Baguio Sojourn Summer 2015

I know, I know, I promised I would never, ever, ever go to Baguio during the Holy Week, but it was a pretty long holiday, sayang naman. Plus ang init na sa Dumags. So gora kami.

Our bus ticket to Baguio was for April 2, 8 am, pero evening of April 1 pa lang, nasa Manila na kami. Our flight to Manila, although delayed, was uneventful. I actually thought na cancelled na yung flight. Puro day flights lang dito sa Dumaguete kasi may sunset limitation. Buti na lang we have longer days and napilit pa rin na makapag-take off ang plane. During the flight, Sam was the first to win in Cebu Pac's in-flight contest; ako na sana ang tatawagin for the next question, but oddly, inabutan ako ng hiya and I asked na iba na lang ang tawagin -- mukha naman kaming dayukyok sa prizes. I only want the glory. Hehehe. Truth be told, we have tons of Cebu Pac prizes na. Since our very first flight together, madalas na kaming manalo. I still remember the first time we won -- it was then-TheFiancé-now-TheHusband who gave the right object for the "Bring Me" game. The flight crew asked for 1000 diez (10 cents). I took the question at its face value, and I was thinking of literally 1000 pieces of 10 cents. Meanwhile, TheHusband whipped out a 100-peso bill. Yay!

Oh, nawala na ako sa kwento. Anyhoo, since we are about 12 hours early for our bus trip, we decided to queue sa chance-passenger line. Around 3 am, nakasakay na kami. Tulog kami during most of the trip, except for food and bathroom breaks. We arrived in the city around 11 in the morning. We decided to purchase our return tickets, which was a great idea kasi ubusan ang Sunday tickets to Manila. We proceeded to eat, and when we got to the hotel (Bloomfield), tamang-tama lang sa 2 pm check-in time. 

Burham Park seems to be undergoing beautification. They now have a rose garden, which, although still not very lush, has a profusion of color. I can't wait to see (and smell!!!) them in their full bloom. There are also gingerbread houses and some new gazebos.

Cuter together

The Botanical Garden is being improved as well. Aside from the multitude of plants and flowers, they also opened a new area. It's a series of tunnels with caves. I can imagine myself camping in one of the caves. Sabi ko "imagine" lang.

With fronds like these, who needs anemones?

Don't you find the flowers eerie? Parang mga mata. Afraid.

North? West?

Sharkteeth: "Why are there so many garden gnomes?"
TPS: "Anak, si Buddha yata yan."
Sharkteeth: (clasping hand together in prayer) "Sorry."

 

I love these daisies! They are just so happy!

The sunflowers are equally happy!

I heart you.

We didn't have any idea how to go to PMA and just asked a cab to bring us there. The cab driver dropped us off sa gate, eh ang layyyyoooooo pa pala nun. Ugggghhh! And uphill! Double ugggghhh! 

I took this picture for a friend.
You're welcome. Hahahaha!

Nauna na yung dalawa, and I was already huffing and puffing when I reached the monument representing the Armed Forces(?). Oh, at the side of the road, there's a pomelo tree in full bloom with lots of fruits. It was so fragrant. Parang Nenuco cologne. I wanted to pick one of the pomelo blooms, but it seems a bad idea to steal from a military academy, don't you think? :)

Front

Back

Delusion of grandeur

At the cafeteria

Quarrying?

 

Blooms at the Academy

Sharkteeth took most of the pictures and wants to post them in her blog, hence konti lang ang pictures na ni-post ko.

We mostly spent our time walking and eating.  The two didn't bother riding the swan boats this time, as the water was murky. Yes, I know it has always been murky, but it was not only murky, it also looked muddy. If you fall into the water, you're more likely to die of tetanus or some other infection than drowning.

Syempre, mawawala ba ang flea markets? Kaya lang Sharkteeth came with me and cramped my style. I think the tinderas would have given in to my haggling had I not had a loud inglesera kid with me. "Oh, Mymy, this Precious Moment figurine is so beautiful, I want it so much, please." "That music box is lovely." "I love this shop! It has all the figurines I love." So pa'no pa akong makakatawad nyan?! Nevertheless, I was able to get a decent number of cute stuff, not just for me but for Sharkteeth and friends as well. Will post them around midweek, matapos ko lang yung book ko.

We went to our favorite restaurants (Rose Bowl, Solibao, that stall in SM foodcourt that serves authentic Ilocos fare like Vigan longganiza and bagnet), but we also discovered a new place, Good Taste. On our last night, we couldn't decide on where to eat and just followed the road. When we passed Burnham and were almost ready to turn back, we saw it and as it was almost raining, we decided to eat there. Although it's housed in a huge modern building, it has a carinderia vibe. Ang ingay-ingay sa loob and the wait staff seemed tired and harassed. I didn't mind -- we were tired as well and hungry and it was raining hard. The food was quite good, considering the price. I ordered a bowl of sinigang na baboy (PHP120), and I was pleasantly surprised when it was served because it can easily feed two to three persons. TheHusband and Sharkteeth ordered chicken and another dish that I couldn't remember. Our bill was like less than 500 pesos and we still had lots of leftovers, which they packed for us. Happy tummies! We decided to just walk back to the hotel to help digest the food. Baka bangungutin.

There was a storm on our last day, Easter Sunday, but it was quickly downgraded to a low-pressure area. That is not to say that it wasn't bad, because it was. We were caught in the wind and rain and we were soaking wet when we got back to the hotel.

The trip back was quick and uneventful, thankfully, despite the rain, and we got to my parent's home around 3 am, all of us tired and sleepy.

Picture credits: Sharkteeth. Thank you, bebe ghel.