For whatever weird reason, Binondo has always been a place that’s ‘so near yet so far’ for me. My first job was there, and while that stint only lasted for half a year, for the most part of the next three years, I lived a jeepney ride away. That eventually led to countless plans for a Binondo food trip among both family and friends, but it never really materialized.
Until recently, Lifestyle On Wheels invited us to its #SafeRideJourney featuring a Binondo Heritage Ride, or what we fondly ended up calling the ‘Hopia Ride.’ Basically, we were to tour the world’s oldest Chinatown—which recently turned 431 years old last Binondo Day on March 29—on two wheels. Well, at least partially.
For this occasion, Honda Philippines lent us multiple Giorno+ units, and all 13 riders who joined had Reso units equipped in their helmets. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Reso, it’s the latest intercom brand in the market. As for the Honda Giorno+, that’s HPI’s latest retro offering.
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Our Hopia Ride wasn’t just a mere food crawl, though—we had Binondo native Jan Sy and SJ of The Heritage Collective touring us around town. We were treated not only to great food but also facts about Binondo’s rich history.
We started off our tour from Escolta, where each and every one of us in our group were able to ride together around the outer parts of Binondo with Jan Sy and SJ showing us some of the most prominent pieces of architecture in the area. It was my first time experiencing something like this wherein the tour guides basically communicated to the whole group through our intercoms.
After a few stops here and there—including a quick one outside the old DZBB building, which I never knew about until our ride—we parked right outside Binondo Church to resume our tour on foot. What I found pretty cool was that since I didn’t turn off my Reso unit for the rest of the day, the intercom unit was able to track our route around Binondo.
We eventually dropped by some of the most famous food stops in town. Dumplings from Dong Bei, sugar cane juice from Mei Ying, and siopao from Shin Ton Yon and Shanghai Fried Siopao—Jan Sy and SJ made sure we got the complete experience. True enough, being a first-timer to this whole food crawl, I was very happy with what we ate.
Our food trip was capped off with an early dinner-turned-heavy evening snacks at The Great Buddha Cafe, which is also owned by the Eng Bee Tin group. Of course, our Hopia Ride wouldn’t be complete without, well, hopia, so we made sure to take a lot with us.
To be fair, we couldn’t tour the entirety of Binondo on our bikes simply because there were too many of us. Parking would’ve been a nightmare. But what this tour did show us is that it’s fun to go around Binondo in a city slicker like the Honda Giorno+. Sure, there’s still available parking in Binondo for cars, but you’ll still have to walk your way around town. With a scooter, you can ride from one destination to another while enjoying the sights and sounds. It’ll also let you bring home more food, because you’ll have your underseat compartment at the ready.
I’ll definitely be back soon, and I’ll most probably be bringing a scooter with me. I’ll make sure it won’t be a big group, though, so I can properly enjoy riding around Binondo that time around.
More photos of the #SafeRideJourney / Hopia Ride with the Honda Giorno+:
