My Blog

I love Baguio City and now that I’m starting to feel the scorching summer heat, I’d like to come back here. Anyway, I was there last year and here’s an article that I wrote about it for the i Section of the Manila Bulletin. Read ‘em and weep:

KISSING THE CLOUDS
Our rollicking highland adventure
by edwin p. sallan

TO pass up any opportunity to go up to Baguio would be
a big mistake for anyone who would even think about
it. The City of Pines remains one of the most
wonderful places in the country–earthquakes,
landslides and “outbreaks” notwithstanding. The cool
weather is a big reason, of course, but there is a lot
more to Baguio than just its climate. It’s simply one
of those places where your first visit is never your
last.

Getting there is still a rather marathon six-hour
drive, eight or more when using public transport. It
didn’t make much difference to me if one opted to go
there via Marcos Highway (our path of choice coming
from Manila) or Kennon Road (our choice route going
back to Manila) although the zig-zaggy Kennon is
probably less safe when it’s dark and raining.

The long trip is way, way worth it. For those like
myself who don’t come here very often, Baguio feels
like a totally new experience. And it’s all the more
special if you happen to be staying at Camp John Hay
Manor, where about half in our group of 12 were
booked. The European-style hilltop hotel was built on
the site of the old main clubhouse of the former
American rest and recreation camp.

Surrounded by towering pine trees, the Manor is the
camp’s centerpiece and the mostly wooden structure of
this very charming hotel was, in fact, a high-profile
witness to the fairy tale wedding of Aga Muhlach and
Charlene Gonzales. Ditto with its beautifully
landscaped garden punctuated by a lovely gazebo and
statues of Abraham Lincoln and Manuel L. Quezon, often
the choice spots for many other wedding vows as well.

Billy King’s Le Souffle restaurant provides the good
food served in the hotel and buffets were occasions
that we particularly looked forward to. Equally worth
looking forward to is the piano bar where an elderly
couple had a romantic dinner complete with flowers,
candlelight, champagne and thoughtfully-rendered piano
instrumentals.

Although I myself was not an “official guest” in the
Manor, most of our official activities were held here
and during times when the others are having photo
shoots and my presence was not needed, I would usually
retire to one of the rooms where the others in our
group were staying and either take a quick shower,
watch TV, enjoy a breathtaking view of the camp or
simply doze off for momentary siesta.

But only when I’m not taking a walk in the John Hay
Commissary area that houses, among others, a duty free
grocery store, a couple of gift and souvenir shops, an
ukay-ukay store and several restaurants including
Carlo’s Pizza, Dencio’s and Mile Hi Dinner, which has
a familiar ring to me as I do recall eating in a
similarly-named old-fashioned American diner during my
very first visit to this camp when the Americans were
still running the place.

The place where me and the other guys were “official
guests” was Villa Al Pino, a very roomy and affordable
condominium hotel located in Mines View Park. Villa Al
Pino is not without its own charm and our two-bedroom
suite included an attic. The room was able to house
all six of us. It includes a fully-equipped kitchen
with a ref and a stove where we can cook and store
food if needed.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Villa Al Pino is
the fact that it is located within Mines View Park
where I would take my daily morning walks, shop for
souvenir items and personal stuff and simply enjoy its
picturesque scenery. I don’t know why but I always buy
a cardigan sweater when I come here. During our last
two days when we had more free time, I was joined by
photographer Qyam Michaels, who also took pictures of
the awe-inspiring view. Yeah, yeah, I made like a
tourist and posed with a horse, a St. Bernard and even
elderly Ifugaos for the usual five to ten peso fees.

And, yes, I do love taking walks alone and not because
I fancy myself like Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy or
John Travolta in the opening scene of Saturday Night
Fever. I just like doing certain things by my lonesome
and an opportunity to walk the now busier sidewalks of
Session Road was something I had always wanted to
squeeze in whenever I come here.

For better or for worse, ukay-ukay shops remain one of
Baguio?s biggest attractions. I know a friend who goes
all the way to Baguio just to get his ukay-ukay fix
and immediately return to Manila after only an hour?s
worth of used-clothes shopping. Many in our group had
a blast raiding these ukay-ukay stores.

I?m glad to see that some old favorites like Star Cafe
and Sizzling Plate are still Session Road fixtures. I
didn?t get to eat in these places, though. Outside of
Le Souffle at the Manor, we had great meals in a
couple of inexpensive places in Burnham Park including
a turo-turo eatery that specialized in lechon manok.
We had a really sumptuous lauriat at Hotel Supreme in
La Trinidad and for our last dinner there, we decided
to check out Cafe By The Ruins where framed works by
artists like Baguio native Bencab adorn its lovely
interior.

