Round Trip to Manila, Philippines - First Time Visit with No Traffic!

Manila, Philippines was once a very busy place before, mainly because of the extreme traffic that you have to deal with in everyday transportation. However, just recently, I was shocked or should I say amazed to see the main road of the city without a trace of traffic in the roadways. How did it happen? Well, it is basically because of the new traffic scheme which Mayor Joseph 'ERAP' Estrada and his alliance that have implemented. This scheme has got more compliments and give a bit of problem with the commuters though. Even so, one thing is for sure, that this rule will obviously the start of improvement of the city!

Okay! Enough of the traffic issues now. The issue stated above was just one of the many things I had encountered during my trip to Manila. This trip wasn't supposedly planned, but because it was the last stay of my very close friend in the Philippines, we choose to accompany her in one of her favorite hangout place. She actually have a flight to United States, so the trip was just a short time.

The first stop was at the hotel where she is staying. We visited her at Eurotel, Pedro Gil. The hotel is located in front of Robinson's Place Manila. The hotel staffs were all friendly and very accommodating. And also the main reason why she choose this hotel was mainly because Manila International Airport is just an easy access to the hotel.

The next stop was at the Quiapo Church, where you can find the miraculous Black Nazarene. There were lots of people coming everyday from different cities hoping that their prayers will be heard by the miraculous saint.

After giving a visit to the Black Narazene, we head to find a restaurant to take our lunch. We took a pedicab going to Cafe Mezzanine located in the heart of Ongpin, Binondo.

Cafe Mezzanine | Ongpin, Binondo

Their foods were superb and actually did give us a full tummy. By the way, I ordered baby back ribs.

Baby Back Ribs @Cafe Mezzanine

The rest of my companions ordered these (Please see the photos below) from the menu.

Taken @Cafe Mezzanine

Taken @Cafe Mezzanine

Taken @Cafe Mezzanine

The restaurant is located at the heart of old Chinatown, so you'll expect a lot of Chinese customers eating in there. The crews were all accommodating as well. Though, if you want a convenient place to eat in there, I suggest you to choose and dine at the second floor because it is fully air-conditioned compared to the first floor of the establishment.

After taking our brunch, we headed to the last destination which is the Binondo Church to pay a visit. The old church looks very fascinating. I did take the chance to thank the big man to all the blessings he has given me. And of course ask guidance for my family and myself. By the way, here's some snapshots of the church. 

Binondo Church

Binondo Church

Binondo Church

We actually had a 5 hour trip to Manila. Not bad compared to my previous experience to Divisoria which is all hassle and full of stress! I certainly would love to visit the place again. I just hope that the traffic scheme implemented by the recent government will be maintained and strictly managed.

By the way, Manila isn't a 'gates of hell!' Just how Dan Brown described it on his book. The city is obviously improving and eventually will become a better place for businesses and transportation.