Getting around in Manila

[Pompolino]

extremely useful and detailed post skip but i think you downplayed the "crowding" aspect somewhat.

i try to ride the mrt from ortigas to ayala stations around 3 times each week for work purposes.

between 7. 15 am and 10am and from around 4. 00pm to 9 pm it is almost impossible to even get aboard the trains if you try to board in ortigas or ayala because they are jam packed. you also need to know which side your exiting door will open so that you can be near to it to get out before it closes.

i use the mrt only if i can board before 7 am, between around 10am and 3 pm, or later after around 9pm.

it is nothing like the mtr in hong kong or singapore. it is small, crowded and ridiculously cheap so that everybody rides on the train instead of the hundreds of half-full buses that chug up and down edsa.

while your points about speed and efficiency are well-made and correct, potential mrt users need to know that riding in peak times can be very very frustrating.

last saturday week ago riding the mrt from ortigas to taft ave to get to moa quicker than could have happened by taxi, i had my smart cell phone stolen in the crush that happened around ayala. i knew from this forum that we foreigners are targeted on public transport but even with this knowledge and a very watchful eye i knew as soon as the crush had eased i had been done but had seen nothing but had felt an incredible crush on all sides. i am sure there was a team of more than one crushing me all around. by the way this was the first time i had used public transport within manila. many times taking buses to the provinces and used public transport or jeepneys in the provinces.

be careful.

p

[Cunning Stunt]

Yup, second that. A good report on the dreaded MRT and the much better LRT (hope I got that right!).

I must admit that I have largely given up on getting around Manila and except for the odd trips to Malate or Makati / Taguig, tend to stay in my own neck of the woods, whilst in town. When I find a new young friend online, I rather expect her to come to me rather than vicky verky. I am seldom disappointed as these girls are accustomed to wasting hours trailing around town on the woefully inadequate transport systems.

[Red Kilt]

. snip. .

in the intervening years the light rails have gotten more crowded, but for anybody willing to put up with a little crowding (probably no worse than seoul or tokyo) , they're still faster. .

anybody planning to stay in metro manila for at least a week and thinking about traveling around the area can learn the system quite easily. the route maps are available online and on most city maps, and the stations, overhead except for a couple in makati and one on lrt 2, are well marked and easy to spot. most fares top out at 15 pesos, with the fare to and from the extended northeast terminus of lrt 1 now at about 20 or 22 pesos.

extremely useful and detailed post skip but i think you downplayed the "crowding" aspect somewhat.

i try to ride the mrt from ortigas to ayala stations around 3 times each week for work purposes.

between 7. 15 am and 10am and from around 4. 00pm to 9 pm it is almost impossible to even get aboard the trains if you try to board in ortigas or ayala because they are jam packed. you also need to know which side your exiting door will open so that you can be near to it to get out before it closes.

i use the mrt only if i can board before 7 am, between around 10am and 3 pm, or later after around 9pm.

it is nothing like the mtr in hong kong or singapore. it is small, crowded and ridiculously cheap so that everybody rides on the train instead of the hundreds of half-full buses that chug up and down edsa.

while your points about speed and efficiency are well-made and correct, potential mrt users need to know that riding in peak times can be very very frustrating.

[Soapy Smith]

Sounds like a good idea!

Hopefully we can keep the thread focused on giving directions and advising how to have good travel experiences rather than descending into arguments about the trustworthiness of Manila taxi drivers. Here's my contribution: using the light rail system.

I remember before I had arrived in Manila the first time in 2006 I lurked on another forum (which is now only in archives) for about three months gobbling up all I could learn about mongering haunts and tactics. I'd printed out a couple of very helpful posts that told where to find the EDSA Complex and LA Cafe. LA appealed to me, and I had an approximate address and knew names of a few of the nearby monger hotels, but I knew I'the be working in Quezon City and really did not have a sense about how to get from Quezon City to LA Cafe.

I arrived for a 5-month visit, got tied into a routine at work, and had been steered toward lodging near work. I'd found a National Bookstore close to my place and purchased a great little Metro Manila Citiatlas there for about 250 pesos. One of the best expenditures I ever made. I recommend it for anybody planning to be in Manila for more than a few days.

