Local Expert
Knox Balbastro
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to…
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to seek out a distinctly Pinoy culture. So far, she loves what she’s seeing. Manila for her is a fertile ground for art, music, fashion, and fun. Living in a little known, third world country definitely has its perks. Adventures are affordable and discovery doesn’t come in the usual package.
Her best advice for travellers new to the Philippines is to go out on the streets where faces, traffic, and landscape can create a collage of experiences that’s gritty and real.
Knox is a 24 year-old dreamer who also happens to be an advertising copywriter. She loves to travel and dreams of bag packing throughout the entire Philippine Archipelago. She hopes that through this blog, people all over the world will find a reason to drop by.
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A Comprehensive Commuter Guide: Part 2
Trains provide a great vantage point for a traveller. All trains in Manila are above ground, but most importantly it’s above the heavy traffic on the street- making the ride swift and the view priceless. There are three trains that run through Manila.
1. MRT – This train is trails Manila’s main highway- EDSA. This means, you can travel quickly from Pasay to SM North. Because it traverses through the highly urbanized areas of the country, it’s definitely worth riding to get a broad sense of where you’re at. Most likely, you’ll see annoying gigantic billboards, heavy traffic, and congestion. It’ll leave you with that satisfied smirk as you zoom past it all. Be warned though, standing room only during rush hours: 7:00 am- 9:00 am and 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Also, the lines for buying a ticket can get insane. It’s better to buy the loaded value cards if you’re planning to use this line often. Another important thing to note is that this line intersects with LRT 1 and LRT 2. Check the stops so you can plan your trips more conveniently
2. LRT Line 1 – It’s route is on Taft avenue, the stop starts at Baclaran and ends at Monumento. I haven’t ridden this one personally just because I’m a little afraid of discovering just how old looking the oldest train system in the Metro really is. I’ve been told that the trains are a bit rickety and they will make shrill metal scraping sounds throughout the journey. But please, be more adventurous than me.
3. LRT Line 2 – This traverses from Santolan to Recto. This is probably the best maintained line, maybe because it’s the newest. However, there is a marked difference between LRT 2 and the other two trains. Two things, you can buy your tickets fairly efficiently and it is clean. I love the friendly purple seats and the chilly air-conditioning. I take this line a lot when I go to Quiapo and Divisoria, places I wouldn’t dream of driving to just because of the traffic. A lot of students take this daily because it’s near major schools like UP, Ateneo, UST, FEU, etc.
Some tips to remember for all trains.
- Avoid rush hour.
- Keep your belongings close to you.
- Be watchful of your things because the lack of personal space makes this a pickpocket’s haven.
- Some lines have imposed rules that give women and children a separate cart. Try to get one of those if you’re a woman.
- If not, get into the first or last cars. They’re usually not spilling over with people.
- Expect to shell out from Php12 up.