The same joy evoked in this calesa ride decades ago was my intention in riding the
LRT from Balintawak to Monumento in EDSA. The metro train segment was launched this Holy Week as part of the 360 degree government project to close in Metro Manila loop connecting Monumento to Quiapo to EDSA via Taft and to West Avenue via EDSA. For P 15.0 I viewed in an elevated platform for the 1st time North Luzon Expressway, Caloocan, Malabon and to certain extent the skyscrapers in Roxas Boulevard at the extreme East. The joy was short lived as it was only a 5 minute ride for a 3-4 kilometer stretch. But the thrill that lingered was excitement of seeing familiar objects in a new light and being one of the 1st to do so. The pleasure of a ride whether in a small town or in a highly populated city was pretty much the same.
Joy ride is a favorite past time in my hometown in the 70’s where the calesa is the main mode of transport to go around town in Tuguegarao. The kutsero steers us to the four corners of the town, Horno and the Cathedral in the East, St Louis in the South, St Paul and Ermita in the West and Cagayan High School in the far North. In between, we pass through Kalye Komersyo and the Town Hall. 30 minutes and a few centavos (25 or 50 centavos) in a slow calesa are all it takes to swing around town. There is no definite destination except to experience the joy of riding of seeing landmarks in a company of friends passing time in a relatively small town.
The same joy evoked in this calesa ride decades ago was my intention in riding the LRT from Balintawak to Monumento in EDSA. The metro train segment was launched this Holy Week as part of the 360 degree government project to close in Metro Manila loop connecting Monumento to Quiapo to EDSA via Taft and to West Avenue via EDSA. For P 15.0 I viewed in an elevated platform for the 1st time North Luzon Expressway, Caloocan, Malabon and to certain extent the skyscrapers in Roxas Boulevard at the extreme East. The joy was short lived as it was only a 5 minute ride for a 3-4 kilometer stretch. But the thrill that lingered was excitement of seeing familiar objects in a new light and being one of the 1st to do so. The pleasure of a ride whether in a small town or in a highly populated city was pretty much the same.
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