Weekend in Baguio

February 25, 2008 in Uncategorized

I thought I’m going to title this entry Panagbenga 2008, but as it turned out, it will no longer be appropriate. Sadly, I was not able to witness this year’s float parade as in previous years. The work and the weather got in the way. Why am I working in Baguio, the first time I returned to my favorite place after five years, you asked? In the first place, the trip is official so it was not really fair for me to expect having a blast.

But for me to say that I had an awful time missing the festivities, is an utter lie. Because I had the best time, the first after a long time.

First, getting there. Being pulled by police escort is the fastest way to get there by land. In trying to ward off nausea and fear of heights, I plugged on my mp3s. Nothing beats Sheryl Crow’s ‘Everyday is a Winding Road’ speeding through the zig zags of Naguillian Road.

In that time of the year, traffic is the worst in Baguio City. It’s a long weekend ahead and everybody wants to spend it wisely. The celebrated Panagbenga, only six hours away from Manila, is a way to do it for many. With an estimated 200,000 visitors coming to see the flower festival, closed roads and detours could really get into you.

But the snail-paced traffic won’t ruin it, I guarantee, especially for daydreamers like me. As the familiar scent of pine trees filled my nostrils, I was reminded of the days I spent in the city as a kid with my family and as a student in UP Baguio. My last visit was five years ago, also during the Panagbenga.

After a filling dinner at Dencio’s in Camp John Hay, we found ourselves seated at the Manor Hotel. I don’t know if they put a secret ingredient there, but my Arctic vodka tasted better. It could be the company, or the splendor of the hotel or the melody of the quartet, but it was a perfect way to end an exhausting day.

A lot have changed since my last visit. The landscape now includes SM. I am pretty sure all the major cities in the country have SMs in it. An itinerary in Baguio includes a stroll in that shopping mall. And the rationale escapes me, even as I find myself doing the same thing. Maybe I was hoping to find the body cream that made the highlanders’ pinkish complexion in Watsons. Or a unique jacket in Guess like the one I saw in a student. Later I learned that great finds, such as the student’s jacket, are in the Wag-Wagan (or ukay-ukay for you).

The street dancing that Saturday morning coincided with the press conference we had there. The only picture I managed to take of the many and various performances was from the window of Rosebowl restaurant. That is also where I got to see my cousins again, with my nieces, all grown-up, in tow.

Later the afternoon, we went to Cafe by the Ruins. Good thing the usual urge to gulp down gallons of coffee did not persist because with the heavy traffic, diuretics coupled with the cold weather could really cause inconveniences. I don’t know if that thought or my Starbucks bias clouded my judgment but I did not find anything special with their best seller Ruins Coffee and a piece of glazed cinnamon bread. But the place sure is nice. Given the chance, I will try more of their coffee.

At night, we went to Forest House, a stone’s throw away from the more popular and younger gimmick place, Nevada Square. There was a quartet singing wedding reception songs. We tolerated that till 12 midnight and then we jumped to 18 BC. There, we sang and danced to music of my generation (‘pang-adik,’ my lady boss calls it). At 3 am, we headed back to Chirol Inn at Guisad Road.

The day of the float parade, it was raining and it was really cold. By the time we got to Session Road, all the floats have passed. The parade was quick and it left no trace for us to see. After a cup of coffee at Narda’s, we headed to La Trinidad where I found the biggest and cheapest broccoli.

I have the best time that weekend in Baguio. It gave me a needed respite and prepared me for what promises to be another hard working week.