Why I love Baguio
July 11, 2004 | 12:00am
I had the most lovely time in Baguio.
Alongside Boracay, it is way up there in my list of favorite local destinations. Yes, there may be a lot of beautiful places in the country to visit but for some reason not all of them necessarily evoke a desire for a return trip.
Baguio, for me, is different. I love it so much I do not mind braving, again and again, hours of traffic to get there. Not at all. Maybe because I already know that at the end of the journey, the beauty of the place will be worth it. Bursts of nature’s many different colors seem all aglow there – the trees seem more lush (well, come to think of it they really are), sunshine seems more golden, even the wind seems to make the many beautiful blooms move in a more playfully alluring way. Oh, and the weather. Don’t I just love it.
The first time I visited Baguio in 1998, I did the whole tourist bit; I went to Burnham Park and Mine’s View, posed with a pink-colored pony, passed by the spooky Teacher’s Camp, went to the market for local stuff, called on Narda’s for some placemats and lime green bread baskets, I even danced with the Igorots together with Richard and two other friends who were with us then,Willie Revillame and Yeng Cosim. On the succeeding visits I was only too happy to bask in the rhythm of an idyllic stay, hardly ever leaving Camp John Hay’s premises (that is where we always stay). If at all, it would be just to go to Good Shepherd, Tea House, or Café by the Ruins. Notice they are all food haunts – I love keeping my appetite happy.
This particular trip was for a Nivea affair. They launched their men’s line amid a flurry of manly activities like an eco-challenge and a paintball competition. They also had an ongoing spa thing, which all the guests could avail of. It was totally relaxing. The expert hands of the team of masseuses at Clark Hatch in Camp John Hay were available the whole day to knead tight and sore muscles, thus making for a lot of very happy smiles. Nivea has always had the reputation of throwing great parties to launch their many different product lines and this one was no different. Hands down, my favorite Nivea product would have to be their Body and Soul Skin Oil. If you love getting massages in the privacy of your own home or if you simply want an after-bath luxurious feeling, this is a definite must-have. It really makes the skin feel like silk, makes you smell like a goddess, too.
Anyway, while Richard was out competing with the guys, Juliana and I together with yaya Lita, my cousin Johanna and Mang Ben, an old family friend, would have breakfast or brunch together in the hotel room. Our porch overlooked the beautiful, lush garden so morning after morning there we would converge, planning what to do during the day. In the porch, soaking in the perfection of a beautiful morning – it was a simple joy I claimed and enjoyed each day we were there. Mornings such as those in beautiful places like Baguio never fail to give me a warm, thankful feeling to our Maker. It is one of those moments when He seems closer and more personal than He already is.
Early in the afternoon while the rest of them went to the ukay-ukay, Juliana and I would either spend time in the garden or go for a walk to the commissary. She so loved this ritual. She would jump at any chance to run around in the garden, picking a couple of flowers along the way. In the commissary we would pick basic girly stuff like body wash and soap (Juliana loves taking baths, she always stays in the tub for a long time especially because she is into mermaids now. Somehow she has this idea that she could turn into a mermaid the longer she stays wet.) We would also load up on our share of chocolates, chips, bread, cake – just enough to last our stay. My greatest find in the Duty Free Shop at the commissary though was Maling Egg Roll. The last time I enjoyed some was when I was in high school. I did not see it on the shelves of grocery stores for the longest time so you can just imagine my happiness when I saw the familiar looking can –– I almost kissed it. My first bite brought back many happy childhood memories with my sister and my cousins when we would microwave Maling Egg Roll after playing in the afternoon, or enjoy it for our midnight snack.
Richard would join us after the day’s competition and together we would decide on where to have dinner. Somehow, food always seemed to be the day’s highlight. Baguio has changed so much in the sense that they already have most of what is also available in Manila. There they have Starbuck’s, Figaro, Hotshots, Dencio’s (their pork barbecue is soooooooo good it is almost addictive), Barrio Fiesta, David’s Tea House, just to name a few. All these amenities while still maintaining the charm of an old city.
