the perils of

        Last Saturday (which also happened to be Valentine's Day), Rap and I embarked on a perilous quest to discover a mythical town inhabited by mutant pineapples, noodle-pullers, and, the most dangerous of all, Chinese people.         Rap and I had been to Binondo before, albeit separately. I had gone during a field trip for my Philosophy class some two years ago (and I blogged about it here ), while Rap's last visit was some four years ago, for an English class activity. But despite the time that had elapsed, Binondo still seemed as familiar and charming as ever.         We took the LRT2 all the way to its last stop in Recto. Pretty decent station. Well, except for the really dark and sketchy parts.         I know it was a risk bringing my bulky camera along on this trip, but I didn't want to have to bring out my tablet every time I wanted to snap a picture! Anyway, I kept it in my bag when I wasn't using it, and the bag stayed with Rap.         When