The Rickshaw of Manila

I got this picture from one of the "reminiscers" just like me. For the uninitiated, this is the calesa. During those days when the tricycles were still unheard of, the mode of transportation was the calesa.

For 10 centavos one can travel from this part of town to the other side. The drivers were very eco-friendly. There was a big burlap sack idiay likudan ti kaballo which will serve as the harness to receive the future fertilizer.

The calesa is still being used in some parts of Manila especially Ongpin. It has endured all these years and has proven that its existence remains to be a necessity to many of us. Some might not be able to relate to this mode of transportation now. Remember the car made by Ford called Pinto? I'm sure many of you don't. This was our first sports car. At any rate, when one rides the calesa, one is literally riding a local car run just like the Pinto (read - Pinto is a kind of a breed of a horse).