As I write this, I feel like all the grime, stench and pollution emitted by Divisoria is still stuck on me. Let me make it clear, though, that I have taken a bath — far longer than I usually do — just to rid myself of what I accumulated in the heart of bargain center Manila from 7 am to 3 pm. Actually, we (my mother, sister and I) were just in the “shopping mode” from 7:30 am to 12:00 noon. We had to break for lunch in the people-popping foodcourt of the Divisoria Mall, and were on our way home around 1 pm. Alas, because the vehicle was parked along notorious Recto Avenue it took us a good two-and-a-half hours to crawl our way out of there and drive home.
As I stood at the elevator landing of the mall, I felt so lost and overwhelmed because of the crowd that streamed endlessly to kick off the Christmas shopping spirit. They were like an ant colony making their way to collect food to cart for storage till Christmas Day. Man, woman and child, young and old alike braved the heat of the sun and the myriad odors and sensations that define Divisoria. And I thought, anyone who runs smack into the kind of crowd we did today (it’s a holiday right after payday) will feel one of two things: be as overwhelmed as I was, or (and I think more feel this way) go crazy with excitement and go on frenzy rummaging, bargaining and splurging even the most meager of their pay or bonuses for clothes, shoes, toys, wares and what-have-you that vendors are hawking left, right and center.
I gave up after squeezing, bumping, twisting my body every which way just to move along between stalls, the width spanning three people abreast, but which was mostly clogged because of buyers and delivery boys shouting “Watch your heads!” as they careened with heavy loads on their shoulders. I could hardly appreciate the merchandise when it was agonizing just to make my way from one stall to another, while side-stepping owners packing huge boxes of their goods right smack in the middle of the narrow hallways.
Where I could wait for my companions in an area that was least populated (sigh, there was hardly that), I would stand there, go around some, and again be bamboozled by all the sounds around me. Three different kinds of music were blaring north, south and east of me, plus vendors and sales ladies barking their sales pitches not to mention the din created by buyers, promenaders and the curious who did not seem to mind all that was going on.
My carry-all bag was not even half-filled but I neither had the patience nor energy to shop. I was raring to get out but finding the right entrance was an adventure in itself. And I could not win with my sister and mother, who were champions at stopping to check out whatever merchandise was in sight while negotiating their way to the door.
Before finally making our way to the car, I had to endure another 30 minute wait for them to pick up gift wrappers, etc. While outside praying for the shade to hold till we could leave, it was an entirely different assault on the senses. Vendors were as busy out there as they were inside the mall, selling plastic bags, or colored bags bearing Winnie the Pooh, Dora or Mickey designs that came in small, medium, large and extra large sizes. Several young men were milling around waiting for the next set of cargo that needed unloading. And boy, do they work fast!
The usual mode of transportation there is the pedicab, but drivers who toil pedaling under the elements ferrying passengers and cargo, have wisened up and innovated by attaching motor pumps to their bicycles. It’s a cacophony of sounds there — people talking, vendors shouting, guards blowing their whistles, police speaking through a bullhorn — but the amazing thing is no one is complaining. Sure there would be some hecklers or a couple of guys arguing, but it’s as if in all that chaos, everything was in order.
As we crawled our way out of the main street that would finally lead us home, it was an altogether different experience watching through the window of our vehicle. I saw all manner of goods, produce and wares being hawked on pushcarts. It was lucky if the wheel turned 360 degrees each time we inched forward. And because we were mostly at a standstill for more that 5 minutes at a stretch, we managed to add to our purchases, this time while in the comfort of our ride, what I’d call actual “window shopping”…
I think the pictures will speak better for themselves, but I have to muster the energy to download, edit and upload them again before presenting them here. So that will be for another time, and maybe you can come back and check out the visuals of all that I’d been a witness to today.
Yes, I still managed to enjoy myself in spite all the inconveniences. But no, I have no wish to go crazy again by heading back there, especially during the rest of the holiday season.
Divisoria has a life of its own. It lives and breathes commerce. The hawkers, vendors and buying public give it life. And I? I was merely a spectator for a day…
Suman Latik 