I left Sangat Island after a stuffed squid lunch on a speedboat and was immediately picked up by mini van in Coron town at the south end of Busuanga Island and taken straight to the airport. The plane was on time and I landed back in Manila where I caught a taxi to Quezon City, north of Manila, and it was 5 pm. Traffic had already been stop and go for most of the day and at 5 the amount of cars staggers to double and constant. After a while I did reach my destination, Soleste Suites. I stayed there two nights and never saw another tourist. The area seems a bit more residential and hospitable than downtown Manila but part of that is because I don’t really know my way around.
I caught a Victoria Liner bus to Baguio City where there is supposed to be a flower festival all month but in reality it’s only the last few days of February with a parade of dancers and floats. I was a little early. The weather is considerably cooler and the mountains surrounding the city are beautiful grounded on narrow ridges and below the peaks houses and narrow roads stack on top of each other. There are no sidewalks and barely two cars wide. For the most part children and students seem to visually out number the elders.
I stayed a couple nights at the Arc Residence on top of a steep foothill mountain peak nestled in a pine grove very near the athletic fields of a university. Through
The pines trees I could see a track and field, tennis court, badminton courts, basketball court and a volleyball court, almost all in continuous use. The band was on the main field practicing their routine and music for the upcoming flower festival parade. I will forever have ‘Let’s Get This Party Started’ by the Black Eyed Peas in my head. They played numerous songs but this particular song seemed particularly loud and with a tribe of various drums, it echoed out of the valley below.
I was told by the owner of the Arc Residences, a great guy, Sigurd Hogsbro, an avid Baguio fan and cycle enthusiast, to go to La Presa at sunrise. It’s a viewpoint above Baguio with a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountain ranges and all the way to the sea on a clear day. I got up to the top just as the sun broke over the Eastern mountain range followed by a fast moving fog bank. I didn’t have much time before I was enveloped in fog and could only see south-southwest. It was still worth the taxi ride.
I changed hotels to be closer to down town just to see it and invited back up by Sigurd to the grand opening of the Arc Residences. I noticed a sign directed at students for 3500 pesos/month (all inclusive). That’s cheap for Baguio students looking for housing. www.arc.ph. The lower hallway entrance has an assortment of low cost food shops, a purified water store, and the ultimate BBQ restaurant, Canto, pulled pork, beef, etc. with a great reputation in the area. Each housing floor has an indoor lounge with a flat screen and a dining court. There are also some rooms for travelers passing through like myself. If you’re a student or traveler heading to Baguio the Arc is worth checking out. Not only that, if your interested in wilderness trekking, photography treks, river rafting, etc. Sigurd can direct you to the right people. Here’s a couple sites I checked out on FB if you need further guidance: http://www.facebook.com/Cordillera.Conservation.Trust?fref=ts. And: http://www.facebook.com/JPAlipio?fref=ts.
While there I wandered into the Ozark restaurant next door to the Arc Res. that was playing Aretha Franklin and met Kevin Mize and his partner cooking up some great food and baked goods, breads, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pancakes, pork chops, etc. The menu is a mix of Western with a southern accent and some Filipino. I had some wonderful pulled pork tacos and I returned for breakfast the next day for tea and a fun, not so standard, breakfast menu. www.facebook.com/ozarkbaguiocity. As a mater of fact, I ate all my meals there even though there were plenty of great aroma options at the Arc.
I stayed downtown which is a hard thing to say because every valley has it’s own little center but returned to the Arc for their gran opening. A band belted out great music and a single guitarist filled in on breaks. All good considering there was BBQ chicken near the entrance and Canto’s opened. And my favorite, right in front of Canto’s was a kegerator filled with Baguio Craft Brewery fresh beer. Sigurd introduced me to the brewers, Arnold Miguel-Head Brewer and Chris Ordas-General Manager. They both brew and love their craft. I knew exactly what I was doing on my last night in Baguio.
After a full day of writing I headed out by taxi to the Baguio Craft Brewery and was impressed with the layout. Guests walk straight into the tasting room where there’s some great music and a long list of beers to taste. If you look to the far left of the chalkboard you can find out how much trouble you’ll get into. If you’re more of a brewer yourself there’s a few other numbers on that board that may interest you.
Once you’ve decided on the beer you want to start with, walk upstairs to an outdoor lounge with a live jazz band on either Friday or Saturday, I’ve forgotten. You can look them up on FB also. http://facebook.com/Baguiocraftbrewery. There is also a fun menu that will excite any beer enthusiast. Just FYI, the view is awesome down the valley from the upper deck. It can stay open until early if the crowd deems it so. Kudos to the Arc Residences, Ozarks, these two gentlemen with the creation of Baguio Craft Brewery and their love of beer. I think they’re going commercial with some of their favorite choices in the future. I look forward to returning to Baguio and catching up with these fine people.
www.davidcdagley.com