Technology seems to be a big deal in Baguio City and
the natives simply took to it like fish takes to
water. Getting “loads” for your Smart and Globe
cellphone should not even be a concern. Internet
rental shops abound in Baguio including three Netopias
and a small place in Mines View that operates for 24
hours and charges only P10 an hour. Network games like
GunBound, Ragnarok and CounterStrike are very big here
and I was pleasantly surprised to see several young
girls playing these titles. There are several computer
schools including two STI’s and one that actually
calls itself Philippine Cyber College. And About
Weddings editor Marbee Go was very pleased with how
flawlessly her Sierra Wireless AirCard worked on her
laptop.

Of course, a visit to Baguio nowadays is not really
complete without checking out the SM Mall. What can I
say? I couldn’t resist it and while there’s not much
to set apart SM City Baguio from other SM Malls, it
does have open-air balconies where people can see a
panoramic view of the city that’s slightly different
from the one that I saw in Mines View.

SM City Baguio is also home to a Highland Souvenir
store where I found a really funny T-shirt that I just
had to get. At first glance, the design of the tee
resembled the logo of that famous reality show
Survivor. A closer look reveals that what it actually
says is “Meningo Survivor.” Talk about spin.

So many music, so little gigabyte space.

That’s pretty much the story of my iPod Nano. Two gigabytes or an average of 500 songs may be more than enough for the average music lover and I thought I’m fine with that. Come to think of it, I thought the more than 100 song capacity of my first iPod, a Shuffle, was also more than adequate for me.

It’s bad enough that I drain the battery of the damn thing and need to charge everyday. But the more songs I transfer and listen to my iPod, the more I want, uh, more, of course.

My current playlist is an odd mix of Beatles, classic rock, hard rock, new wave, punk rock, Top 40, adult contemporary, some sappy ballads, a handful of old disco hits and everything in between. From the 60’s to the new millennium, the playlist includes songs that have become favorites over the years.

Let’s see. I have James Taylor’s "Fire And Rain," Peter Frampton’s "Baby I Love Your Way," The Police’s "Message In A Bottle," The Beatles’ "If I Needed Someone," Suzanne Vega’s "Luka," KC & The Sunshine Band’s "Boogie Shoes," The Records’ "Starry Eyes," Modern English’s "I Melt With You," Sarah McLachlan’s "Building A Mystery," Sheryl Crow’s "The First Cut Is The Deepest" and many more.

I’ve tried other digital music players and while the ones made by LG, Creative, Samsung and Sony all sound equally good, they don’t quite compare with an iPod. Apple’s now ubiquitous portable music player stands on a different level and is on a class all its own.

Yes, it is an iPod nation. We just live in it. 

I love music and I’ve listened to a lot of great songs and one of the songs that I’ve come to revisit and appreciate in a different light is Landslide and it has nothing to do with the recent Leyte tragedy. Written by Stevie Nicks and recorded by Fleetwood Mac way back in 1976 with Stevie (real name: Stephanie Nicks) herself singing and accompanied by Lindsey Buckingham on acoustic guitar. It is a moving and haunting ballad that has since been recorded by many other artists including the Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos and the Dixie Chicks and I actually have two of those versions in my iPod Nano. Since words will never be enough to describe how beautiful this song really is and how much this means to me now, I’ll just include the lyrics below and let you decide for yourself. If you haven’t heard of it, you owe it to yourself to give this song even just a brief spin.

I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and i turned around
And i saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Till the landslide brought it down

Oh, take my love, take it down
I climb a mountain and turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down
The landslide will bring it down

Simply beautiful.

You know the last two years have been pretty good to me. But for some reason, I always seem to have bad timing when it counts the most. Just when you don’t want to say the wrong things and get everything right, the exact opposite happens. Why do I often end up not saying what I really want to or actually say something stupid instead? Does it have something to do with what I’ve been feeling lately? I really don’t know what to think or do.

For now, the only thing I can actually do is keep my fingers crossed and simply hope for the best. Because who knows, that best is yet to come. When it finally does, I do hope my timing has improved.

I know. It’s an overused word. For many, it’s just a better-sounding term to describe mid-life crisis or a turning point in one’s life. In my case, I’m beginning to wonder again if there is really someone for everyone because I sure hell, haven’t seen that someone for quite some time. They say these things aren’t really planned or even expected, they just happen. Well, it better happen to me soon because I just realized how fast time really flies when you’re getting old. Later.