2022 Baguio Trip: Travel, Dine, and Chill

 

Baguio City, the capital of Benguet Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region, is a famous trourist spot here in the Philippines because of its cold weather all-year round. As The Philippines is well-known to have a humid and hot weather,  Baguio has been the Summer Capital of the country and called as The City of Pines because of pine forests situated in the city. We went here this July and I know that this month won't be a good time to go because of the rainy weather, but anytime in general would be a good time to visit.

Myself and my girls decided to have a quick out-of-town getaway. Why not go to Baguio since we have not gone after a series of quarantine? Also, Baguio has been a safe place for tourists and the city has been open to public. You just need to confirm your booking where you will stay and until when, register online on the LGU, and keep your vaccination card with you. Do not worry, the host of your homestay will help you go through the process. We scheduled our departure at 7am in PITX and rode a Solid North Bus going to Baguio. We would like to start earlier but a friend had work until 5am, not a big deal though since we did not have any itinerary and the only idea was to just relax and chill. If you are wandering how to get there in PITX from Buendia, in front of Pasay City Academy meters away from Mcdonalds Buendia, I waited for a PITX bus. I am not sure if there are buses passing there any time of the day. When I googled how to go days before the trip, I have read that there are jeepneys or e-jeepneys that you can ride. At this time, I have not seen one. There are MOA cab but I am not sure if you can reach PITX when you ride one. It is still better to ask someone.

A quick tip, I recommend to plan your trip ahead and book your accomodation and if you have decided to commute, buy your bus tickets ahead online or reserve your tickets on the PITX ticket booth. This hits hard on us. We get there in PITX before 7am but the available bus tickets that we can purchased was already on 10am schedule. We waited for 3 hrs. Luckily, we did not have plans on this day so this did not stressed us big time. Solid North Bus has two types: Deluxe Buses which has 2x2 seats in a row with portable CR and Luxury Buses which has 2x1 seats in a row with monitor on each seat and portable CR. The bus availability is based on the time you purchased the ticket. No two buses will depart on the same time.

This is inside a Deluxe Solid North Bus. The portable CR is located in the middle right.

We rode the bus 30 minutes early and departed at exactly 10am. The trip will take about 6-7 hours so it is advisable to have a meal before. We reached Baguio at 4pm. It was raining and foggy. Scary to looked at but this was what we came for, right? Or was I the only one who was waiting for this? Guys, do not self-drive if you are not professional enough to drive through this foggy state; this is very dangerous especially that cliff is the other side of the road. Let the professional drivers do their work.

We arrived around 4pm and since we experienced a fully-booked bus schedule, we already bought bus tickets on our way home to this same day. So I also recommend to do this so that you know where the bus terminal is if you are not familiar in the area and have that planned bus schedule. Have you imagined that the bus was half full at this time. Also, on our departure from PITX, we are on the last seats of the bus. The next trip would be 12pm. We are fortunate to have those 3 out of 5 last tickets going to Baguio and take note, we have bought them before 7am for a 10am trip.

Our first stop on this 3-day trip, Vizco's Reastaurant and Cake Shop. Ok, I am a strawberry lover so Baguio City is such a heaven place for me. My agenda is to try as much as I can the strawberry-flavored kinds of food available around. But I am acidic so do not expect for drinks. As much as possible, I will stick to water. We are kinda hungry and this also served as our merienda and dinner at the same time, we ordered pastas for each one of us.

Mine was Baked Chicken Penne, the image on the upper left, next to it was Gambazette Pasta, and the lower image was Fettucine Carbonara. The food is somewhat pricey but they have generous serving. Over-all, the food is tasty and they made us full. But of course, since we were already here, who would not want to try their famous Strawberry Shortcake. This cake has been appeared on so many sites and motion pictures so why not try it for ourselves? We ordered a 6in. of this as takeaway. I also ordered for takeout a piece of strawberry tart and an unfamiliar Strawberry Vinaigrette. For the takeouts, wait for it later.

After we dined in Vizco's, we went to SM City Baguio to bought some goods so whenever we get hungry, we can have something to eat. We actually bought several snacks and canned goods. Yes, we were scared to get hungry. This is the only SM City that I am amazed or I have not gone to any other better than here. I am fascinated with its structural and its architectural design. They truely maximize what Baguio can offer. Anyway, we booked a grabbed car going to the homestay. More than a month ago, we checked AirBnB and booked our accomodation. We booked Lugay's Homestay for 2 nights. It is located near Mines View Park. The hosts are friendly and helpful. They even offered the fireplace and set it up for us. Overall, we had a nice stay. You can easily contact them if you need anything. For 3 girls, the place is somehow bigger. Adding one person is fine. We did not have a problem. The place is serene and from other reviews, the place is also pet-friendly. I truly enjoyed the warm bath. I bathed in the morning and before going to bed. On our first night, we had some chitchat to pass the time since we were not so tired and ate some snacks.

