Who would have thought that there is a nautical transportation here in Manila? Of course there is! Pasig Ferry has been operating since 2007 and a practical means of transportation for those who likes a traffic-free travel plus sightseeing. Biyaheros or Merchants (transporting goods from Manila and then sells it) also finds the boat very useful way to travel since they got masses of goods. The boat runs where else? But of course in the historical Pasig River! Way back Spanish occupation, Ilog Pasig (or Pasig River) has been a mode of transportation since it runs from Laguna de Bay to Pasig passing different areas in Manila. The Boat is very clean follows safety precautions. Underneath the chairs are individual life vests and only allows passenger at maximum seating capacity.

Pasig River has witnessed the triumph and pitfalls that have happened here in Manila. Ilog Pasig was also the setting of the first Chapter (Bapor Tabo) of Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo (My favorite Filipino fiction). When I tried to ride the boat, I thought I was warped back through time. Haha! So much drama! Going back to my story, the transportation operations was stopped. For some reasons, the Pasig River that used to be clean became polluted. Mainly because of industrialization, the waste products are carelessly thrown on the river. Now I am glad that at least the government and some NGOs are trying to do something about it (a bit late though). Pasig wasn’t that polluted anymore.

Pasig ferry operates from Intramuros to Kalawaan and vice versa. Below is the list of schedules. I took a photo on the bulletin board at the Escolta Station

What to do

hmm.. street photography. you’ll observe loads during the trip.

No-no’s

Seriously, you can’t jump on the river. Haha kidding! Who in the right state of mind would do that anyway?

They strictly follow schedule so don’t be late.

Firearms and other pointed objects are not allowed inside.

You cannot smoke inside the boat.

You can’t take a picture of the Malacanang Palace (Presidential Residence). They said it’s for security purposes.

Lastly, Don’t throw anything on the river. It’s the simplest deed to help save the river. unless it’s a fish food which is very unlikely.  And I don’t think you like breeding  janitor fish.

Tags: Boat Ride, boat ride schedule, Ilog Pasig, Pasig, Pasig Ferry, Pasig River, River, Schedules, trips

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 10:45 am and is filed under Adventure, Around The Metro. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.