Baguio Day 1

    Yes I'm back on the blogosphere! Yay!

    Last week I took my dad's suggestion to go on a solo trip. I instantly knew where I wanted to go: Baguio. I thought it the perfect destination for me because I'd already been acquainted with the place from two previous trips. And I was also craving that crisp, piney Baguio air.  

    In the days leading up to the trip, I stressed myself out so much with planning the itinerary, to the point of checking the hourly weather reports in Baguio and planning my activities around that. I became so anxious about the itinerary that I lost sight of the main point of the trip, which was to practice being on my own. I had to keep reminding myself that the goal wasn't to visit all the tourist attractions, but to learn more about myself, which meant really listening to myself and going wherever I wanted and doing whatever I felt like. 

    So I scrapped the itinerary I had spent days researching and opted instead for a simple list of places to go and things to do. The gist was that I'd do it if I felt like it, and if I didn't, I wouldn't. With that in mind, I packed up my stuff and boarded the midnight train to Baguio.

    The bus ride was uneventful and quite comfortable. Fell asleep through most of it and woke up at 4:30 AM in Baguio (yes the trip only took four hours!). I got dropped off at this tiny stone shed in the middle of nowhere (or so I thought). The air was biting cold and my jacket suddenly seemed so thin. The street was dark. The only light came from the harsh fluorescent tube in the shed, illuminating the only life forms present on that road: three other solo travelers like me. We all sat in silence, and I wondered where one was supposed to go at 4 AM. I was waiting for one of them to leave so I could follow them and find out.

    The waiting was killing me. I decided to pick a random direction to walk in. Nobody gets mugged at 4 AM right?

   Fortunately I picked the right direction and ended up where civilization was - at the Baguio bus terminal. People were coolly milling about, either waiting for their next trip or just arriving from one.

     The ratty black jacket I had on seemed to be made of paper or something, because it was doing nothing to keep me warm and I was shivering like a newly hatched chick. Luckily I spotted this pink karinderia, its warmth calling out to me like an incubator. I ducked inside for a nice cup of hot Milo. Really hit the spot.
   

     I still had three hours to kill before I could drop off my heavy bag at the AirBnB and get on with my itinerary. I wasn't hungry, but I figured I would grab breakfast just to have something to do other than ruminate. A quick Google search of 24/7 restaurants led me to my breakfast destination: Pizza Volante along Session Road.

Session Road, 5 AM.

Pizza Volante, 5 AM. Love the warm, red interiors. 

I ordered this pumpkin soup (P45). I just wanted something warm and not-too-filling. But the waitress taking my order screeched "Yan lang oorderin mo?!" and I succumbed to the pressure to order more.

Solo margherita pizza, 5:30 AM. I was pretty stuffed from the soup but I did enjoy one slice of this. The vegetables tasted fresh and the cheese was so gooey. Outside, the sky was getting lighter, and I didn't want to lose any daylight. I politely asked the mataray waitress to wrap up the rest for take-out.

The unassuming storefront. That's the spot where I sat and enjoyed my soup, watching the sun rise.

     From my spot at Pizza Volante, I could see the familiar steps leading up to the Cathedral. I decided that would be my next destination.

Session Road, 6 AM.

Should I have counted the steps going up? I don't care too much for rituals.

The Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, better known as the Baguio Cathedral. 6 AM. 

      I stepped inside, intent on just resting my back and legs from the climb up. I ended up sticking around long enough to hear a mass and a half.

I love the Cathedral tiles.

Interesting HIV poster on their bulletin board!

   After mass, I walked across the church to the adjacent shopping area (which had not been there during my first visit, seven years ago).

The day was grey and overcast. Much like my life in the past couple of months.

Mutant Pikachu beanie. I'd end up finding variations of this weird design throughout my trip, with each iteration getting stranger and stranger.

So this is what catnip looks like! I wanted to bring some home for my roommate Pat, but I figured I'd be able to find this in QC Circle.

*snickers at inside joke*

      By the time I was done perusing the vendors' colorful wares, it was a little past 8 AM, which meant I could go to my AirBnB to drop off my luggage. But between catching Z's on the bus ride that morning to lugging my heavy backpack around the city proper, I felt drained already. I was partially thankful that Miss Olive from the AirBnB wouldn't let me check in yet, forcing me to power through my morning.

       Taking a taxi to my accommodation cost me 70 bucks, and the ride from there to the BenCab museum cost 110.

The BenCab museum is just far enough away from
 the city that it's surrounded by lush green mountainsides
untouched by human civilization.

These idols are called Bulul - Ifugao rice gods. Is it disrespectful to be taking silly photos with them like they're people? I do not know.

These pieces of furniture were carved by Ifugao artists from a single tree trunk! Freaking amazing.

That's "Oro, Plata, Mata" by Dexter Sy on the right - one of my favorite pieces in BenCab's museum. I just love how gruesome and anatomically inaccurate it is. 

I found this so adorable. The museum guide says it's supposed to be a wild pig. Aww! n_n 

My next favorite piece is this Bulul wall. Each Bulul represents a different concept, based on how the arms are positioned. The one with its arms outstretched is a Dancing Bulul.

