Baguio is a place of solitude for me. I have invested a lot of myself in here, and memories have already been written. This place made me smile. This place made me love getting lost. And the reason behind these smiles and travelling – is a lot of crying, to be honest.
Ben Cab museum is a bit off the beaten path for Baguio travelers, but easily accessible by renting a cab. The museum is mixture of mediums of the artworks of artist Ben Cabrera. The museum showcased the abstract oil paintings and mixed media artworks of the artist (which to be honest is a feast to the senses).The art gallery showcases the diversity of the Igorot tribes, their ways of life captured in canvas and some silhouettes carved in wood. Triggers onlookers to utilize our grey matter. It was a very refreshing and insightful experience.
And of course, one of my favorite galleries -- the erotica gallery. Didn’t miss the chance to do the iconic licking of the big, uhm, wall decor. Haha.
Considered as the oldest house in Baguio, Casa Vallejo added more story in our stay. It is a beautiful historical hotel, and it has more character than your usual chain hotel. The rooms are very quaint but adequate and the place feels like a challet with its cabin-like interiors. The beds and linens are super comfy, and big window opens up for night time air. Staying in a wooden cottage nestled amidst a few surviving pine trees evokes a wave of nostalgia and makes you feel detached from the city's now-notorious pollution. You feel you're far away, and yet you're not. You can actually take a leisurely stroll to the city's main mall (SM is literally across the street), get a massage at the nearby North Haven Spa, or walk along the iconic Session Road. It is also in the same area as Cinematheque and Mt. Cloud Book Shop for some books or movies.
The Hill Station restaurant is located right beneath it. The restaurant is rustic, and it has a wonderful old world feel with antique wooden floors, large panoramic windows, chandeliers, and a lovely ornate grand staircase. The food is well prepared and the menu is eclectic. I had a wonderful Tapang Usa (Wild Deer) for breakfast, and the experience is one for the books. This is a great place for some romantic dinner.
50's Diner is an American retro diner filled with pop culture memorabilia such as posters of American icons, & its bright pink neon lights. Definitely instgrammable. The whole vibe is reminiscent of diners with servers on skates. Being one of the more popular restaurants, it is usually packed with hungry customers, but luckily we scored a table immediately.
What we did not expect was how big the servings were. Damn I think what we ate was good for four people. It was worth the time waiting for the food, not to mention the good choices on the menu and the good prices. Great food, big portions, affordable prices. No wonder this place is a go-to place of a lot of locals and tourists.
Since we just had a hefty lunch at Glenn's 50's Diner on the Military Cut-Off Road, here at Cafe at the Ruins Dua we decided to have just some coffee. I like how this favorite cafe in Baguio is a hub for art and culture. Cafe Dua is a good place to hang out with friends, enjoy good food, and catch an art show or an occasional poetry reading. The coffee I had was so good. If you are not starving and you only want something light, try their pandesal with cheese and other varieties of baked products.
Pizza Volante is one of the few restaurants one should not miss when in Baguio. This is a home-grown restaurant that is considered as one of the best Italian restaurants. They offer freshly made and delicious pizza and pasta dished that has been known for years among local residents and visiting tourists. Great for people with a big appetite! Just make sure you bring some patience with you as serving time is quite slow. Located along session road, this restaurant has lovely and stylish interiors with their menu written on a board on top of the kitchen window. To feel the cool Baguio air, we opted to seat outside the restaurant which gave us a more relaxing ambience.
After getting our tummies happy, we went to Harrison Road Night Market. Located near Burnham Park and Session Road, the market has been offering clothing items, shoes, souvenir items, electronic devices, handicrafts, and the Baguio staple, the "ukay-ukay" items. There are also food stalls available at both ends of the market. We did not let this rare chance pass us by, so we went shopping and haggled for discounts until our hands can’t hold all the things we bought. A thousand bucks was more than what we needed, but can we really get tired of buying? I guess not. Haha. Sleeping at around 3AM, the exhaustion kicked in and a nice, warm shower ended my day.
Baguio is something I’ll never get tired of visiting again and again. It’s my third visit this 2017, and I know this is not yet the last.