By the first weekend my glands had overpowered my brains. Between my Citiatlas and some monger's posting of phone numbers I figured out Las Palmas Hotel was near LAC and managed to make a Saturday night reservation. It was easy enough getting a cab to take me there, although I think I may have had to tell him it was on Mabini near Ermita. That fateful step began my addiction to young, thin, brown-skinned women. By the second weekend I'd figured out how to use the LRT (Light rail) and almost ceased needing taxis to aid the addiction. I continue to use the LRT whenever I can.

A few years ago the Philippine Daily Inquirer conducted a little travel experiment. It sent out three pairs of reporters on three or four point A to point B journeys. One team traveled only by jeepneys, a second went only by taxi, and a third went by LRT. For all the journeys the LRT team made it to point B in about half the time of the taxi team. The jeepney team took nearly twice as much time as the taxi team.

In the intervening years the light rails have gotten more crowded, but for anybody willing to put up with a little crowding (probably no worse than Seoul or Tokyo) , they're still faster. One rainy afternoon this June my squeeze walked a 17-year old friend from our hotel to the corner of Taft and UN Avenue. It was about 4 pm. She coaxed her to take the LRT North to Monumento where she lives (3. 5 to 4 miles—6. 5 km) , but the SYT was not familiar with the LRT and was afraid she'the miss her stop. She insisted on taking a jeepney. She did not get home until after 9 pm, and an angry mother blamed my squeeze. It seems the roads were flooded throughout Manila and Caloocan City and jeepneys could only sit and wait. Taxis weren't getting through either. But the LRT, since it's elevated, would have been a 20 to 30 minute ride to Monumento.

There are currently three lines that cover various routes. LRT 1, the oldest, runs from Baclaran, just north of the airport, North to Monumento where EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) ends in Caloocan. It is elevated above Taft Avenue for much of the route. The second oldest line, MRT, connects to LRT 1 at the corner of Taft and EDSA. It makes a big loop eastward and then north along the route of EDSA, ending in Quezon City beside Trinoma Mall. LRT 1 has recently been extended East along EDSA to two further stations. It is scheduled to connect to the end of the MRT line at Trinoma in early 2012. A third line, LRT 2, is the newest, extending from Recto (Quiapo area of Manila City) eastward through parts of Manila, San Juan, Quezon City, and Marikina, and ending on the boundary of Marikina and Pasig City at Santolan. Passengers can connect to LRT 1 via a walkway at the Recto end, and to MRT in Cubao (Quezon City) by walking through two shopping malls. LRT 2 is wider, has excellent air conditioning, disabled access stations, and fewer passengers. Built by Hyundai, it is faster and smoother than either of the others.

The light rail has some disadvantages. They're usually crowded early mornings and evenings from about 5 to 8:30 with people going to and from work and universities. Westerners need to give up their discomfort about spatial distance from strangers. Fortunately, most Filipinos are quite hygiene conscious, and some occasional jostling against a young Filipina sometimes has its own rewards. In tight quarters there is potential for pickpocketing and pack slashing. When I get into crowded areas in the station or the train, I put my small backpack to the chest side and wrap my arms around it. Money goes either in a money belt under the shirt or with other valuables in a pack compartment closest to my chest. Luggage is not supposed to be carried on the train, but I've seen locals actually carry roosters in a wire cage and other bulky items. Finally, the trains don't go everywhere, and they only run from about 6 am until 10 pm. Some stations' ticket offices close at 9, so a multiple ride ticket avoids that problem and cuts down on waiting in lines.

Anybody planning to stay in Metro Manila for at least a week and thinking about traveling around the area can learn the system quite easily. The route maps are available online and on most city maps, and the stations, overhead except for a couple in Makati and one on LRT 2, are well marked and easy to spot. Most fares top out at 15 pesos, with the fare to and from the extended Northeast terminus of LRT 1 now at about 20 or 22 pesos.

[Cunning Stunt]

Someone should start a new thread on "Manila taxis"!

Sounds like a good idea!