The food at Camp John Hay is always good. Well how can you go wrong when you have Le Souffle at the helm? More than the food though, the hotel staff was just simply warm and wonderful, pleasant as the lovely Baguio weather.
Like I mentioned earlier, a trip to Baguio is never complete without eating at Café by the Ruins for their creative, compelling and delicious items on the menu, Tea House at session Road for the best egg pie ever, and of course Good Shepherd for their delicacies. I’ve never seen the nuns at work but I always imagine them all as kind-faced, smiling servants of God who stir big containers of strawberry and ube, all the while singing and maybe occasionally dancing. Somehow that thought really appeals to me, never mind if someone once told me I romanticize the whole act as if it were a classic fairy tale or musical. Oh well, it does make the jams and jellies taste much better than they already are.
While there, don’t just confine yourselves to buying the ubiquitous strawberry and ube. Ask for a jar or two of alfajores, too. You are going to forget your name after the first bite. If I don’t control myself I can finish a container all by myself within a day, the same way I can finish a whole bottle of strawberry jam straight from the bottle. I love eating jam as is, spooning chunks of whole strawberry from the glass jar the way I would ice cream in a bowl. It is an indulgence I dare not give in to as often as I would want but it makes for a very happy thought always, whether it is happening in dreams or in reality. The peanut brittle is delicious beyond words, too. It’s dangerous once you start munching on those thin slabs without counting the pieces, they are deceptively thin and light. But each bite is just oh-so-worth the added weight gain.
Easily one of the highlights of this most recent trip was an afternoon merienda hosted by Teresita "Triza" Bedi and her son Joseph. The kind of afternoon it turned out to be, with the food, the company, and the setting was my perfect idea of the restful and beautiful Baguio lifestyle. Now here is a woman who is living proof that Martha Stewart and Rachel Ashwell blend well together. I kinda knew what we were in for the moment we pulled up by the driveway because I saw pots and pots of fresh herbs, a sure sign that someone in the house enjoyed cooking. The moment we stepped into their cozy home, the delectable scent that greeted us was that of bread and cake baking. Triza, who is the wife of Richard’s friend Sean Bedi, ushered us in and then proceeded to feed us a very, very delicious meal she made from scratch. On a cozy wooden table we enjoyed a fresh-from-the-oven huge loaf of bread with pesto. I’m not very sure if there were bits of sun-dried tomatoes but it was very, very good. I loved the bread so much I still dream about it up to now. Believe me I am so close to buying a bread cookbook except that I highly doubt my chance of even making the dough rise. She also served us Japanese soup that had tofu and seaweed (light and delicious, perfect for the cool weather) and fresh tossed salad with a dressing that she also made, pasta with white sauce, roast organic chicken, sand a chocolate cake that amazingly she partly made with vegetables! The latter we had no more room for so we ended up bringing it back to the hotel . When we got to taste it though it was a wow feeling. One of the best chocolate cakes I ever had.
I was so impressed with her cooking and baking abilities, awed too that on top of that she efficiently maintained an herb and vegetable garden. In fact, when I took her up on her offer for some tea after the meal she very nonchalantly asked Joseph to pick some fresh tarragon from the garden. I’ve never had tarragon tea before and I found it to be very delightfully refreshing. Just when I thought I had seen enough to inspire me to at least start dreaming of one day being able to cook something I can pass off as edible, she hands me a jar of rhubarb jam that, you guessed it, was homemade. And she still wasn’t done yet, she also gave us a candle that again she herself crafted along with pinecones that she dyed and scented. How’s that for a Martha Stewart Living poster girl? I enjoyed it and was inspired by the experience. I do hope one day she will seriously consider opening a café where she offer to even more people her delicious recipes. That would be the day.
I love Baguio and all that it represents. I love the pace, the calmness, the rawness of its character and the total lack of pretentiousness. Somehow, I have always felt that this City of Pines vividly defines what there is to love and appreciate about the beauty of nature and the grace of living a simple and quiet yet full life. And as always, I left the city pining for the day when I can go back and enjoy it again.
