Baguio Again... And Again... And Again...

I finally got back from Baguio City, which is really a great vacation spot for my family. Many thanks to my grandparents for having purchased a huge portion of land there and having built a wooded house for us. You see, we no longer need to check in at hotels every vacation which would cost us lots of money.

And so for more than ten years, Baguio has always been in the family's itinerary. It's surprising to think that we never get tired of that place, we keep on coming back even if all we do there is going to Camp John Hay and to a haven that is the ukay-ukay. And of course, SM Baguio. Kelangan pa bang i-memorize 'yan?

This December's not as cold as the last. It's not very cold, but it's cold, okay? I used to shiver and cover myself with at least two thick blankets while sleeping at night, but this time one warm blanket would do. There was no fog when I woke up in the morning.

When we got to the house, we couldn't find the handy heater anywhere. So we were left with two choices: whether we shower with ice-cold water or not take a bath at all. Shempre, I endured the former, I finally got the hang of the cold on my third shower, pero nung unang beses ko maligo, nagri-ritwal pa ako. Basa muna toes, then knees, then you get the picture...

Among many others that we did, I give you descriptions on some of the places we went to.

Chocolate Drink at Camp John Hay

On the first night we went to a place in CJH called Chocolate de Batirol (atchaka meron pa). I had to write about this place because of the warm chocolate drink they serve. The drink costs 60php per cup but tastes wonderfully. The place is like a local version of Starbuck’s but it consists of little kubos with nice variety of foliage everywhere and you walk on gravel, all of which can give you a feel of an ecological atmosphere. I suggest you to visit this place when you go to Baguio. Again, this is not a paid advertisement. =]

We Always Intertwine

The Easter Weaving School, an establishment that masters in weaving, is a walking distance from our house. I've passed by the school so many times in my life but it was only a few days ago when we went inside the building. In local travel channels, the weaving place is being featured frequently and I was glad to chance upon the old weavers painstakingly interlacing colorful threads on their looms. I applaud these people, most or all of them are women, because what they're doing is preserving our culture.

As evidenced by what I've seen in that room, weaving is a really exhausting job. I could not imagine the length of time they spent making meters of these