Manila Chinatown - Day3 Morning
Grabbed a car (~300p) to Manila Chinatown in Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world. Many of the travel reviews for Chinatown I read online didn't paint it as that interesting a place. Nevertheless, I was curious and interested to explore and experience the old town.
The relatively modern district of Makati gave way to older parts of the city as we drove towards Chinatown.
We knew we had reached as we drove through the Chinatown Arch.
Somehow, the intersecting wires across the street reminded me of the pedestrian crossing at Shinjuku/Shibuya junctions (of a different kind of pedestrian) ;)
We had a dim sum breakfast at Ying Ying. The food and taste was reminiscent of the early DimSum that I had at TaiDong in Chinatown when I was a kid.
We walked to Escolta, towards the Paisg River with the Post Office across the river before going back onto Ong Pin Street.
The Plaza San Lorenzo Ruis with the fountain is the centre of Binondo. The Binondo Church is across from the Plaza.
We were 'lured' by the CNN Travel stamp of approval on a stall. Then, we realized the 'Hopia Ube' pastry not sold in the cafe, and had to be purchased in the other shop!!!
The weather was getting really hot, and we walked along Ong Pin Road, passing OngPin Arch before we headed off to our next destination - BGC.
Thoughts
I had been apprehensive about going to Chinatown after reading reviews and write-ups.
'How do I get back from Chinatown, will I be able to 'grab'?',
'Will I be hassled by the beggars and need to be extra extra vigilant?'
Jenny also did not include Chinatown as part of the itinerary. Instead of feeling regretful later, I squeezed Chinatown as an early excursion and all agreed and we set off at 7:30am.
Although we did encounter a few beggars, I was glad I went to Manila Chinatown again to experience the bustle of life there.
On the same trip: Manila: Eat Walk Relax and Shop-Makati and Bonifacio
Grabbed a car (~300p) to Manila Chinatown in Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world. Many of the travel reviews for Chinatown I read online didn't paint it as that interesting a place. Nevertheless, I was curious and interested to explore and experience the old town.
The relatively modern district of Makati gave way to older parts of the city as we drove towards Chinatown.
We knew we had reached as we drove through the Chinatown Arch.
Somehow, the intersecting wires across the street reminded me of the pedestrian crossing at Shinjuku/Shibuya junctions (of a different kind of pedestrian) ;)
We had a dim sum breakfast at Ying Ying. The food and taste was reminiscent of the early DimSum that I had at TaiDong in Chinatown when I was a kid.
We walked to Escolta, towards the Paisg River with the Post Office across the river before going back onto Ong Pin Street.
The Plaza San Lorenzo Ruis with the fountain is the centre of Binondo. The Binondo Church is across from the Plaza.
We were 'lured' by the CNN Travel stamp of approval on a stall. Then, we realized the 'Hopia Ube' pastry not sold in the cafe, and had to be purchased in the other shop!!!
The weather was getting really hot, and we walked along Ong Pin Road, passing OngPin Arch before we headed off to our next destination - BGC.
Thoughts
I had been apprehensive about going to Chinatown after reading reviews and write-ups.
'How do I get back from Chinatown, will I be able to 'grab'?',
'Will I be hassled by the beggars and need to be extra extra vigilant?'
Jenny also did not include Chinatown as part of the itinerary. Instead of feeling regretful later, I squeezed Chinatown as an early excursion and all agreed and we set off at 7:30am.
Although we did encounter a few beggars, I was glad I went to Manila Chinatown again to experience the bustle of life there.
On the same trip: Manila: Eat Walk Relax and Shop-Makati and Bonifacio