Bagoiu, Bagiuo, Baguio!

11.09.07
Franz got a text message from Ate Rochelle saying that we'll meet at Teriyaki Boy and have our dinner treated by someone. And who that "someone" is, is a surprise. Nyaha. Adik. Like we're still up for surprises. Ehe. But as I promised, I still tried to act surprised that Ate Lotis managed to fly in from Singapore. And as she promised, she got us some chocolates as pasalubong. Ahihihi. Thanks! ^_^ And guess what?! I used my chopsticks for the entire meal! Haha. Something that I've always found frustrating to accomplish. But (yeah, there is a but) I kinda cheated my way through it. I had my chopsticks held together with a hair band and some folded tissue, making them easier to use. Thanks to Roney and CSI. Hehehe. ;)

Nweiz, after dinner, we went back to the office to finish some test items. Ate Rochelle and Ate Lotis dropped by also. We weren't prepared for it so most of our things were scattered on our tables. Subtly, I kept the CDs, the checklist, and other things related to our not-so-surprise gift. Nyaha. They went to their apartment shortly after so we got to finish the CD and wrap our gift as well. Then, we met at the lobby where we took a cab going to Victory Liner terminal in Cubao.

When we arrived at the terminal, all buses going to Baguio for the next three hours were already full. We were dead wrong for assuming that there won't be a lot of passengers leaving for Baguio since the long weekend was last week and 'twas not payday week. Waah! We should have still bought our tickets early on or we should've at least called the terminal just to be sure. To think that we had this planned out since last August or September pa! Nyaha. Though we could take our chance as, well, as chance passengers, the probability that we'd get boarded was close to zero. So we bought tickets for the 3am bus instead.

While waiting for our ride, they all studied their Nihongo. I would've done the same but I left my take-home mock exams at the office. Adik. Hehe. I asked them if we could already give our gift to Ate Rochelle just because I wanted to get hold of the bubble wrap and start popping 'em bubbles! Hehehe. I wonder what is it that makes popping bubble wraps so addictively satisfying? Soo addicting actually, that I sometimes do it online! Nyaha. Nweiz, 3am came and the moment we landed on our seats, we slowly drifted to exhausted sleep. ZzzZz...

11.10.07
At Baguio, we first dropped our things at Roney's place where we freshened up and rested for a while. Her niece, Chelsé, showered each one of us with big hugs and kisses. Ancute! Funny coz she has this big crush on JP! She hugged and kissed him every chance she got! Ahihihi.

Nweiz, our first stop for the day was at Burnham park. And the first thing that we did was to eat kwek-kwek, chicken balls, and dirty ice cream! Yum! How's that for some Baguio experience? Hehehe.

After eating, we rented bikes at Php40 an hour. Ate Lotis, Ate Rochelle and I went for the mountain bikes while Roney, JP and Franz went for the sidecar. Funny how their sidecar was never in good condition. Either they got a flat tire, a loose chain, or one with faulty breaks. Hehehe. Can't remember the last time I rode a bike so, though it was a bit tiring, I really enjoyed it. Especially when I let my bike freewheel down the slope! Woohoo! ^_^

Then, we went near the boats. No, not to ride one but to take more pictures. Nyahaha. Why didn't we get on a boat anyway? That could've been something more Baguio-like, right? Nyehe.

Our next stop were the famed ukay-ukay stores of Baguio. JP got this really nice jacket for Php700. 'Twas partly our birthday gift to him so we chipped in Php100 each for it. If that was a good steal or not, I dunno. Ehe. I didn't get to buy anything, though. We really had no time to scour the place but I'm sure there are lots of other great finds hidden in that maze of stalls and hangers. But I think that the prices were no less expensive than that of Manila's. I was hoping to buy myself a Chanel Diamond Forever bag priced at Php10. Hahaha. ^_^

Who would visit the Botanical Garden at night? Nyahaha. Before going inside, we first bought taho. Manong was offering 2 flavors: chocolate and strawberry. We all ordered the chocolate-flavored taho thinking that it would really taste like chocolate. Haha. Guess we were all disappointed coz it tasted nothing like the chocolate we know. 'Twas simply taho with arnibal. Boohoo. Manong gave us a free taste sample of the strawberry-flavored taho and I think it was way better.

But I digress.

Again, who would visit the Botanical Garden at night? Us. Hehehe. We just wanted to see what the garden looks like at night. Apparently, it just looked... dark. Wow. I mean, I've never seen darkness so deep and so black. Hahaha. *toink*

Now here's a place that no Baguio tourist should fail to visit. If you've never been here then it's like you've never been to Baguio. What place am I talking about? SM City Baguio! Hehehe. While Ate Lotis went somewhere else, we snapped some photos by the balcony.

Also, I was able to have my photo taken at my corner. Hehe. Actually, I've been meaning to do this for years, but the malls in Manila are always crowded especially during the season when Blue Magic puts up this banner. Ahihihi.

We then had our dinner treated by Roney at Don Henrico's. While waiting for our food, we were all busy doing our own thing. I was busy trying to capture my reflection on the dinner knife. After a couple of failed attempts... I was finally able to pull it off! Hehehe. ^_^

Food was abundant! The table wasn't quite big enough to hold all the food and the drinks, that we even placed the platter of pasta and chicken under the pizza stand.

At the other table, someone was celebrating his/her birthday. A group of waiters sang and handed the celebrant with a complimentary scoop of ice cream. Just for the heck of it, we pretended that it was also my birthday. A few minutes later, a waiter confirmed, and 'twas my birthday all over again! Ahihihi.

