Hive Philippines Travel and Nature Photography #1085 - by Allmonitors

#1075 - More of Manila Shots taken in Intramuros and Chinatown for Saturday.

Good morning and a cheerful Saturday to us wonderful Hiveans everywhere! Today brings a different pace of the weekend. Whether your Saturday is for family time, personal or a quiet coffee while browsing feed or a bit of rest, I hope it's exactly what you need. So from wherever you are logging in, I wish you a day of relaxation, joy and positive vibes. Enjoy this weekend to the fullest. Have a fantastic and refreshing Saturday😍.

Moving now to our daily shots one morning when the sun was already warm after a weekend run at Diliman Quezon City when we decided to go through the traffic to the old stone walls of Intramuros. We moved past one of their giant ancient gates of thick stone and iron, feels like a portal from Manila's Spanish past. We were simply passing by going to Chinatown.

Then, after passing we saw the road opened up to a modern marvel which was the sleek Binondo-Intramuros Bridge. It looks like a ribbon of steel connecting two towns. I believe it was a gift from China, a new link over the Pasig River with the view of city skyline and brown smelly water, it's a direct path from the colonial Intramuros to the world's oldest Chinatown.

As soon as we walked into Binondo after a long time, the energy was something else, the air filled with e-trikes and Chinese shops. We stopped at the vibrant Chinatown arch, all fiery colors and dragon like designs. We took a quick, a selfie with the wife. My eyes squinted like fool into the phone because of the morning sunbeam piercing directly. The photo's awful but perfect😂.

We went inside the Binondo Church or the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz) to pay our respect. The cool, dim interior was like a sanctuary. We took a minute just a simple, quiet thanks for the safe trip and the day ahead. The peace was a beautiful pause.

Then, we walked on to the chaos of Ongpin Street where the gastronomic mission finally began. The air smelled delicious with all the food houses lined up, except the polluted canals. We joined the slow walking crowd and let our noses guide us to where there is cheap Chinese foods.

We grabbed some siopaos fluffy as clouds from an old Chinese store. We just came to see expensive restaurants and look at their menus from afar. We pointed at shiny ducks hanging in windows, a black cat by the side of a building. We ordered fresh lumpia also. Our stomachs were happily full in this flavor rich street. We did spent less than $10 only, only cheap ones but good stuffs😉.

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Shot taken in Manila, Philippines.