Philippines,Travel,Travel & Kids

We Prayed for an Honest Kalesa Driver and We Really Got One!

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 16-min

If you Google riding kalesas in Manila, you’ll be put off by the number of stories you’ll read about kutseros (kalesa drivers) cheating passengers. But I really wanted Luke to experience riding one, so we decided to go anyway. Mor and I just seriously kept on praying that we’ll meet an honest kutsero who won’t cheat us.

And God sometimes has funny ways of answering our prayers!

Riding Kalesas in Manila

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 9-min

Riding a kalesa, also known as a horse-drawn carriage, is now a novelty, even in downtown Manila. I used to ride kalesas frequently with my mom whenever we were at the area because they were cheaper than hailing a cab. But now, they’re used mostly just for tourism. Not to mention that the kalesas now look nothing like the kalesas we used to ride! I call these “glorified kalesas!

In an effort to encourage Luke to appreciate his country at a young age, we decided to take him around Intramuros and its surrounding areas. The main goal for the day however was to take a kalesa ride!

Kalesa Fares and Dishonest Kutseros

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 8-min

According to what I researched online, if you take a kalesa ride from Intramuros, it will cost you around P500/30 minutes. If you take one at Luneta, just near The National Museum, it will cost around P350/30 minutes.

Dishonest kutseros however, would apparently say P500 at the beginning and take you around for hours. Then after the ride, will say it was P500 per 30 minutes per person so you’ll definitely be shocked when they tell you the final bill! They could charge you anywhere from P2000-P5000 with that kind of scam!

Obviously, we were horrified at the thought of being cheated but we really wanted to go for Luke’s sake so we decided to just go ahead with the plan. We just prayed to God that He will give us an honest kutsero. At the back of our heads though, we were also devising several back-up plans in case we encounter a scammer. Haha!

Choosing our Kalesa

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 2-min

We decided to go to The National Museum because as noted above, fares were supposedly cheaper there. The moment we got out of our car, we were immediately greeted by a kutsero asking us if we wanted a ride. We asked him how much a ride was and he agreed to giving it for only P250!

Of course, it seemed too good to be true especially because we were expecting funny business so we clarified it to him that we wanted to ride for only 30 minutes and that the P250 was for all of us already. He said yes, for real, it’s just P250!

Little did we know that this guy was really the real deal, and more!

Meet Kuya Jaime and His Amazing Story

Honest Kalesa Driver Intramuros

We asked Kuya Jaime Mayor about being a kutsero and he tells us he’s been doing this for 34 years. He also said he has 4 kids whom he was able to send to school just from his kalesa earnings. As we got talking more, he then casually tells us the story about how he once returned money that belonged to a foreigner amounting more than P200,000! 

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 4-min

He said if I search his name on YouTube I would find him, and no kidding, I really did (you can watch a link to the news report here!) He was even awarded at Luneta Park because of what he did and shared his excitement about meeting past president NoyNoy Aquino.

We prayed for an honest kutsero and got one who was given awards because of his honesty! How amazing is that?

Our Pleasant 30-minute Kalesa Ride

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 10-min

We had a wonderful kalesa ride. It was just a short trip around the area but it’s been a while since I visited Manila and I really felt like a tourist going around an unfamiliar place.

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 5-min

Luke had fun riding this huge kalesa, which could easily fit 6-8 persons. I wonder what he’ll think about the old kalesas I used to ride. Haha.

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 6-min

The pleasure is always mine whenever I take this little boy out. My little traveler in the making.

Stopping by Rizal Park

Intramuros Kalesa Ride Rizal Park

We asked Kuya Jaime if we could stop by Rizal Park (a.k.a. Luneta Park) just to take a few photos and he agreed. It’s funny how Mor and I have passed by Rizal Park countless times but we never really went down to check the place out. Happy we got the chance to do this now; I’m no longer a stranger in my own city!

Intramuros Kalesa Ride Rizal Park

“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it, okay?!” I asked Luke to raise his hands like he was saying “YAY!” but he did this instead. Haha.

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 3-min

After this stop, we just went back where we began. We paid Kuya Jaime, took some more photos with him and thanked him for a wonderful ride. Then we went on exploring the area, which I’ll tell you guys more about next time.

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 14-min

I saw this kalesa when we got out and was secretly very impressed! Haha! I love how there are lots of different kinds of kalesas here. I’ll be sure to try the other ones the next time we visit.

Tips and Things to Remember:

Intramuros Kalesa Ride 11-min

  • Number one tip: Look for our kutsero, Kuya Jaime Mayor, and get him. Haha!
  • Get a ride at the National Museum instead of Intramuros for a cheaper fare.
  • Agree on the rates beforehand; clarify the duration and number of pax.
  • If you can, offer to pay before the ride begins so that he can’t backtrack anymore.

