I am still tipsy, my breath reeks of beer. My head is a jumble of sounds and movements, partly because I'm on a bus, enroute to Baguio. I have a small bag on my lap; my companion is sleeping soundly beside me. I laugh at myself: Here I am, drunk and on the road with a script deadline looming over my head.
I like that.
I just turned 26 and I feel the world shifting around me. And at the center was me in this bus ride, bound for the summer capital, during the peak of the monsoon season. Baguio feels so distant in my current state, but it feels alluringly wonderful too.
We arrived by early morning. Baguio feels and looks so different than the city I visited in my childhood. It always changes, always offering something new whenever I visit. Well, people grow old. Baguio did too, in a commercialism kind of growth.
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| The view from the infamous SM Baguio |
The first thing we did when we arrive was buy a phone for Paul--because
he dropped his at the cab on the way to the bus terminal. Good thing Paul wasn't very choosy with models. We finally found one in less than an hour. (I dared Paul to buy the pink version because its so cute but he rolled his eyes and said No. Party pooper.)
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| Paul with his new phone |
So when we're done with the check-in and the shoppings, we finally had breakfast. We couldn't find Oh My Gulay (nobody bothered to look it up) and so we ended up in
Cafe by the Ruins, which wasn't a bad choice at all!
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| Cafe by the Ruins' Champorado |
This is my first time to try the famous restaurant and I am not disappointed! The meal is filling and scrumptious. Obviously, scrimping is not the vocabulary of the owners of the place. The place is very charming too, rustic and homey and quiet (thank god).
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| Libay |
We enjoyed the meal here and would gladly come back anytime. (By the end of the trip, we all agreed that this was the best restaurant we ever visited.)
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| Paul |
Technically, we only have a weekend to explore Baguio, a quickie vacay of sorts because we are all very busy lately. Its a spur of the moment thing: We realize we need a break and took the first ride to the North. I always enjoy these sudden trips.
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| Bacooooooonnnn!!! |
Unfortunately, Cafe by the Ruins will be closing down for a few weeks for major renovations. Its the last day that they're open so we're really lucky to catch it before it closes.
There are basically good and bad sides to this trip. The good side is that we are all bonding together after the Institute. The bad: I have a deadline. And so after the meal, we just head back to the hotel so I can start writing my script and the two can rest. (And they did sleep--for hours!)
By dinnertime, we head off to Oh My Gulay! now renamed as
Vocas. The place screams artsy--there's even a Zen garden in the middle of the restaurant! The downside: They're closing early so we won't be able to chill after dinner.
During the dinner, we had the usual talks: worklife, lovelife, and the tragic accident that befell DILG secretary Jessie Robredo, who has been missing since yesterday. "He's dead," says Paul. As someone who used to write news, I believe so too.
After dinner we want to
Sola, a 24-hour resto-bar along Session Road (walking distance from our hotel). Here's what we chow on during a few glasses of margarita:
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| Some jelly dessert |
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| Baked oysters |
And yeah, Paul couldn't drink liquor and ended up getting this:
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| Pretty mango shake |
Honestly, I think we just came to Baguio to sleep and eat. But who cares, its a happy trip with happy fulfilled people in a freezing place. I want to do this again! -
8/19/2012
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