Binondo at Night: My First Binondo-at-Night Tour

- November 7, 2013, Thursday.

- My friend and former co-delegate to the ASEAN-India Student Exchange Mhel came to Manila from Bacolod to attend an event related to his work. Fortunately, he has some free time after his stuff-to-do in Manila, and we were able to set up a dinner meet-up with him in Binondo Chinatown. Our other co-delegate from Manila, Rachel, was the only other co-delegate delegate who finally made it to the meet-up.

- Mhel "suffered" a part of the Manila madness through commuting from Taguig all the way to Manila during rush hour. I felt that as compensation, I'd give him a short tour of Binondo at night, and have dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant. (I also prepared a small token for him as part of the compensation.) We both met around 6pm, and walked to Chinatown. I showed Mhel the Chinatown Friendship Arch, the small altar at the side of Shopper's; we shopped a bit at Eng Bee Tin, and then we headed to Binondo Church.

With Mhel.

- Chinatown at night is the same as Chinatown during the day, well of course, but the bright and colorful lights at night highlighted some things that are rarely appreciated or noticed during the day. I felt this especially while we were both inside the Binondo Church. The ceiling murals were accented, and the colors of the statues of the saints. By chance, a mass was also on-going, so the hymns sung in the church complemented the warm lights inside the church. This elevated aesthetic feel of the church cannot be felt while the sun is out, even when there's a mass going on, since the normal light of the day seems to dim the colors of the church interior. The small side-altar at the building of Shopper's Mart looked majestic and grand with its spotlight at night; the smoke from the incense were also made more visible and animated through the dramatic effects of the yellow spotlights.

Would have taken better and more shots if there wasn't a mass, although the mass itself provided more beauty to the church.

Bustling Chinatown.

- We had a brief visit to Lucky Chinatown too, as a contrast to the historical establishments of Chinatown, but went back to Ongpin right after to have dinner at the big President restaurant. We waited for around half an hour before Rachel arrived.

Hello Rachel!!

- After our heavy dinner, the three of us went to The Tea, my ever-favorite milk tea place, and had some cold milk tea; too bad they didn't have ice cream anymore, probably because it was late - we arrived around 10pm, and the place closes at 10:30.

Yay!!

- I accompanied both of them in search for a cab back home; I thought of going to the Binondo Plaza, or the loading/unloading area of Lucky Chinatown since taxis pass by there. Tonight happens to be Rachel's first time in Chinatown despite studying/working in Manila, so I gave her half a tour when an empty cab passed by us. Before letting them off, I told them both that they should come back to Binondo during the lunar new year when they have the chance. I'd probably surely have a better costume by that time.