recreating baguio [santized! hahaha]
i've been to baguio less than 10 times in my entire life since i was a kid. the last time i was there, baguio was a stopover of sorts, the destination being sagada.
in a spontaneous getaway that i've always longed to do again, the moment we received word that classes were suspended last friday, 1 am, within two minutes, xam and i decided to go to baguio before egay arrived in manila. it took us an hour to pack, and a half-hour to get to the bus station. it was a crucial race against time to beat 'egay' (or reggae the supertyphoon, as xam misheard it the first time), debbz following us to baguio 2 days after.
true to our avowed intent not to go on the usual tourist-y trips, we shied away from the hordes who stop for pictures atop horses and mount swan-shaped boats. always, always, when we travel, we want to experience the place, live in it as though we could stay in it forever.
1. discounted stay at corfu village, courtesy of a kabarkada whose family owns the place
2. euro-swiss deli inn, where we ended up having dinner and drinks since the rainstorms apparently could travel up haha
3. SM baguio, where we bought necessities, the ones we were too lazy to pack haha
4. cafe volante, yummy 6" pizzas (the only pizza place i know that offers such a size)
5. 50's diner, a cute retro place right beside corfu
6. beach house on nevada square, reminiscent of boracay but smack in the middle of one of the coldest places in the philippines (haha)
7. cafe by the ruins (the place i mistakenly thought belonged to kidlat tahimik)
8. the recently burned down bocas (which we devoted 2 days to find huhuhu) on top of la azotea, which does belong to kidlat tahimik
9. steak house (we ate a LOT of steaks while we were there)
10. red lion's pub and the wine and the crazy videoke and the billiards and hmmm... all the fun in the place that never sleeps (!!!!!)
... it was a genuine break from routine - a break from existentialist crises, from obligations, from anything and everything life back home came to represent.
maybe it's just the spontaneous vacation hangover, but i look at manila differently now. i hate the traffic and the expensive taxis and the lack of interesting people. most of all, i hate the withering heat. i like the surprise of baguio, admirably holding its own against the onslaught of commercialization, creating its own niche(s), i like the independence, the relative anonymity, the temporary affinities, etc etc etc.
took the 3 am trip in time for class, bought some pasalubong for the socio11 peeps, and still managed to pick up where we left off from last meeting.
one of the best vacations i've had, and we've had (xam, debbz and i) - practically unbeatable, unshakable, unbreakable.
hope to be back real soon.
yeyeye... let's get it on! ;)