Blooms in Baguio

What have you been up to? Me, i went to a bus station and bought tickets. Nah not for a bus, but for a van. Bus tickets were sold out. The next available was not until 3pm of the next day. So, dubious it may seem, we bought a more expensive fare for a less comfortable ride. (I was told my blog was not informative, so here: Bus from Cubao to Baguio @ 435 php while van was @ 550 php.)

By far, this has been the most impulsive long trip I've done. 


Feb 24 Friday am.
"Punta tayo Baguio!" 
Email sent.

Ding. 1 new email received.
"Game!"

After 5pm.
Coming from our respective offices we went home to pack. Included a two-man tent in our packs, for worst case scenario! (I offered to sleep outside. Hah.) Left at 9pm and took a cab going to Victory Liner in Cubao. And what did we expect, throngs of people in vacation gears. Ready to party Panagbenga. For the information of the few, Panagbenga Festival, or Flower Festival, is held month-long every February in Baguio City. The term is of Malayo-Polynesian origin, meaning "season of blooming." (This is according to Wikipedia.)

Click here for the 2012 Schedule.

For a first timer like me, I did not have much high hopes for the festival, I was warned beforehand that I'll just get disappointed. Blame it on my pessimist friend. Haha. In any case, it's a good thing. Hope just bring about disappointments. Don't hope, ergo no regrets. No way but up. ;)

So there we were at 10pm scrunching our knees to fit 4 people in a 3-man seat. 

tight

Feb 25
4:30am we scoured Baguio Victory liner terminal for  someone who could offer accommodations. A man told us a price we were amenable to (500 php per pax). But when he showed us the place, it was dingy and looked a lot like a storage room. Oh wait! It WAS a storage room! There was even no bed. =))

The little that I know of my travel-mates, I was pretty sure the place was already dismissed as 'inhabitable.' 

So off we went walking a very steep road at 5am, the morning chills prompting our tired feet to take the next step. We were supposed to see another place that is a bit far. Good thing Ric found a signage for transients. The place looked heaps better than the last one. Cheaper too, by 50 php. Checked in. Snoozed. Ah! Bed. 

We saw the street dancing parade, which is tantamount to saying, hey, I've been to ALL festivals in the Philippines! Haha okay so that may be a bit of an exaggeration. Nonetheless, every bit of notion pertaining to parades was staring blatantly right back at us. 

We then looked for a jeepney bound for Mines View Park. Just as we were about to give up, expecting the trips were cancelled due to the hoards of people running around, we saw the terminal behind the corner of McDonald's along Session Road. Fare costs Php 10. 

  

The park was beaming with activities. Stalls offering trinkets of necklaces, earrings, hand gloves, every form of clothing, bags, to rugs and table runners, to food ranging from corn on cobs, sweet bananas, strawberry and ube preserves were being sold. I bought several hand gloves for me and Chabs. Yeye told me I have no bargaining skills. I will take that as a compliment. I kid!

We got off to have lunch at 50s Diner but were sidetracked. It was past our lunch times but since Botanical Garden was along the way, we dropped by to see what was in store for us. This is the best part of not having any itineraries. We can do whatever pleases us without the constraints of time. 

Botanical Garden

Transients

 Sariling sikap Group Shot

The queue at 50s Diner was, if not anything else, OA. We were number 8 on the waiting list. It was after 2 pm. But we waited. The food ranges from 135 - 400 php. Ours were about 155 php pax. Not bad considering we ordered a whole lot of fried food. 

We snored a bit more back at #42 Cabinet Hill, named as such because Cabinet Members have their summer homes along the alley. 

That night we went to the local mall. 

Then to a local pub.

The next day, Feb 26, we woke up early for the Flower Floats. It was pretty, so I didn't have time to get disappointed, as expected. We went on further to the starting point of the parade, but it was much too crowded, we could not get any good seats. We ended up prancing several meters from the parade route. Gawking with the masses. Ohhs and aahs. 

We walked more to look for the jeepney bound for the Strawberry Fields, as Yeye would be inclined to say it. Fare from Centermall is Php 11. 

Handpicked pasalubong.

We were supposed to go to the Grotto, but the queue for jeepney was too long. Thus we opted to pass time at Burnham Park. 

Getting away from Manila has been my weekend reprieve. Thanks to Yeye and Rick who joined my crazy stunt.