I’ve been living in Manila for almost 27 years of my life but I have never experienced Luneta Park the way I experienced it before. The most obvious thing in Luneta Park, the Rizal Monument, is already given when you think about Luneta Park but I never realized that one can rediscover  Jose Rizal by going to Luneta Park.

Calesa in Luneta Park, Manila

Calesas or Karitelas were the means of transportation during Spanish era in the Philippines. This was introduced to us by the Spaniards during the 18th century. Calesa (or Kalesa) is a horse-drawn carriage in the Philippines. The person who directs the horse where to go is called a “kutsyero”. Because of modernization, there are only a few left. We can usually see this transportation in the Old Manila and Binondo (Chinatown) area. Tourists are delighted to try and ride this and there are some locals that still use this as a means of transportation. A calesa ride is more expensive than the usual jeepney ride. If I’m not mistaken, it costs around 100 Pesos.