Downtown

On the last working day of the year – for regular office workers, that is, since every day is a working day for us – we hied off to Binondo on our monthly Chinatown adventure, taking advantage of what we hoped would be lighter traffic due to the Christmas break of schools and the many non-working holidays that sent city residents out of town – to Baguio, for example, where the traffic on the highways reached monster proportions, and to the airports, where conditions were just as monstrous. True enough, it was an easy enough drive over Jones Bridge into the heart of Binondo, but Ongpin street was, not surprisingly, jampacked.

The only parking lot in the area, a vacant lot, has given in to development and is in the process of construction, most likely another mixed use high-rise, so parking is even more of a nightmare. Each vehicle is literally within an inch of the next one, so it takes really great skill and a prayer to drive through Ongpin without a scratch.

The sidewalks are lined with vendors selling good luck charms to entice good fortune and prosperity into your life in the new year. Pineapples are, as always, popular, the Hokkien term for pineapple (ong lai) being a homonym for “prosperity arriving.” Tiny pineapples measuring about three inches sell for a mere P10, while larger ones – about five to six inches – ringed with a necklace of small green citrus fruits go for P35 each.

Rhizomes like ginger and native gabi (taro or yam), some tied with red ribbons, are popular too; the symbolism being fertility or multiplying fortune, as these sprout root and shoot systems that become new plants. A small sheaf of palay makes a rather pretty thing to hang on the door, but a warning that it could attract rats or roaches kept me from buying them, at P100 for three.

We ran into a big group of tourists on a walking tour of Binondo. They looked like they were having a great time, weaving and jostling through the traffic and the crowds. It really is a fun thing to do, even for locals.

Our favorite haunt, Cafe Mezzanine at the corner of Ongpin and Nueva streets, has been named a must-go destination by CNN. The more sosyal version (it is air-conditioned) of the traditional eatery Chuan Kee on the ground floor, it serves true Hokkien comfort food like maki, lomi, kiampung and the like, with part of the proceeds going to the volunteer fire brigade of Binondo.

After lunch we walked down Nueva street, where I replenish my stash of tea from the store my grandmother used to take me to. Since it was a working day the vegetable vendors of Carvajal were present, although the few seafood sellers were not. My garlic and onion suki Cris was noticeably absent; on an earlier visit he had warned about prices soaring to frightening heights come Christmas. Prices of vegetables were, thankfully, not in the heart attack range and, given the persuasive powers of the sukis and the freshness of the produce, I ended up with both arms loaded down with supots of goodies, healthy and not-so-healthy, another satisfying and fruitful venture into a wonderful part of the city.