At Cafe' Sabel, the museum's in-house cafe, where I spent some time writing in my journal. For lunch, I got the Farm Fresh Salad (PhP 130?) upon the recommendation of OurAwesomePlanet. It had a delicious strawberry vinaigrette and the vegetables indeed tasted fresh, but it wasn't filling enough to eat by itself for lunch. I devoured the leftover pizza from Pizza Volante to supplement the salad.

A short walk away from the museum, you'll find a row of woodcarvers shops with all sorts of wooden goods for sale. Great place to find pasalubongs at a lower cost - I got my own little Bulul for 80 pesos here. The same thing sells for around PhP 120 in the city. 

      I finished scouring the rows of woodcarvers' shops at around 12:30 NN. By this time the sun was shining at full force, and I badly wanted to go sleep. But the AirBnB check-in wasn't until 2 PM. I decided to escape from the heat at SM Baguio, which ended up being a mistake. The mall was surprisingly crowded (even more crowded than SM Megamall) and hot, since the main parts aren't air-conditioned. The heat and the crowd made me feel cranky, so I bought a cheap soft serve ice cream cone from a random stall, which turned out to have the consistency of a stick of butter. Grr. With my crankiness levels rising, I dragged my feet around the mall just waiting for 2 PM to strike so I could leave. Finally, after thoroughly exploring the souvenir section and pretending to be interested in the same old beanies and barrel men, it was check-in time. I took a taxi back to Miss Olive's home and fell into a deep and blissful sleep.

     When I woke up, the pitch blackness that surrounded me caught me off guard. What time is it? Where was I? My mind reached for the answers: It was nearly 7 PM, I was in Miss Olive's house, and I was starving. The bed was so wide and soft that I was tempted to just stay in and gorge on the snacks I had bought from Manila. But eventually I worked up the determination to separate from Miss Olive's (gorgeous) guest bed.

     Taking a jeep, I arrived at Session Road around 7:30, not really knowing where to eat. After walking around for a bit in the chilly air, I couldn't resist the delicious aroma and warmth coming from this place (whose name I cannot remember - sorry!). It also had a nice sign on the front advertising its PhP 99 sizzling meals. I was sold.

The interiors are surprisingly cozy for a place that sells 99-peso steak. 

I got the sizzling pork steak. It comes with soup, a stick of barbecue, and a side of vegetables for only 99 pesos! So good! 

     Thoroughly satisfied with my meal, I decided to push on to Upper Session Road to see Casa Vallejo.

    When I was picking out a place to stay in Baguio, I was originally all set to stay here because it looks like something straight out of a Nancy Drew game! It's one of the oldest buildings in Baguio, and I am such a sucker for old houses. Casa Vallejo seems to be teeming with mystery. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the bricks on the fireplace mantle can be tapped to reveal a hidden passageway! I badly wanted to stay here but the price tag was just too much for my student budget (around PhP 2,500 for a night). But I swear to return - when I get a real salary!

The Casa Vallejo lobby. Apologies for the sucky photos; I only used my phone camera during this trip and it isn't that good.

     Hill Station is known for being a gourmet restaurant, and it's accessible through the main staircase at Casa Vallejo. I was so giddy when I saw this. The design of the place is simply gorgeous - rustic, minimalist, charming. Off-white runners draped from the wooden rafts. The chairs were furnished in muted pinks and teals. The lights were warm and softened the room with an orangey glow.

    This place is the definition of understated elegance. It looked like a Wes Anderson movie I tell you, and I'm terribly sorry for showing you the picture below, because it simply does not do justice to the cozy beauty that my eyes beheld that night. Yes, that's the perfect word for this place: cozy. Cozy to the highest degree. MAXIMUM COZY.

     Again, apologies for this photo.

     I ordered their best-selling dessert, a chocolate lava cake called Death By Chocolate. While waiting, I observed the other patrons in the restaurant. It was mostly empty save for a New Yorker with a Filipina date. I could say it the other way around - Filipina with a New Yorker date - but his loud presence muted hers. His words occupied too much space in the conversation, so much that their interaction was more like a monologue than a conversation.

     I let his empty banter fill my head as Death By Chocolate filled my stomach. 

     When I had soaked in the lovely atmosphere long enough, it was time to go bargain hunting on Harrison Road. (By the way, I got around mostly on foot thanks to Google Maps. It's accurate, people!) 

A random dilapidated building. You seem to have aged well, old friend. 

The Baguio night market. Reminds me so much of the old Night Cafe we used to have in CDO! (Again, I have no idea why it was called a "cafe".) It made me so nostalgic for the weekends I'd spend with my family hustling around booths and scoring unique and really cheap clothes. 

I can't believe how clear this picture looks given my phone camera's performance. But this is my favorite part of ukay-ukays: rummaging through the toys and admiring how beautifully weird they can get! Spot the Gudetama! 

I gave this guy some small change because I found his voice to be really stunning. (Then I thought, how wicked is it that I only donate to the talented beggars? Aren't the untalented ones equally deserving?) But seriously, this guy could be big one day.

   I wasn't really in the market for clothes since my closets are still full with ukay-ukay finds from all the thrift shopping trips my mom makes. I spent almost two hours at the night market and ended up buying only one stuffed toy for 30 bucks hehe. I took a cab home and had a good night's sleep.

   And that's it for Day 1! Stay tuned for Day 2 of my Baguio solo adventure. :)