Instead of spending the Chinese New Year at home, we decided to brave the crowd at Manila Chinatown to see how Chinatown celebrates the first day of the new year. As expected, the crowd was as thick as that in Divisoria with a few lion dance groups performing here and there, as well as sidewalk vendors selling charms and trinkets that are supposed to bring luck for the new year. I pity the cars that got stuck in the throng of people. It might have taken them more than an hour to get from Binondo Church to Sta. Cruz Church. (A route that a normal person can walk in 15 minutes or less.) Overall, everybody was in a festive mood and didn’t mind the heat and crowd.
Manila Chinatown
Of course, we need nourishment to give us energy to battle the crowd. So we decided to grab a snack at New Eastern Garden Restauran along Ongpin Street. They serve really good fresh lumpia!
Lumpia at New Eastern Garden Restaurant
恭喜發財,萬事如意!
Reblogged this on ARZcreation.com.
[...] This was taken last Chinese New Year. My sisters insisted that we go to Ongpin and experience a Chinese New Year there. At first I was interested, too, so I conceded, not to mention that I miss some Ongpin food. [...]