off-topic: Baguio

Back from our company hoo-ha in Baguio.

All in all it was ok, even rather fun, despite the stressful moments we had (1) Finding ourselves lodged in a place that reeked of paint and was under renovation as well as having bunk beds with mattresses the thickness of two slices of rye bread (2) Getting lost looking for another place to stay (3) Getting lost again then stuck in traffic trying to get to Mine's View Park (4) Finding we had gone overbudget on the last day.

But hey, the weather was cold, the sunset on Saturday was absolutely perfect, the food was mostly good, and there were a number of good laughs along the way. The new SM City Baguio is admittedly the most beautiful SM branch I've ever seen, with it's white awnings silhouetted against the sky where the Pines Hotel used to stand. We could see it from the window of our apartel at Iggy's Inn, and it made a rather fetching silhouette against the spectacular sunset. You'd almost wouldn't believe it was an SM.

The thing is, although a lot of the popular restaurants and cafes have moved here, that's not why I would come to Baguio. I had said in an earlier post, the appeal of Baguio's charm has begun to fade for me despite the better accessibility. Sure, the pine trees and the mountain landscape is still there and it's enough to remind you that you're not in Manila. However you'd have to go further off towards Banaue to get away from the crowds and the traffic which used to be the primary reason I'd want to go.

Unless you've never been there, or you're on your way to Banaue or Sagada, in my opinion it's simply not worth it to spend 13 hours on the road back and forth just to be there overnight or for the weekend. If you want a break from the heat, head to tagaytay - the weather's relatively similar and it's closer and easier to get to. You can just as effectively hole up someplace, enjoy the cooler weather, eat a lot of vegetables, drink a lot of coffee, and read, draw or write in peace and quiet.