it was the dream | a day in baguio city, ph

it took me more than 2 decades to reach the heights of baguio

When I said "it was the dream," I made it sound like some huge aspiration I had in life. In reality, it's really just all it is -- a dream. I was young -- like 5-year-old young -- when I first heard of Baguio City.

It's a place nearly 5,000 miles above sea level, so it gets pretty cold. It has pretty pine trees lining up the highways. It gets foggy when it's super cold!

...or so I was told.

I'd never been really there. Except for a couple of keychains friends and family give me every time they'd been to Baguio (which could range from strawberries to pine trees to walis tambo) and the random pictures of themselves that come with it, I'd never really experienced the place.

This story is a continuation of the stories from my local travel to the northern Philippines with my family. If you're curious, you can check them out here:

• on day 1, we traveled 466 km by land to Ilocos Sur, Philippines
• the sand dunes that took my breath away.
• that day, it was all blue

our trip was supposed to end on day 2.

Our trip was supposed to end on a stormy note. It was raining heavily in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, and there was no electricity in our B&B. I was loudly musing about how it would take us more than half the day to get back to home -- without rest! -- the next day. I told my aunt, "What do you say let's drop by Baguio City on our way home?"

_{📍 Patapat Viaduct, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte}

It was a joke, really. I was half asleep and was only half-serious. My aunt took it seriously. That night, as we were about to sleep, with loud waves crashing somewhere and strong wind blowing our B&B's direction, my aunt convened everyone for a meeting.

Then... it was set. We were doing Day 3 in two places. First, in the City of Candon, Ilocos Sur, where one of my uncles was going to meet his long-lost big sister (for over 25 years!). The second was in Baguio, City... the dream.

The Candon trip was very personal and emotional, so I'm going to skip that. It's my uncle's story to tell. But this, I am going to share.

the sun was setting.

We left Pagudpud as early as 5:00 AM. We got to Candon, Ilocos Sur after lunch. By the time we left Candon, it was about 3:00 PM.

On our way, we drove by towns in La Union, and there were numerous beautiful landscapes. Somehow, my cousins in the other vehicle wound up getting separated from us -- and worse, lost -- so we had to somehow convene to a nearby mall to regroup. The kids by this time were very tired, and honestly, so was I.

Our driver, my cousin's father-in-law, was seriously tired, too, but none of us knew how to drive manual. :( We had to do many stops to get him to rest.

The sun was setting uphill Baguio, but it was beautiful. The rays were very saturated, and the shadows were so contrasted. Sometimes I wonder if locals were so used to it, they don't notice this anymore?

We had a lot planned for the night, but everyone was soooo tired. In the end, we decided on a day tour. We knew we were going to miss a lot, but somehow, we knew it was OK regardless.

📍 Baguio City, Benguet

Our first stop that early morning was the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet. There were all kinds of vegetables sold in the nearby market -- and they were pretty cheap compared to prices in Manila, too!

We passed by all these colorful residences as we were on our way. It was like a hill of colorful houses; it was such a curious sight.

Honestly, there wasn't much to see in the farm. There were a few strawberries here and there, a couple of lettuce heads, but that was it. A little underwhelming, but doing the actual picking of strawberries will cost quite a lot, and we didn't really have the budget for it.

I got to purchase romaine and iceberg lettuces for Php 50 each, which for me was such a steal. I think at the time, it was sold for 80 a head at a grocery in Manila. I could be wrong. Also took the opportunity to buy strawberries. It'd be such a shame if I didn't!

One of the kids slipped through a mud and got his shoes really dirt. 😆 It was such a funny sight when he decided to pull down one of his cousins with him, so there were now two muddy kids with us.

This triggered the parents (my cousins), so we left afterward.

I was just so tired later in the day that I didn't have the energy to even have fun. After the Strawberry Farm, we stopped by the Burnham Park, where we spent majority of our morning.

I didn't take much photos, but I ate a lot of snacks with one of my aunts, then rode this small boat with my cousins and uncle. Everyone of us hopped into boats, if just for the experience.

no one was in the mood.

No one was in the mood for fun. Not even the kids. I think the long travels were taking its toll on us, and the fact that it was December and there were sooo many people around in Baguio dampened our spirits. It was supposed to be cold, but I didn't really feel it all that much. The traffic was also getting unbearable.

Still, the people were very friendly. I'd had the chance to speak with some strangers, just to pass time, and they told us of places we can go to next time we have more time. They told us of good places to buy our gifts, too. Granted, they'd been researched on before by one of my cousins, but it sounds better hearing about them from the locals themselves.

I bought my parents wooden spatulas, because they'd been really asking for it. I was hoping to get my Tatay this wooden rooster I'd found, but it was too expensive for me.

on our way home...

Soon, the trip was coming to an end. I couldn't believe that we managed to travel over 1,000 km in just 3 days. On the way home, I texted my friends, who lived for a while in Baguio. I told them of my experience, and how I wanted to go back at a different time.

Nearly a year since then, I still think about the zoo in Ilocos Sur, the sand dunes, seas, and wind mills in Ilocos Norte, and the people in Baguio. I'm not sure I'd even be able to go back. I think... not ever. I'm not sure another opportunity for such would be available soon. But I want it.

In December, I'm going on another trip. This time, international. If in December of 2022, I traveled with a lot of my family to the northernmost tip of the Luzon island, in December, I will be traveling alone to Indonesia. I'm honestly so scared and worried -- I'd never been abroad before! But this is another opportunity presenting itself, and I can only conquer it on my own. Soon, I hope to share this adventure with you.