Have you ridden on a kalesa in Manila before? How was your experience like and do you have any tips you wanna share? Leave a comment below!

(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST AUGUST 2017.)
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26 Comments

  • Reply
    Irish S
    August 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    Kainggit!! We’ll try!! :)

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 10, 2017 at 2:27 pm

      Try it! It’s touristy but fun!

  • Reply
    Sheila
    August 10, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Will try to look for kuya jaime when we go!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 11, 2017 at 12:12 am

      Haha you should definitely do that! I feel so bad that I wasn’t able to get his phone number so that my readers can just call him when they visit. Shucks. Next time! :)

  • Reply
    Nancy
    August 14, 2017 at 5:15 am

    Riding a kalesa looks super cool! It’s unfortunate that there are a lot of shady dealers out there. Glad you found someone who’s honest and didn’t try to scam you! I know I would avoid any vendors who try to bust that on me. Glad Jamie was honest with your family!

    https://exquisitely.me

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 14, 2017 at 6:33 pm

      Yes really happy we found an honest kalesa driver! Hehe. Thanks Nancy!

  • Reply
    Eena
    August 15, 2017 at 1:33 am

    Riding a kalesa looks like fun! I lived in Cebu for fifteen years but I’ve never ridden one. That’s nice you were blessed with an honest driver like Kuya Jaime. More blessings to him talaga!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 15, 2017 at 7:45 am

      Are there a lot of kalesas in Cebu as well? I’m not familiar. :) But yes I really praise God for him and pray that he will be blessed many times over!

  • Reply
    Kris
    August 16, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    This looks amazing! I’m glad you’ve had a pleasant experience!

  • Reply
    Yuliya Oleynykova
    August 16, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    What a nice adventure

  • Reply
    Aliona
    August 16, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    Loved reading this!

  • Reply
    Camila
    August 16, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    Looks like you are having such an amazing time there and the place looks very gorgeous!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 16, 2017 at 11:37 pm

      We did have an amazing time! Thanks Camila!

  • Reply
    Deborah
    August 17, 2017 at 7:01 am

    These pictures are incredible and it looks like you guys had a fabulous time! You have such a cute family :)

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 17, 2017 at 8:29 am

      Thanks Deborah, we did!

  • Reply
    Nathalie
    August 18, 2017 at 12:08 pm

    Oh what a fun experience. Luke seems to really enjoy it so much!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 18, 2017 at 5:16 pm

      Hi Nathalie, yes he really did enjoy! :)

  • Reply
    Zorica
    August 18, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    So many lovely photos.

  • Reply
    Emily
    August 19, 2017 at 12:06 am

    This looks like a blast! Loved looking through these pics.

  • Reply
    Len Parent
    August 22, 2017 at 2:25 am

    WOW Mabuhay! Love your photos! What a perfect and beautiful family!
    It was nice meeting you!
    Have a wonderful day!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 22, 2017 at 9:45 am

      Thanks for dropping by Len!

  • Reply
    Joanna
    August 24, 2017 at 7:25 am

    We did not ride a kalesa because we thought it would be really expensive so we rode a tricycle instead. He also told us it’s 250 but did not mention that it was 250 per 30 minutes. I think he asked us for 1500 but i don’t think we reached 3 hours. We just looked at the bright side and we enjoyed our time together.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      August 24, 2017 at 9:36 am

      Hi Joanna, unfortunately, that’s the “modus operandi” there which is very sad! That’s how they trick passengers into charging higher. Sorry to hear about that but I’m glad you were able to enjoy your time together!

  • Reply
    Lilia Bautista Lamadrid
    November 19, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    Thanks for sharing you and your family’s very pleasant kalesa ride experience in Luneta Park and vicinities. Enjoyed reading the article . I’m planning on doing the same thing with my son and his family when we visit the Phl this Christmas . We will definitely make sure we pick Mang Juan’s kalesa in Luneta for an extra beautiful kalesa ride experience. Btw, do you happen to have his contact info? Thanks

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 19, 2019 at 9:45 pm

      Oh I dont have his contact info sorry :( But maybe you can show someone his photo there! Hehehe I hear his pretty famous in the area 😉

  • Reply
    Mama_telyamzon
    November 28, 2019 at 10:01 am

    I haven’t yet try to ride on a kalesa even I came from San fernando Pampanga that has Kalesa too. But now I want to ride na in Kalesa In Manila to see the City too and look for Kuya Jaime Mayor to meet him. Hihi. Thanks for sharing your experience in riding in Kalesa Mommy Sheena. :)

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