But
since Divisoria is hindi mahulugang karayom at the
moment, then where should the belt-tightening, budget-conscious
Pinoy consumer go?
Quiapo, that is!
Though Quiapo has long been known to be a smorgasbord
of everything—religious artifacts and abortifacients,
Christians and Muslims, police stations and pirated
DVD vendors—it is also fast becoming Divisoria’s
extension of Manila’s shopping hub.
We started in Carriedo which houses numerous stalls
selling toys, bags, personalized mugs, Christmas décor,
slippers, shoes, clothes, batteries, electronic equipment,
and many other items. Though you’ll still need
to wear flat shoes and a lot of patience when winding
through its tiny, crowded streets, Quiapo oozes with
giveaway items that sell from P10-P35. Buy in bulk
and haggle a little and they might give you a big
discount. Bags that usually sell at P300 up elsewhere
go for only P250 or less in Quiapo. Dolls of all kinds
such as Barbie-wannabes (named Belinda, Maria, etc.)
are sold at a fraction of the original Barbie’s
cost. Actually, way below the original Barbie’s
cost.
At the end of Carriedo St. and near the Quiapo church
are different establishments that sell watches (for
P100 each), shades, bags, cellphones and cellphone
accessories.
The street at the back of the old SM Department Store
(now an SM warehouse store) is where you can find
the most number of shops that sell film, digital still,
and video cameras and other camera and video equipment
at very good prices. Still, stalls that sell Christmas
gift items and even fruits crowd the front area of
this street.
When you’re done shopping, you may want to try
escaping to Ongpin and Recto areas which are just
a hop and skip away from Quiapo. You may even want
to rest those aching tootsies by riding the calesa
(but remember to clear with Mamang Kutsero the fare
per person before you even hop on board). You’ll
clop-clop leisurely through touring the Ongpin-Binondo
area and will set you back about P100 per person (but
of course you can always haggle).
Suitably chilled, you can then make your way to one
of the tried-and-tested restos within the Ongpin-Recto
area such as the dainty Pinsec House which you’ll
find along CM Recto Avenue and the Wah Sun Cantonese
Restaurant which boasts of the biggest servings of
rice toppings and the oldest restaurant in the Philippines.
How to know when you’re there? Look for the
live, good-luck pig parked at the entrance of the
panciteria. |
