A Short Trip Down Memory Lane: Baguio City

It was six long years before I got this rare opportunity to return to the Philippines. To make the most of it, I revisited the Baguio of my youth to once again whiff that distinct pine scent and breathe that cool Philippine mountain air. Fortunately, there were two days between the President’s Dinner for UPAA Awardees on Aug. 14 and the formal Awards Ceremony on Aug. 17.

It’s now so accessible with just 3.5 hours of driving after the TLEX (Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union Expressway) was added to the old NLEX (Norther Luzon Expressway) from QC to Pampanga. Five BFFs joined my daughter, my eight-year-old grandson, and me. We rented a 12-seater van cum driver for a little over $300.

The Trip Up/First Dinner

The predominantly senior group prioritized food-tripping. Just an hour into our trip, we stopped at Lakeshore, the last gas stop at the end of NLEX. For only P299 ( $5) per person, one BFF treated us to a breakfast buffet of Filipino favorites. (see headline photo)

An hour before Baguio, we stopped at the foothills of the Cordillera Mountain Range. Naguilian, La Union, was my father’s hometown and is the entrance to the zigzaggy Kennon Road. Later, the canyon waterfalls gushed for us. But we didn’t stop at the iconic Lion’s Head, which was swarming with tourists.

We reached Baguio at lunchtime, so we went straight to the popular Fil-Chinese institution of good affordable food: Good Taste. We binged on the not-so-crispy pata, a great lomi, and their bestseller buttered chicken, the treat of another BFF.

Next, we checked in at the Forest Lodge, the midscale option of Camp John Hay, a military base for the US Armed Forces until its turnover to the Philippine government in 1991. The sprawling camp has become a tourist destination with lodging, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.

The day ended with a fine dining experience at Hill Station, courtesy of a third BFF. The popular restaurant is in Casa Vallejo, a pre-WWII structure with a log cabin interior. We ordered appetizers to start but the combination of paella, sangria, and canonigo at the end will be long remembered.  

The Big Baguio Day

We started our Big Baguio Day with Filipino favorites and the legendary thick cup of chocolate at Chocolate de Batirol. It was my turn to treat everyone to this popular garden-type eatery within the Camp, which is very near our hotel.

After breakfast we made a nostalgic trip to nearby Teachers’ Camp, a teacher training center and events venue established in 1907 by Americans and turned over to the Philippine government in 1988. We inspected a select cottage reserved for upper management since a BFF’s son is now Undersecretary of the Department of Education. 

It brought back fond memories of our family summer vacations when my mother was the Principal of the government-owned Philippine School for the Deaf and the Blind. She had a week’s use of a standard cottage every year.

The next stop was Mirador Hill where the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto was established in the early 1900s. Without a car, my mother always had us climb the 200+ steps to reach it. This time, however, our van took us up the hill via a narrow zigzag road. The views of Baguio City from the Grotto are exceptional.

My daughter took my grandson to Mines View Park to shop for souvenirs and a photo-op with the Giant Dog. It surprised us to find another Giant Dog at the junction of Wright Park and the Mansion House. The huge St. Bernard is a nice addition to these two standard first stops for every Baguio visitor.

Five kilometers away at the entry to La Trinidad, Benguet where we used to pick strawberries from the farms is the now famous StoBoSa Valley of Colors. Built-in 2016 by the Tam-awa Villagers, the area of about 150-200 houses has been transformed into a small version of the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro. StoBoSa is short for three sitios: Stonehill, Botiwtiw, and Sadjap.

SM Baguio is part of the SM national chain of supermalls. Although it was opened in 2003, I didn’t have the chance to see it before I left in mid-2004. It’s located at the upper end of the main artery of the city Session Road. With its floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the legendary Burnham Park, Vizco’s was a good place for a late-light lunch. The Park was where, as a young girl, I helped my father paddle the swan boats on its man-made lake and rode the play bikes around its perimeter!

Baguio Country Club was our next stop to feel its upscale surroundings and bring home its bakeshop’s famous raisin bread.  Back at Camp John Hay, we met up with my daughter and grandson who had gone horseback riding around the Lodge.

Our farewell dinner was at the Camp John Hay Clubhouse courtesy of a former BIR Commissioner and friend whose husband was playing in a Camp golf tournament. It was Friday evening, so there was a band. That occasioned singing and dancing, a great way to end our short nostalgic stay in Baguio.  

Last Breakfast/The Trip Down

The morning after, the last BFF treated us to a hefty breakfast at Le Chef, the Lodge Diner. But we had to hurry to leave since we all had to be at the Awards Ceremony at 4 pm. We made it back by 1 pm, with a short burger stop, giving us plenty of time. 

I love this trip I got to do with my BFFs and part of my family. We got to eat a lot of great food. We didn’t encounter the horrendous traffic I had read about, and nostalgia was everywhere. The new additions did not distract us from the Baguio of my youth.