PASIG FERRY-Sta. Mesa: Scouring Sta. Mesa’s Streets
Tin Bolasco-Adriano / March 23, 2011 / 3 comment | = Click on the star if it's the place you want to see or recommend
The ferry ride to the P.U.P. Sta. Mesa station from Lambingan took about thirty minutes. The water bus was only half full with a good mix of young and old passengers. Everyone was really just minding their own business on this particularly cloudy Saturday morning. As the passengers troop out of the boat and onto the dock, I take note of how relaxed the atmosphere is. Maybe because it’s a weekend, and people just want to take their time to enjoy it. The station is clean and looks very well kept. The dock is made of concrete with metal railings to keep passengers in line, much like barriers at theme park rides. The ticket booth and waiting area are in an enclosed structure atop a flight of stairs. We immediately hear the noise from the school yard in stark contrast to how quiet it was on the dock. There are two exits from the station: one goes into the Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ campus and the other leads you down a long, narrow, covered walkway that ends past the university grounds. Only the latter is open to the general public.
From the walkway, you get a good view of the campus and its hustle and bustle. Saturdays at this university is just about as busy as any other day of the week. The trek to reach the main road is about fifty meters and it took my husband and me about five to seven minutes. At the end of this narrow path is a security outpost. The kind people there told us that there are no other modes of transportation until about forty more meters walking westward to the main entrance of P.U.P. A line of tricycles greets us as we end our walk from the outpost. As we are about to ask the locals about good food finds, we see a sign across the way, just past the train tracks, that reads “KAPETERYA” in yellow and black bold letters. The establishment is on the top floor of a house made of concrete blocks. So we decide to walk instead of taking a tricycle.
Information within Reach
Kapeterya is a play on two words, the English word cafeteria and kape, which is the Filipino term for coffee. The cafeteria’s dining area is al fresco: the top floor of the three-storey house. The floor area is about twenty square meters. A green awning hangs over the kitchen and service counter. Orders are taken at the cashier and the food is brought to your table when ready. Each plastic round table has a colorful beach umbrella sticking out from its center. Every table has six plastic chairs. The target demographic is primarily the students of the university. This canteen is open twenty-four hours and seven days a week. They offer free Wi-Fi and I cursed myself for not bringing my laptop with me. I always feel the need to test how reliable Wi-Fi is at places like these, who have free access. They have refillable coffee for Php 80 (USD 1.60). The coffee is brewed there, but it wasn’t very strong. The service was good and we didn’t have to ask for our coffee to be refilled, the waiter would stop by and check every few minutes if we needed more. Their menu is fairly straightforward, no frills. It consists mostly of sandwiches whose prices range from Php 40 (less than USD 1) to Php 90 (USD 1.80). They also serve several of the local beers at very reasonable prices (Php 35-45; less than USD1). We opt not to get beer though, as it wasn’t even noon. So I set my sights on the ham and cheese sandwich while my husband orders a BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich. Both are served on white bread laden with mayonnaise but light on the protein. My husband’s BLT had two shriveled strips of bacon and the ham in my sandwich was cut into strips. We were a tad disappointed, but we understood why the business thrives. The patrons keep coming back for the cheap beer, the internet connectivity and because it’s so near their school.
After the meal, we head back to the entrance of the university to get a tricycle (Php 20 or USD 0.40). We drive down a small street peppered with small businesses like drug stores, salons, and other more well-known franchises such as Angel’s Hamburger (a small food stall which can be found all over the city) and Generics Pharmacy. To our left, about one hundred meters from P.U.P. is the town’s Barangay Hall and a covered basketball court. At the end of the street, we turn left and several meters down is our destination: Newton Plaza, which is mini-strip mall frequented by the locals.
One stop, many destinations
Newton Plaza is one of many strip malls strewn all over the metro. Most of which are privately owned but spaces are rented out to establishments. This particular strip mall has two levels. The ground level has mostly restaurants and food places such as Andok’s Chicken, Tropical Hut Hamburger and RBX (Rice in a Box). There are also several clothing boutiques, a Western Union branch, a law office, a BPI bank branch, and two businesses that specialize in copying and printing banners and ads: Intermatrix and Copytrade. The first level is packed with people, which was expected because it was half past noon. Families and big groups of students made up most of the populace at this mall. The second floor establishments are more for general wellness. There is a spa, a dentist’s office, two dermatologists’ offices, and a salon. This level was significantly less populated.
The traffic on the street added to the noise as well. There was a steady stream of people coming and going. I find it comforting that people can still afford to take their families out on weekends, to eat and to have fun, even if it’s just within close proximity to their homes.
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aaron
buison
August 10, 2010
Yeah right.. boracay is the best tourist destination in the Philippines. we have so many activities that we can offer to our visitors.. yes not only Boracay Island is the main attraction in our province, we so many tourist attraction here, all you have to do is to visit us.. and experience Aklan..
Boracay Is. done with it... and will keep coming back :)
I agree
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