We were busy rehearsing our birthday clap when I overheard someone say, "Birthday? Di ako naniniwala!". I felt abashed and really guilty at the same time that I wanted to take back what we said. Nyaha! It turned out that JP and I were the only ones who overheard it. So when I told them what we heard, Ate Rochelle said that we don't need them to sing, that it's not our loss, that they'd just buy me a gallon of double dutch ice cream, etc. Still, the waiters sang. We didn't do the birthday clap and neither did we reacted while they were singing. NR lang. Hehe. I was given a measly scoop of vanilla ice cream, which I didn't eat. Instead, we left it topped with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a dash of hot sauce. Hahaha. We fooled them alright, but still, no way should they treat their customers like that. Right?

Supposedly, we were to watch a movie at SM but the guard refused to let us in, saying that the mall was already closed. We told him that we would simply run some errands at the supermarket instead. But still, he didn't budge. Hmp! While walking, we saw a liquor store aptly named Booze. Hehe. We bought two bottles of Shakers chocolate mudslide! I looove!

When we got back at Roney's place, we almost consumed both bottles in no time. We downed it like we were just getting our fix of chocolate drink before going to bed. Nyehe.

11.11.07
Our first stop for the day was the Philippine Military Academy. Climbed the tree house where we got a wide view of the place and the cadets. Though they were more picturesque especially in their uniforms and synchronicity, we didn't take much pictures of them coz we were camera whores like that. Nyehe.

The Beatles have done it. The Simpsons have done it.

We may not be on Abbey road... but so could we! Hehehe.

Really, really glad to finally have another shot in mind turn into reality. Hehehe. Wanted to do this also for a long time already and I thought it was impossible to find a pedestrian lane sans the cars and the commuters in broad daylight. So glad I thought wrong. Hehe.

Took more pictures amid a profusion of floral explosions and war machines...

We were on our way back when JP saw this signboard going to the Aviary. Walked for quite a distance up the road, along rows of huge trees and passing jeepneys at times. When we arrived at the Aviary, what we saw was just a big, rusty, old cage and nothing more. There were no singing birds, not a chirp, not even a feather. Just that, a cage. But as they say, a bird in a cage is not half a bird. So what the hell. Hehe.

Saw a bazaar along the way, and being the bargain hunters that we are, we dropped by to see what's on sale. Again, not a thing was bought. But JP and Roney didn't leave the bazaar empty-handed.

Because we've learned our lesson, we then headed to Victory Liner terminal to buy tickets going back to Manila. Originally, our plan was to take the 2am bus but for whatever reason, they bought tickets for the 11.50pm bus. How sad. Huhu. Oh well.

We then had our lunch at KFC in SM. Everyone's all-time favorite. Just wanted to taste Baguio's take of the famous finger-licking-good chicken. Well actually, 'twas exactly like the ones we have back in Manila. Nyaha. As if.

Recalled JP's hilariously naïve remarks about the country's summer capital:
1. "Magkakakilala ba kayong lahat sa Baguio?"
2. "Wala na bang ibang mall dito sa Baguio?"
3. "Angaling! Umuulan din pala sa Baguio..."
4. "Wala yata silang ref e..."

Inapi ang Baguio! Hahaha! *toink*

Nweiz, after lunch, we went to Baguio Tea House for its überdelicious cakes. First got a taste of it when Roney brought some at the office and I swore I would buy some myself when we get to Baguio. Trust me when I say that the cake is yummy times ten! Really a must-try!!! Hehehe.

Our next destination was Barrio Fiesta's Igorot Street. The statues were all cleverly carved and positioned. Imagine seeing life-size statues scattered around the area like normal bystanders. Wait, don't imagine. See these!

Then, off to the market to buy our pasalubongs. We bought strawberries, a bottle of strawberry jam, chocolate flakes, mallows, lengua de gato, and crocheted purses. My mom also asked me to bring home a walis tambo but I told her that no way would I travel with that in tow. Nyaha. Also bought this cute little boy that I saw in the Internet a few years back.

Went to a place selling various woodworks and saw a yoyo made of kamagong. Very nice, yes. But it was too expensive for me, so no thank you. Hehe. Franz was able to buy his anito. I also wanted one for my room but I still dunno when I would be able to see that room again. Ugh. Oh well.

It rained so our journey home was a bit of a hassle. Went back to Roney's place where we ate slices of pizza from last night while watching a game of pool. After that, we fixed our things, said our thank you's and goodbyes to Roney's family, before heading off to the mall to watch Hide and Seek. Yung taguan. Nyahaha.

After the movie, we went straight to the bus terminal. While waiting for time to pass, Roney and I dropped by a souvenir shop where we bought bracelets for everyone. Nice, eh?

We finally boarded the bus when the clock struck 11:50. Again, the bus was another photo opportunity for us. Hehe. I seriously felt like a highschool kid out on a field trip! Hahaha.

Stardust was playing and since I haven't watched it yet, I tried my best to fight off sleep. But later on, sleep got the better of me and I helplessly succumbed to my tired body. ZzzZz...

When we arrived at Cubao, I was still half asleep and was practically dragging myself to walk. Also, I kept thinking of how much time I've got left to rest before going back to work. Consequently, I forgot to thank Ate Lotis for joining us still, and for the treat and the pasalubong. Nyaha.

Nweiz, my bed was screaming when I arrived. In a fraction of a second, I fell into a deep slumber. A much needed one for I still had a looong day of work ahead of me. Boo-hoo.

Sa uulitin!!! ^_^