Baguio City

It's been quite sometime since I wrote anything in here--ok it wass a very long time. So this would have to be quite some time to make up for all the time that I missed updating anything in here and basically write down anything I've been up to for the last six months.

So let us go back to February to our Baguio trip for the Panagbenga festival. It seeems to be my first trip with my new colleagues well at that time I still felt pretty shiny and new.

We arrived early morning in Baguio at 13 degrees celsius and never thought will ba that cold. We had a taste of what to expect for the weekend when we saw some of the participants for the street dancing. And with that attire, I don't even know how they can survive the cold temperature!

We had a nice breakfast at the Manor in Camp John Hay courtesy of Janice our boss. Camp John Hay reminded me of my first and last real trip to Baguio back in 1993. Fine I know it may be quite loser-ish for staying in Manila this long and neer ever thought about going back.Anyway back to the breakfast buffet, it was pretty good but I wa expecting more selections at that time.

After breakfast we tried getting into Baguio Country club pretending to try and buy their famous raisin bread but honestly I was just there to meet the Azkals as some of my friends were with them at that time. So much for raisin bread they won't let us in.

We briefly dropped by to see the president's summer vaction house and posed for a few pictures.

And of course we stoped by Mines view and good Shepherd to get our Baguio goodies like ube jam, choco flakes and peanut brittle.

We went to Cafe by the ruins for dinner. It seems to be a very long night since the wait for dinner was pretty long too.

Up to this day, I would still swear by that camote bread and the liver pate. The soft warm bread with the subtle taste of camote just melts in your mouth but the taste of the liver pate would just burst in your pallate.

Their salads were pretty good too where every vegetable from the country most likely came from Baguio or just nearby. The Baguio Bountu offered different tastes of fruits in your mouth with delicious strawberry vinaigrette. The fern salad with shitake was simple but the mushrooms were just impossible to resist. They were very meaty and was the life of the salad.

Our main courses arrived and had a good variety of everything we ordered like Bagnet, Daing na Bangus, Palawan Chicken. However I was pretty disappointed with my grilled chicken with lemon ricotta tagliatelle. Chicken was served raw to me. Good thing I still have that camote bread in my head.

We got to see the parade of the floats the next day. Too bad we couldn't get that close to get pictures. some of the floats were pretty with a nice veriety of flowers used. I was weirded out with one of the floats though which was inspired by avatar but suddenly shoots up the santo nino. I couldn't connet with it honestly.

Before heading home we had lunch at Forest House. This restaurant is quite known in the city for their steaks. Unfortunately no one has the appetite to have one. The view from the restaurant's balcony was beautiful and a fine meal with that view was good enough to cap a weekend in Baguio.

I liked the touches that the put on the soup on a bread bowl with the nice little qoutes. The soup itself was hot and tasty, pretty good for a nice cool weather.

I had their sausage with mashed potatoes and it was pretty good. Same as the others that we have ordered like their House salad, Kare Kare, Spicy squid, Shrimp with broccolli, salpicao and mini burgers.

Over all I felt that there was still more of Baguio that I haven't seen or tried yet. I have yet to try out strawberry picking though. I would want to go back to this place again but maybe not during Panagbenga so at least the traffric wouldn't be that bad and there's more to do.