Alongside Boracay, it is way up there in my list of favorite local destinations. Yes, there may be a lot of beautiful places in the country to visit but for some reason not all of them necessarily evoke a desire for a return trip.
Baguio, for me, is different. I love it so much I do not mind braving, again and again, hours of traffic to get there. Not at all. Maybe because I already know that at the end of the journey, the beauty of the place will be worth it. Bursts of nature’s many different colors seem all aglow there – the trees seem more lush (well, come to think of it they really are), sunshine seems more golden, even the wind seems to make the many beautiful blooms move in a more playfully alluring way. Oh, and the weather. Don’t I just love it.
The first time I visited Baguio in 1998, I did the whole tourist bit; I went to Burnham Park and Mine’s View, posed with a pink-colored pony, passed by the spooky Teacher’s Camp, went to the market for local stuff, called on Narda’s for some placemats and lime green bread baskets, I even danced with the Igorots together with Richard and two other friends who were with us then,Willie Revillame and Yeng Cosim. On the succeeding visits I was only too happy to bask in the rhythm of an idyllic stay, hardly ever leaving Camp John Hay’s premises (that is where we always stay). If at all, it would be just to go to Good Shepherd, Tea House, or Café by the Ruins. Notice they are all food haunts – I love keeping my appetite happy.
This particular trip was for a Nivea affair. They launched their men’s line amid a flurry of manly activities like an eco-challenge and a paintball competition. They also had an ongoing spa thing, which all the guests could avail of. It was totally relaxing. The expert hands of the team of masseuses at Clark Hatch in Camp John Hay were available the whole day to knead tight and sore muscles, thus making for a lot of very happy smiles. Nivea has always had the reputation of throwing great parties to launch their many different product lines and this one was no different. Hands down, my favorite Nivea product would have to be their Body and Soul Skin Oil. If you love getting massages in the privacy of your own home or if you simply want an after-bath luxurious feeling, this is a definite must-have. It really makes the skin feel like silk, makes you smell like a goddess, too.
Anyway, while Richard was out competing with the guys, Juliana and I together with yaya Lita, my cousin Johanna and Mang Ben, an old family friend, would have breakfast or brunch together in the hotel room. Our porch overlooked the beautiful, lush garden so morning after morning there we would converge, planning what to do during the day. In the porch, soaking in the perfection of a beautiful morning – it was a simple joy I claimed and enjoyed each day we were there. Mornings such as those in beautiful places like Baguio never fail to give me a warm, thankful feeling to our Maker. It is one of those moments when He seems closer and more personal than He already is.
Early in the afternoon while the rest of them went to the ukay-ukay, Juliana and I would either spend time in the garden or go for a walk to the commissary. She so loved this ritual. She would jump at any chance to run around in the garden, picking a couple of flowers along the way. In the commissary we would pick basic girly stuff like body wash and soap (Juliana loves taking baths, she always stays in the tub for a long time especially because she is into mermaids now. Somehow she has this idea that she could turn into a mermaid the longer she stays wet.) We would also load up on our share of chocolates, chips, bread, cake – just enough to last our stay. My greatest find in the Duty Free Shop at the commissary though was Maling Egg Roll. The last time I enjoyed some was when I was in high school. I did not see it on the shelves of grocery stores for the longest time so you can just imagine my happiness when I saw the familiar looking can –– I almost kissed it. My first bite brought back many happy childhood memories with my sister and my cousins when we would microwave Maling Egg Roll after playing in the afternoon, or enjoy it for our midnight snack.
Richard would join us after the day’s competition and together we would decide on where to have dinner. Somehow, food always seemed to be the day’s highlight. Baguio has changed so much in the sense that they already have most of what is also available in Manila. There they have Starbuck’s, Figaro, Hotshots, Dencio’s (their pork barbecue is soooooooo good it is almost addictive), Barrio Fiesta, David’s Tea House, just to name a few. All these amenities while still maintaining the charm of an old city.
