It has been more than a week since I went on an impromptu trip to Baguio. If there was one thing that summer in the Philippines pushed me to do, it was making that decision to hop in and travel up north with zero sleep.
I was fine with being left alone at home, to be honest. Joining family members wasn't really in my plans at first, but the intense summer heat, combined with how emotionally-draining life had become lately made me change my mind the last minute. We left Angono at the strike of midnight and by 6:45 am, I was already having my usual fix of iced coffee at McDonald's, not in my hometown, but right across Burnham Park.
Unlike in Rizal, the temperature in Baguio was friendlier and definitely tolerable. I loved the 19-degree temperature even if Mr. Sun was up on the day of our visit. It was totally different compared to the 38-40 degree scalding heat in NCR and CALABARZON. And while I looked dolled up in the photo above, the truth is I was sweating and so sleep deprived I didn't even know how did my energy cope from all the walking that we did when we went to Baguio's tourist spots. But if there's one funny thing that being sleep-deprived made me do, it was to gamely wear their traditional outfit and have this photo next to my mom.
Each travel won't be complete without doing a few touristy things. Call me shallow, but next to shopping for pasalubong items to bring home to friends, it was on this trip that I had my first taste of the strawberry taho (yes, it was a two-decade in the making thing!). It was a last-minute "must do" on my list, and I did not mind even if I found the price of 50 pesos to be a bit pricey -- all for the sake of experience.
Mama only had one feedback about Baguio. Next to those stores that sold almost the same souvenir and food items, it's the noticeable fees in public amenities in the city. But then, nothing comes free of charge nowadays. And if there is one thing that is visible, it's how those fees are being utilized by the city government to maintain and improve public facilities. During my quick trip to Baguio Botanical Gardens, I was amazed at how their public restroom was maintained; it can even count as IG worthy, no one would dare think it is a washroom of a public park.
One of the highlights of my recent return trip back was finally seeing the iconic Lion's Head up close—a well-known landmark along Kennon Road. I've long dreamed of visiting this spot ever since my brother shared stories about it after he got to see it during a business trip with our father when we were kids. Last September until early this year, I had the opportunity to volunteer my time and skills to support several Lions Club advocacies, which made this moment feel like the perfect way to round off that meaningful experience.
It may just be a day trip that did not even extend for more than a day, but the joy and fulfillment of returning to the city that I've longed to visit again, and realizing that I accomplished this bucket list item two decades later was worth all the sleep deprivation, exhaustion and experience. I also did side trip to another province on the way back to Manila but that will be revealed in my next post.
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