lightning bakasyon

kararating ko lang ng bahay galing sa lightning bakasyon sa baguio.  3 days/2 nights trip which is mostly spent on the bus because of the arduous and butt-burning 7 hour trip each way.  pero sulit na sulit dahil for the first time (hehehe kahiya mang aminin!) eh nakarating din ako ng baguio sa wakas.  and fell in love with it.

in fact i'm suffering right now from LSS.  hindi last song syndrome - last scenery syndrome. habang bumibyahe kasi kami pabalik, pumipikit ako and the first picture that comes to my mind are the mountain tops littered with houses precariously clinging for dear life.  or yong mga eksenang titingin ka sa labas ng sasakyan at ang bubulaga sa yo ay ang pagkalalim-lalim na bangin na siguradong hindi ka bubuhayin in case na magwelga ang preno ng sasakyan mo. 

but more than the overwhelming beautiful views, the invigorating pine-scented clean air and the refreshing chilling temperature, it's the general warmth, honesty and friendliness of people in baguio that charmed me the most.  cab drivers were courteous and honest, even the policemen were nice.  isama ko na yong sa hotel na tinuluyan namin although alam naman nating standard na sa hospitality business ang ganon.  but people you meet in the streets, magtanong ka kahit kanino and you'll get honest answer and assistance. sana lahat ng cities sa pinas ganito. 

here's a pictography of the super fast bakasyon na kung tutuusin eh 1 1/2 day lang ang nagamit namin sa pamamasyal and yet naikot namin halos lahat ng major spots sa baguio!  talk about fast-paced sight-seeing!



according to i'ts site, casa vallejo is one of the oldest establishments in baguio.  it's a cozy small hotel strategically located at upper session hill.  ang maganda, it's right accross sm baguio (bakod ng sm yang nasa kabilang kalsada). what's bad though is that it doesn't have facilities modern hotels offer.  wi-fi naman ang kwarto pero walang business center.  being an old structure na ni-renovate lang lately, may mga kwento sa internet na may ghosts daw dito.  wala naman akong naramdaman although on our second night, i woke up to the sound of a guy screaming na parang tino-torture.  nong nakiramdam na ako, wala naman. so sa mga matatakutin, never choose an old house like this.  para naman sa akin, the real hassle is the fact that it sits right beside a busy street.  dinig na dinig sa room ang usapan ng mga naglalakad sa kalye. lalo ang mga humaharurot na sasakyan. at sabi ng mga nakausap naming taga-baguio talaga, mahal daw dito. medyo nga.  wala nang facilities, maliit pa ang room for 48$ per night.  buti na lang malinis naman ang rooms at friendly ang staff

 

but i didn't come to baguio for the hotel.  it's burnham park i wanted to see.  kaya yon ang first stop namin.  kaya lang pagod na ako sa 7-hour trip kaya hindi ko pinangarap mag-boating...

at habang nakaupo at nanonood ng mga tao, naisipang magpa-henna tattoo...  trip lang! hahahaa!!!

5pm na pero sumugod pa rin kami ng camp john hay.  wala na rin akong masyadong energy na magpo-pose so i just took shots of mauie (who by the way was the reason why this trip finally took place.  birthday nya kasi kaya after so many times na plinano at hindi natuloy, eto natuloy na rin ang baguio!)

the following morning, walang masyadong fog kaya i took this shot from the resto where we're having breakfast.  at sa mga tulad kong baguhan sa baguio, wag na kayong ma-shock kung walang aircon ang karamihan ng establishments dito. our hotel room only has ceiling fan pero nagtatalukbong pa rin ako ng comforter dahil malamiggggg!!!  and this resto even leave the windows open.  dahil mas masarap nga naman ang natural lamig ng hangin. 

