Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MANILA
BINONDO AND QUIAPO
Paco Park and Cemetery
General Luna St at Padre Faura St • Tues-Sun 8am-5pm • P10 • Free open-air concerts Fri 6pm •
T
02 480 7062 • LRT to Pedro Gil or UN Avenue
A circular walled cemetery with an aged and beautiful garden dominated by a classical
rotunda,
Paco Park and Cemetery
was built in 1820 just in time for victims of a cholera
epidemic. After his execution in 1896
José Rizal
(see p.439) was buried here in an
unmarked grave. The story goes that his sister, Narcisa Rizal-Lopez, saw a group of
guards standing beside a mound of freshly turned earth the length of a man; guessing
this must be her brother's grave, she convinced the cemetery guardian to mark the site.
Two years later Rizal's remains were exhumed and left in the custody of his family until
1912, when they were deposited beneath the Rizal Memorial (see p.66). A monument
marks the location of the original grave.
The park's serenity has made it a favourite setting every Friday for “Paco Park
Presents”, free
open-air concerts
, usually classical recitals by Filipino artists or students.
It's worth timing your visit to take in one of these performances - they're rarely packed,
and it's pleasant to sit amid the greenery at sundown listening to Chopin sonatas or a
Monteverdi madrigal.
1
The Museum at De La Salle University
2401 Taft Ave • Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-noon • P50 •
T
02 524 4611,
W
themuseum.dlsu.edu.ph • LRT to Vito Cruz
Established in 1911,
De La Salle University
, at the southern end of Malate, remains one
of the most prestigious private Catholic colleges in the Philippines. The
DLSU Museum
hosts rotating exhibitions showing work from its substantial collection of modern
Filipino artists such as Diosdado Lorenzo and Araceli Dans. It's really just a small
gallery but even if you're not an art fan, it's worth a quick look just to get a pass to
wander the elegant neoclassical DLSU campus, far more redolent of classical Spain
than the city outside. Register at the main entrance first (bring photo ID), then pay at
accounting before heading to the gallery in Yuchengco Hall.
Binondo and Quiapo
Manila's Chinatown,
Binondo
exercises a curious, magnetic pull. This is city life
in extremis
, a rambunctious ghetto of people on the make, the streets full of
merchants and middlemen flogging fake watches and herbs, sandalwood incense
and gaudy jewellery. You can lose yourself for an afternoon wandering through its
mercantile centre, snacking on dim sum at one of its many fan-cooled teahouses,
and exploring the busiest thoroughfare,
Ongpin Street
. A visit to the sepulchral
Binondo Church
will give you some idea of the area's historical significance.
Southeast of Binondo lies
Quiapo
, a labyrinth of crowded streets and cheap market
stalls a universe away from the city's plush megamalls. The
Quiapo Church
here is
said to be the most visited in the Philippines.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BINONDO AND QUIAPO
By foot
From Magellanes Drive on the northern edge
of Intramuros you can walk to Binondo in 15min across
Jones Bridge.
By LRT
The best LRT station for Quiapo and Binondo is
Carriedo at Plaza Santa Cruz, only a short walk from the
eastern end of Ongpin St.
By jeepney
There are plenty of jeepneys to Binondo from
M. Adriatico in Malate and Ermita, and also from Taft Ave
marked for Divisoria. From Plaza Miranda, behind Quiapo
Church, there are buses to Makati, and jeepneys and FX
taxis to Quezon City, Ermita and Malate.
GETTING AROUND
By kalesa
Once in Binondo, you can also hire a kalesa
(horse-drawn carriage) - still used by some Binondo
residents instead of taxis - to take you from one place to
the next. These days, however, they generally serve tourists
