The afternoon was hot in Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown, and the sun beat down on pedestrians’ backs. It was the kind of heat that experienced walkers know will bring rain in a few hours, or maybe even minutes.
In the hodgepodge of stone and wooden houses and contemporary concrete buildings are the kalesas, horse-drawn carriages dating back to the time when the Philippines was still under Spain, either roaming the streets or parked by the shade of the historic Binondo Church on Ongpin along with the 21st century cars and tricycles that already outnumber them.
Mang Benjie and his kalesa were parked past Carvajal alley, where a left turn from the narrow street market would lead straight to the Church. He was one of three kutseros waiting for passengers to board amidst the calls from competing tricycle and pedicab drivers offering faster transportation. Business was slow that day—it has been for years with all the quick, new and motorized competition—so Mang Benjie and his horse had time to lounge by the shade.
Kutseros like Mang Benjie offer trips around Chinatown, and for the traveler on a tight schedule, this could be the best way to see this historic place in an hour…or to experience the kalesa before it’s gone.
