Philippines - Baguio

Drive and Hike to Mount Sto. Tomas of nearby Baguio

September 04, 2017

School break is about to be over, where we spent 1.5 months of it back home.

 This year's Baguio stay is mostly about being with families, discovering food, walking under the pine trees and basking in the rain.

 The monsoon rains though quite limited us from getting around. Of course this was what we traded off to the desert heat..

 So now, first to share on our nature activities is our drive and hike to Mount Sto. Tomas.
The radars at Mount Sto. Tomas seen from the lower elevations in  Baguio City

Philippines - Baguio

Of Flowers - Al Ain and Baguio

March 05, 2012

We played guide to our friends on their first drive from Dubai to Al Ain Zoo and Al Ain Paradise. Below so far are the efficient routes we took to minimise the traffic and missing on the many roundabouts of Al Ain’s town center:
Easiest Route from Dubai to Al Ain Zoo
-  Take the Dubai - Al Ain Road (E66)
-  Reaching Al Ain, steer right towards the Airport
-  On your left, find the way to 130th St, or Zayed Al Awal Street. (There are detours as of this writing, with the road under construction)
-  Drive straight past roundabouts and the end of it is Al Ain Zoo
Easiest Route to Al Ain Paradise from Al Ain Zoo
-  From Al Ain Zoo, exit to the first roundabout, take left
-  At the next roundabout, take left again
-  Enter to the first right, then another quick right to the parking


AL AIN PARADISE
One’s appreciation of Al Ain Paradise is subjective but the common denominator is that one gets to step on a Guinness Book of World Records site (world's largest display of hanging baskets).


We first roamed Al Ain's zoo under the scorching heat last Friday that drained us before heading to the flower park. The heat dampened our energy, that drained us to appreciate the flowers. The park is now wider since our April 2011 visit , but I felt that the compressed ‘architecture’ last year gave a more ‘flowery’ feel. Also, the many staffs manning the area could be distracting with their whistles as they prevent people to step on grasses or touch the flowers. I thought it could have helped if sign-ages were installed for do's and dont's and that the staffs at least smile.


BAGUIO’S FLOWER FESTIVAL
On flowers still, I missed (again!) joining this year’s flower festival back home. Baguio’s (Philippines) Panagbenga Festival this year reportedly gathered 1.5 million spectators during the opening floats and street dancing parade. Baguio’s cool climate encouraged the flower industry, most of which are distributed at Manila’s Dimasalang area. What makes the event spectacular is the mix of ‘flower arts’ and ‘cultural accents’.
Panagbenga 2012. Photo Credit: Ompong Tan
Panagbenga 2012. Photo Credit: Ompong Tan
Panagbenga 2012. Photo Credit: Ompong Tan
Panagbenga 2012. Photo Credit: Ompong Tan

Panagbenga 2012 Street Dancing. Photo Credit: Rhodyl Ambloza. More of his photos HERE

Philippines - Baguio

Kalei's Grill in La Trinidad, Benguet

November 19, 2011

Scouting for casual dining places at night in La Trinidad (Benguet) without being tempted to just instead drive to the city, could be challenging for those finding an alternative to Jack's and Marosan's  and for those who want to eat in comfort minus being seated near tables of alcoholic drinks patrons.  Establishments close early , so our alternative fastfood meals at Pines Supermart's  Calajo or just Tiongsan's Greenwich are but closed, unless we decide to pop in at  Km5's Jollibee or McDonalds. 

My brothers suggested Kalei's Grill along Km.4. All the while I thought this was a pub with live bands playing at night, and would later know it has two sections with adjacent entrances  - the pub and the casual dining resto.

The resto has a  traditional western tavern ambiance infused with some local (Igorot) accent as influenced by the country-music-loving market.   

I'd say there's enough on the menu to offer.  

I did not note the dish but it sure has wine.


The white sugar served in unsealed small plastic made me smile



The interiors give a mixed impressions of sorts. An Igorot deerhunter accent is added to the cowboy-cum western fisherman's haven feel.

Philippines - Baguio

Oh My Gulay! sa Session Road

October 06, 2011



Baguio’s cool, overcast skies and rainy afternoon weather makes it so inviting to lounge in cafés, especially in an artists’ haven that drifts you away from the bustles of the city when you’re actually in the heart of it.




Tucked at the top level of La Azotea building along Session Road in Baguio is Oh My Gulay – which on your first visit confuses you on your purpose of taking the flights of steps to the discreet resto, err, arts haven.




