Not Quite What It Used to Be
We've spent the last three days in Baguio, tomorrow being the day we head back down to Manila again. The moment we felt the cool mountain air, we were excited to be back and find out what's new in Baguio City. For one, there's a new flyover where there once was not. There are also a lot more people than I can remember. But there have been a lot of beautiful new things, such as the improved garden in Camp John Hay's Manor and the SM Baguio which has everything you possibly need (even souvenirs!).
Mom kept on saying, whenever we'd find ourselves driving at a snail's pace along Session Road, how it was so different from the Baguio she knew. By this, she meant when she'd come over for the summer to inspect some places in the 80's. Just thinking about distant the 80s seem to be, I realize that I was not even an inkling! I can only imagine how Baguio must have looked in those days.
A major memory of Baguio, as I was growing up and we'd come over almost every year, was Mines View Park. It was always part of our unwritten itinerary. We would look over the dangerous ridge, wondering how the children could be willing to risk falling over just to catch coins tossed by tourists. This story always scared me, and though I was not sure if it was true, this seemed to be affirmed by the sign posted along the ledge-- do not throw coins.
Despite the macabre story, the view from the ledge was what I thought the reason why the place got its name. We would see pine trees, cultivated land and even more cliffs-- always a magnificent view. Here and there were stalls which sold different souvenirs-- mostly food items and accessories. It was even there where me and my older siblings would first find the now overproduced barrel man. Back then my siblings dragged me away when I asked them what they were laughing about and told them I wanted to see. I would find out the truth of the barrel man later-- while they weren't looking-- and regret it.
And then there was the grilled corn and grilled dried pusit! It was not a matter that the after-effect of eating grilled corn would make you look like termites found your teeth more interesting than wood. When the butter and salt was applied on that hot cob of grilled corn, we'd forget this after effect , or at least until we all have our ample share of laughs at each other's black teeth. Yes, we could have always grilled corn and pusit ourselves back home.. but in the cold Baguio weather, it's as if the taste of those novel food items changed as well. It just tastes better in Baguio! It cannot be explained. :)
So today we headed back to MInes View, which we last visited two years ago. Since we last visited (2007), a number of shops popped up. Nevertheless, there were still the familiar things which always made me nostalgic. The wondrous view, the grilled corn, the horses, maybe even the tourists who lined up to take photos with the native Igorots as we headed to the park.
But today... today was disappointing.
The number of shops doubled yet again. The parking was horrible, and it reminded me of Divisoria more than anything else as people walked along with cars, perhaps thinking that gravity does not apply to the difficulty of stopping the car in time. The view was gone, as all I could see were the blue plastic dividers which separated one stall from another. From left to right, all I saw were people selling, people buying, the same Baguio merchandise, over and over. And the corn and the squid... they did not taste that great anymore, since I couldn't eat so comfortably with all the people passing by.
Well, there are a lot more great things to write about Baguio. However, seeing Mines View in its state now personally affected me; I feel like I lost something precious. The Mines View I grew up visiting almost every other year is now gone, and perhaps for the sake of change. (But is it a good kind of change?)
With this, I've come to realize that memories can be quite strange. For one, they can bring you back to such wonderful times and make you appreciate the changes as time goes by. On the other, they make you wonder if these changes are truly worth it. And yet another, they make you want to forget.
I suppose that someday I could be just a memory too. And these memories, as they could hold little value to others now, could be simply forgotten as well... exchanged for newer memories for the newer generation, all a product of the evolution of human needs and ideas.
Mom kept on saying, whenever we'd find ourselves driving at a snail's pace along Session Road, how it was so different from the Baguio she knew. By this, she meant when she'd come over for the summer to inspect some places in the 80's. Just thinking about distant the 80s seem to be, I realize that I was not even an inkling! I can only imagine how Baguio must have looked in those days.
A major memory of Baguio, as I was growing up and we'd come over almost every year, was Mines View Park. It was always part of our unwritten itinerary. We would look over the dangerous ridge, wondering how the children could be willing to risk falling over just to catch coins tossed by tourists. This story always scared me, and though I was not sure if it was true, this seemed to be affirmed by the sign posted along the ledge-- do not throw coins.
Despite the macabre story, the view from the ledge was what I thought the reason why the place got its name. We would see pine trees, cultivated land and even more cliffs-- always a magnificent view. Here and there were stalls which sold different souvenirs-- mostly food items and accessories. It was even there where me and my older siblings would first find the now overproduced barrel man. Back then my siblings dragged me away when I asked them what they were laughing about and told them I wanted to see. I would find out the truth of the barrel man later-- while they weren't looking-- and regret it.
And then there was the grilled corn and grilled dried pusit! It was not a matter that the after-effect of eating grilled corn would make you look like termites found your teeth more interesting than wood. When the butter and salt was applied on that hot cob of grilled corn, we'd forget this after effect , or at least until we all have our ample share of laughs at each other's black teeth. Yes, we could have always grilled corn and pusit ourselves back home.. but in the cold Baguio weather, it's as if the taste of those novel food items changed as well. It just tastes better in Baguio! It cannot be explained. :)
So today we headed back to MInes View, which we last visited two years ago. Since we last visited (2007), a number of shops popped up. Nevertheless, there were still the familiar things which always made me nostalgic. The wondrous view, the grilled corn, the horses, maybe even the tourists who lined up to take photos with the native Igorots as we headed to the park.
But today... today was disappointing.
The number of shops doubled yet again. The parking was horrible, and it reminded me of Divisoria more than anything else as people walked along with cars, perhaps thinking that gravity does not apply to the difficulty of stopping the car in time. The view was gone, as all I could see were the blue plastic dividers which separated one stall from another. From left to right, all I saw were people selling, people buying, the same Baguio merchandise, over and over. And the corn and the squid... they did not taste that great anymore, since I couldn't eat so comfortably with all the people passing by.
Well, there are a lot more great things to write about Baguio. However, seeing Mines View in its state now personally affected me; I feel like I lost something precious. The Mines View I grew up visiting almost every other year is now gone, and perhaps for the sake of change. (But is it a good kind of change?)
With this, I've come to realize that memories can be quite strange. For one, they can bring you back to such wonderful times and make you appreciate the changes as time goes by. On the other, they make you wonder if these changes are truly worth it. And yet another, they make you want to forget.
I suppose that someday I could be just a memory too. And these memories, as they could hold little value to others now, could be simply forgotten as well... exchanged for newer memories for the newer generation, all a product of the evolution of human needs and ideas.