and this is the yummy breakfast i had on our second day - langgonisang baguio, fried egg, pickled cucumber, brewed coffee and the star of the morning meal - mountain rice! ang sarap pala nya. ito kaya yong mga kinakain ng mga diwata at dwende? kasi the color is something magical! hahahaha

taken at the igorot stairs fronting the barrio fiesta restaurant which happens to be next door to our hotel.  nakikipag-chikahan lang ako sa aking mga manang. kaya lang yong katabi ko mukhang busy sa pagkukuto! hahahah

okey, i'm just pretending to but i didn't actually touch it! baka magalit sa akin yan eh walang sinabi si machete sa laki nya noh!

first stop after friday breakfast was mine's view park.  at ito ang bumungad sa amin - ang pagkalaki-laking st bernard na ito named boomer.  who can refuse such charm!  talagang naaliw ako dahil sanay na sanay mag-posing ang boomer!

hindi ko rin palalagpasin ito - at least nakapag-costume party ng march! hahahaaa

teka lang sisibatin ko yong makulit na langaw!!! hahaha

un segundo paneros, mi visita mi hacienda... bwahahhaa! 

okey here's the real stuff - the breath-taking view of mine's view park.  medyo nagtagal kami dito just sitting and soaking up the view.  nakaka-relax. at maganda sanang mag-emote ng mga soul-searching ekalavu kaya lang maraming maiingay na tourists.  kaya nag-rent na lang ako ng binoculars and had a grand time na mamboso ng mga tuktok ng mga bahay sa tuktok ng bundok. i'm really amazed how they can build such huge houses at that height!

next stop - the mansion house. di naman pwedeng pumasok sa mansion mismo kaya dito muna ang posing

at i-zoom ang digicam to get this shot

at pagbigyan ang request ni mister psg na bumili ng souvenirs tulong na lang daw sa kanilang coop.  hindi naman ako mahirap kausapin sa mga ganyan.  i have so much respect for our men in uniform kaya buy talaga ako ng items from him. at syempre hoping na maka-lusot at makalapit sa mansion! kaso hindi talaga pwede! hahaha...

kaya tumawid na lang kami and took more pictures sa wright park. 

diretso sa botanical garden

and final stop for the morning ang philippine military academy na napasok at naikot namin in less than 10 minutes! super bilisan talaga dahil kailangan nang mag-lunch!

after lunch, umakyat kami sa 3rd level ng sm to have this picture taken.  yup, it's sm.  kung sanay ka sa mga uniform na itsura ng sm everywhere, baguio is obviously an exception.  it took advantage of it's position, possibly one of the highest points in baguio city kaya nilagyan nila ng viewing decks ang 2nd and 3rd level.  and from here, you can have a 360 deg view of the whole city and the mountains beyond.  kudos to sm for doing this!

konting pahinga lang then we're off to the lourdes grotto.  bad move dahil nawala ang kinain ko kalahati pa lang ng aakyatin!  sakit ng hita at binti ko but i did it - conquered all 252 steps up (with several stops in between kasama ang sandamukal na hingal) and down (na sumakit na talaga ang mga tuhod ko) hahahhaa!

and you thought we've had enough?  hindi pa!  dumiretso pa kami dito sa tam-awan village not knowing na katakot-takot na akyatan na naman ang bubunuin namin. 

kaya ayan, hindi na maka-pose ng matino lawit pa ang dila sa kakahingal! wahahahha

sabi ng napagtanungan namin, malapit na lang daw from tam-awan village ang strawberry farm.  kaya sugod naman kami.  on our way back, saka lang namin nalaman na hindi na pala part ng baguio city ang lugar na ito.  mantakin mong nasa la trinidad benguet na pala kami hindi namin alam! hahahah

saturday morning na ito, on our way pauwi.  i can't help but take pictures from the moving bus.  buti na lang mabilis din ang shutter ng aking libreng digicam courtesy of tasnee.

pasensya na kayo but i'm just so amazed with the view

our dear farmers harvesting rice along the highway somewhere in la union

i wish i can do one more trip to this wonderful city.  i'll just make sure na pwedeng mag-stay ng mas matagal para mas maka-ikot ng matagal at ma-appreciate ang lugar.  coz now i know why baguio is one favorite destination among tourists.  it's one awesome city i'd like to explore more.