The food at Camp John Hay is always good. Well how can you go wrong when you have Le Souffle at the helm? More than the food though, the hotel staff was just simply warm and wonderful, pleasant as the lovely Baguio weather.
Like I mentioned earlier, a trip to Baguio is never complete without eating at Café by the Ruins for their creative, compelling and delicious items on the menu, Tea House at session Road for the best egg pie ever, and of course Good Shepherd for their delicacies. I’ve never seen the nuns at work but I always imagine them all as kind-faced, smiling servants of God who stir big containers of strawberry and ube, all the while singing and maybe occasionally dancing. Somehow that thought really appeals to me, never mind if someone once told me I romanticize the whole act as if it were a classic fairy tale or musical. Oh well, it does make the jams and jellies taste much better than they already are.
While there, don’t just confine yourselves to buying the ubiquitous strawberry and ube. Ask for a jar or two of alfajores, too. You are going to forget your name after the first bite. If I don’t control myself I can finish a container all by myself within a day, the same way I can finish a whole bottle of strawberry jam straight from the bottle. I love eating jam as is, spooning chunks of whole strawberry from the glass jar the way I would ice cream in a bowl. It is an indulgence I dare not give in to as often as I would want but it makes for a very happy thought always, whether it is happening in dreams or in reality. The peanut brittle is delicious beyond words, too. It’s dangerous once you start munching on those thin slabs without counting the pieces, they are deceptively thin and light. But each bite is just oh-so-worth the added weight gain.
Easily one of the highlights of this most recent trip was an afternoon merienda hosted by Teresita "Triza" Bedi and her son Joseph. The kind of afternoon it turned out to be, with the food, the company, and the setting was my perfect idea of the restful and beautiful Baguio lifestyle. Now here is a woman who is living proof that Martha Stewart and Rachel Ashwell blend well together. I kinda knew what we were in for the moment we pulled up by the driveway because I saw pots and pots of fresh herbs, a sure sign that someone in the house enjoyed cooking. The moment we stepped into their cozy home, the delectable scent that greeted us was that of bread and cake baking. Triza, who is the wife of Richard’s friend Sean Bedi, ushered us in and then proceeded to feed us a very, very delicious meal she made from scratch. On a cozy wooden table we enjoyed a fresh-from-the-oven huge loaf of bread with pesto. I’m not very sure if there were bits of sun-dried tomatoes but it was very, very good. I loved the bread so much I still dream about it up to now. Believe me I am so close to buying a bread cookbook except that I highly doubt my chance of even making the dough rise. She also served us Japanese soup that had tofu and seaweed (light and delicious, perfect for the cool weather) and fresh tossed salad with a dressing that she also made, pasta with white sauce, roast organic chicken, sand a chocolate cake that amazingly she partly made with vegetables! The latter we had no more room for so we ended up bringing it back to the hotel . When we got to taste it though it was a wow feeling. One of the best chocolate cakes I ever had.
I was so impressed with her cooking and baking abilities, awed too that on top of that she efficiently maintained an herb and vegetable garden. In fact, when I took her up on her offer for some tea after the meal she very nonchalantly asked Joseph to pick some fresh tarragon from the garden. I’ve never had tarragon tea before and I found it to be very delightfully refreshing. Just when I thought I had seen enough to inspire me to at least start dreaming of one day being able to cook something I can pass off as edible, she hands me a jar of rhubarb jam that, you guessed it, was homemade. And she still wasn’t done yet, she also gave us a candle that again she herself crafted along with pinecones that she dyed and scented. How’s that for a Martha Stewart Living poster girl? I enjoyed it and was inspired by the experience. I do hope one day she will seriously consider opening a café where she offer to even more people her delicious recipes. That would be the day.
I love Baguio and all that it represents. I love the pace, the calmness, the rawness of its character and the total lack of pretentiousness. Somehow, I have always felt that this City of Pines vividly defines what there is to love and appreciate about the beauty of nature and the grace of living a simple and quiet yet full life. And as always, I left the city pining for the day when I can go back and enjoy it again.
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