Baguio Trip 2015

This vacation was organized by myself a few months ago. Since October was filled with surprises, I intuitively anticipated that this vacation wouldn't go as planned. We learned about the impending typhoon from the news reports we saw and heard the day before. However, that didn't hinder us from moving north. 

Of course, Baguio trip won’t be complete without visiting the ever famous Lion Head. Hahaha. I have something to confess and please don’t hate me – I call it Godzilla Head.

 

Photo: My IG 

Time check 08:00am -- The weather’s still perfect! We had our breakfast at one of the famous stops  - “Chocolate de Batirol” in Camp John Hay. When we get there, the place isn't crowded, but people are starting to trickle in. I'm a great admirer of everything vintage/old thus this is really a place for me. The setting is so Filipino, it seems like you're eating in your own garden (exactly like my lola's).  I’m a huge fan of anything vintage/old so this is really a place for me. The resto is surrounded by huge pine trees and different fruit bearing trees. The air is fresh and crisp.

 

I love the color! 

After a hearty breakfast, we went to Mines View and dressed like locals there for just 20 PHP each. Took several photos together and lotsa selfies of course. Half an hour later, we went to The Mansion and walk like those in movies at the Wright Park.  We’ve spent half of the day roaming around and taking photos. 

We opted to check into our hotel around midday when it started to drizzle and the wind started to grow chilly. We got a really good deal in Agoda, where the cost of the 1^st night’s free. The room’s just enough for us, not that big like we usually book, but this is just fine. We’ve bought lots of junk foods and chocolates in SM Baguio.

We spent the entire afternoon in our room. The rain is now relentless and the wind started to howl. We didn’t go out that afternoon due to the bad weather condition. We’ve cancelled our itinerary and decided to watch some flick and nibble on the food we bought.

The weather is still awful in the morning. Actually, things are becoming worse. Even so, we get ready and go to church. Although we attended the English service, the Ilocano service is still going on because it is still too early. And yes, I don’t understand a thing. :) 

We heard a loud siren during the service—it was the city alarm! When we overheard the whispers, I immediately realized something was wrong—bad weather with siren? Ugh. It gave me the willies. Possible landslides could occur as a result of the extreme weather. 

I checked my schedule after lunch and saw that we were meant to visit Dinosaur Island after which we were supposed to head to the Café in the Sky by early afternoon. We chose not to travel to any of the above locations despite Mitsu (our car) braving the inclement weather due to the dense fog, strong winds, and heavy rain. Due to the poor visibility caused by the weather, we came dangerously close to two accidents. We decided to lunch at the Café near the Ruins, but regrettably it was closed. In the end, we had dinner at the Ketchup Community. There are a few local and foreign visitors enjoying the food and their Benguet coffee.

By 2:00 PM, we had returned to the hotel, where we spent the rest of the day eating, resting, and watching movies while drinking beer. This isn't the vacation we've planned and dreamed of, but we surely had a great time together. 

Monday arrived, and the weather has become worse! The power went out, which left me without a hot shower and other things. When we went downstairs to eat breakfast, we noticed that some pine trees had fallen across the street. We planned to leave Baguio by lunchtime, so I started packing our things.

In case we can't return to the property, I've looked into alternative lodging options in and around Baguio as a backup. The other day was far better than that one. We have to go back and reroute because we can hardly see the street due to the trees in the way. We had to travel two hours to get out of the area. I was anxious the entire trip because I've seen mudslides and landslides. That was genuinely frightening! I was on the verge of crying, but I didn't want him to see me cry. Given how challenging it is to drive in the torrential rain and wind while avoiding mudslides, I know he is also terrified. With God's help, we were able to safely exit the city.

We were without any pasalubong or other souvenirs because all the shops were closed. We didn't consider purchasing any on the first day because we were certain we could still get those over the weekend, but we were completely mistaken. We returned home empty-handed but relieved that we were safe.

This may not be the best vacation, but a very memorable one.

xx

Ash