenient store for less than 100₱ (RM8). I recommend Sun Cellular. Check Sun Cellular out!

You're gonna need internet connections to access google maps/email/internet messaging anywhere anytime. Be sure to keep your original sim card in a safe place because embarrassingly, I lost mine somewhere in Philippines haha!

100₱ (RM8) got me 3 days UNLIMITED internet!

After going around Rizal Park for about an hour or two, we walked ourselves to Manila Ocean Park which is about 800 meters away from Rizal Park. There are cafes and a hotel in Manila Ocean Park too. The entrance fees vary depending on packages. We got ourselves the Ocean's Amazing Duo 2 which costs 550₱ (RM45) per person. We got to see the aquarium, penguins and snow/ice (antartica) world. Check out the price of packages of Manila Ocean Park.

                                               

We ended up spending 3 hours or more in Manila Ocean Park! There are lots to see and enjoy. When you're on holiday, there's no point in rushing stuffs. You are suppose to relax!

We then walked back to our hotel, grab a dinner and went for massage. Our feet felt like they were going to amputate themselves. It was an enjoying day though. 

Robinsons Place Manila is 10 minutes walk away. It is a huge mall but not as huge as Mall of Asia. 

Ermita church is also nearby. If you're anywhere near the area I stayed, you could drop by to the church. 

NEXT DESTINATION; Intramuros! You'll find yourself spending half a day visiting places in Intramuros such as the Fort Santiago, Baluarte de San Diego and the list goes on and on and on. 

Here ends my post for Ermita, Metro Manila, Philippines. 

Philippines part 3 will be all about Binondo and Ortigas and what to eat in Philippines! It'll be up very very soon so stay tune. I kinda think it'll be harsh for mobile users to load this post due to long posts of pictures, so I decided to post the Philippines trip part by part.

As always, be nasty stay happy peeps! Salamat sa iyong suporta!

Check out my previous post : Intramuros! (Philippines part 1)

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