Owned by artist Kidlat Tahimik (Eric De Guia), the place is a mini- museum sort of intriguing visual arts.

For the food part, there’s just a limited choice on juices and coffee, salads and pastas and desserts(crepes). Some are so uniquely named in the menu as much as the atmosphere is. How about “Anak ng Putanesca” for your pasta? Menu below is on high resolution, you may click to enlarge






My tastebuds are now much inclined to simple, tangy and a bit bland food, ones where I can identify what’s been into the sauces and spices, so Oh My Gulay’s menu suits me.





It’s nice to come as a group to share plates. When sharing among three, a per person cost is around PhP 200. For the very hungry and voracious eater, you would need to spend more (or in our case, we trek up to SM for our main course, anything in OMG is our appetiser J).

In between waiting for the food and after, a tour around shows that much of the artistic displays are wooden sculptures that mirror the Ifugao skill in the region.






For more of above Oh My Gulay's photos overload, the resto is at the 5th floor of La Azotea building along Session Road in Baguio.

Philippines - Baguio

La Trinidad in Benguet: Of Strawberries, Vegetables and a Valley

October 02, 2011

The bustling town of La Trinidad in Benguet is usually a side trip destination for Baguio tourists who fancy picking fresh strawberries straight from the farm.

Originally inhabited by the Ibaloi-Igorots, it's now home to various cultural groups, including my dad and his siblings who saw their childhood through in the valley.

It's now populated and the value of the land had skyrocketed. Say in 2011, it's PhP 10,000 per square meter at Km.6 that's 300 meters away from the highway. Even the steep mountain which seems un-inviting for a kid like me then two decades ago to pace up and down everyday, now witnesses dense neighborhoods. But again, where you call it home, it does not matter.

Reminiscing my childhood (nostalgia's in the air!), I miss those times we would trespass on farms sneaking few pieces of strawberries and lettuce heads, God knows how far we'd  reached. The farms used to irrigated by small streams where we catch tadpoles (and as darkness falls, the resident frogs serenade the neighborhood by their coordinated croaking). As soon as we reach Pico, the streams/ irrigation canals were lined with calla-lilies which we cut a stem or two each. Those were then before the farms have now commercially grown with buildings.

What to do in La Trinidad, Benguet:


Admittedly, I am yet to explore the nooks of La Trinidad as much as my brother is doing, so I could only give a limited list here:

1) Pick strawberries from the strawberry farm.
2) Buy fresh vegetables from the Trading Post.
3) Check the Benguet Museum at the Capitol
4) Have dinner at Kalei's Grill in Km 4.
5) Pass by the Bell Church at Km3.
6) Walk to Balili ascending up to Tawang for a good view of the valley

The Strawberry Festival is annually celebrated around the month of March . It was in this festival in 2004 that the municipality baked the world's largest strawberry cake and got recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Minus the strawberries, here's an overview of La Trinidad valley in Benguet:





Philippines - Baguio

Baguio's Famous Traffic Man

September 24, 2011

Baguio got narrow roads for the hundreds of jeepneys that ply them especially at the Central Business District. And if there's a Mister Traffic Policeman who's famous to every Baguio driver, commuter or mere pedestrian, it is:






Sir Traffic Man never fails to turn pedestrian heads entertained with his seemingly choreographed moves. Above pictures can't precisely show what I mean, a video could have been more apt. And while he is a fixture on Baguio's central roads ever since I can recall, I have still to know his name. Hopefully next homecoming...



Philippines - Baguio

Baguio: Mountains of Houses

August 02, 2011

I am sharing in this post photos around the community that nurtured me for 23 years.

My parents' home is somewhere in the middle. Upper-mid: Irisan Dumpsite. Lower mid: the stunning rocks on Tacloy's compound. Not seen on lower left is a natural cave contributing as a tributary to the Asin stream/ creek.   

Philippines - Baguio

Top Things To Do and See around and near Baguio

August 01, 2011

"Tagasaan ka sa atin?" is a familiar question among Filipinos acquianted outside the country. My answer "Sa Baguio kami" would usually invite the reaction "wow, ang sarap ng weather doon!".

But of course there's more to weather to enjoy Baguio and it's neighboring areas for. I have created my list below, of course still skewed to places I usually frequent or pass by. Please drop me a comment if you have something to share:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...