Remember the foods I taked out from Vizco's? I ate them this morning on our 2nd day. The Strawberry Vinaigrette has a unique taste. I was not sure how to describe it but I liked it. It was tasteful and it compliments to the salad. Though they did not liked it, I like strawberries in general so...yeah. The vinaigrette was not so sour, it was with strawberry puree. You can see the consistency of the strawberry. I am so sorry I did not have a picture of this but you need to try it whenever you are in Baguio. Some restaurants aside from Vizco's also offer this.

The goal in our 2nd day is to visit BenCab Museum, buy some yarns in Hangar Market, and check out Baguio Night Market. We went to BenCab Museum before lunch so we can explore it with not too many people. The weather is good at first but then after, it was raining and hoping that it will not last since we still have places to go. But before we went in, we saw a Dirty Ice Cream (Sorbetes) stall with Strawberry and Avocado flavors. Of course, we need to try them. Anything strawberry in Baguio is totally legit, no added flavoring. That is why if you want a true Strawberry flavor, you can never go wrong in Baguio.

Inside the museum, you can take shots with the arts but no flash. There are also artworks and galleries from other artists. Do you like art? Do you like to go to museums or art exhibits? I like museums. Why? I am so fascinated on how they interpreted things using art and different mediums, how an art can make you feel, and how it can reach people in any way possible. You can also see what kind of a person the artist is through his/her art. It is fascinating and emotional at the same time. Here are some that I found more pleasing to me.

On the ground floor of the museum, there is Cafe Sabel and a garden where you can stroll around. There are several dishes available in Cafe Sabel to choose from. Though pricey, they are tasteful. I ordered a burger, my friends ordered an omelet and pancit, and for all-together snacks, we ordered a fingerfood. While resting, we talked about where we will go after. It started raining. Sadly, we removed Baguio Night Market for this day's go-to. So maybe we will just stay in the homestay through the night.

Since it was still early, we came up to the decision to continue our adventure. Fortunately, it was drizzling. We went to burnham park and walk around. The park was wet and we did not know where to go so we go straight to Hangar Market. One of my friends who was with me has a hobby of crocheting. We went to yarn stores and there, she bought kilos of yarns. I will be honest, I never thought that there would be too many types of yarns and have too many colors. They also bought kilos of grounded coffee, different kinds.

While walking along the session road, we reached the staircase of a church. Because I still had full energy at this time, I walked the stairs until I reached Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral. Sadly, I was facing the left side of the church but I had seen the interior of the church after the mass has ended.

We went to SM City Baguio to spent some time because it was still dizzling and to have some rest. Before the sun set, we went to Ili-likha artist village to ate snacks. It composed of many restaurants. Every floor has its own artistry, you can choose what restaurant to dine since the food they serve are somehow different from each other. I ordered a lemonade, and for my friends were black forest coffee and house blend coffee. A friend also ordered potato wedges. I am so sorry, I was so tired at this time. I have not truly appreciated the place but there is this one that intrigued me. I found this scary though. And I attached our pictures of course.

From Ili-likha, we went home. We were not hungry enough so we just ate the Strawberry Shortcake from Vizco's and I ate my fresh fruits I bought in the grocery on our 1st day; they were sliced avocados and sliced dragon fruit. I never thought that they are not familiar with dragon fruit. Anyway, the Strawberry Shortcake had several fresh strawberries. Though the fruits tasted somehow sour, it was complimented by the cream on the cake. The cake in general was not too sweet, it tasted good. Now I know why this is so popular. If you are in Manila, I know that they have a branch near. I will also include here the Strawberry Tart from the same cakeshop. Surprisingly, it was big from what I expected and it was full of strawberries. The inside was filled with cream, I was not sure if it was cream cheese, whipped cream, or cheesecake. Anyway, I liked it. Just try it also and be the judge.

Our last day was Pasalubong day. And we get up early because we wanted to buy Ube Jam from Good Shepherd Convent itself. Yes, it was minutes away from the homestay and minutes away also from Mines View Park. Have I mentioned that walking in Baguio was like working out? This is maybe because of its high location and having thin air. Not to mention the inclination of the roads and walkways. On the Good shepherd Convert, the opening of the gate starts at 10:15AM and also for those who will buy their products. Since their Ube Jam is well-known, tourists can only buy 2 of this. It is better if you will go there when the gate opens because when the line for tourists ends, they will give way to the reseller which I think the locals of the town. Sadly, they have no strawberry products so I need to buy them on the reseller stores. Before I forgot, we ate lunch near Mines View Park. We ate Bulalo for the three of us and danggit breakfast for each. We also had strawberry taho. A fresh taho with strawberry as flavoring is good for the tummy.

View from Bulalohan

We went inside the Mines Vew Park and bought some fresh Strawberries. I have not thought that this was so small. There was a view deck where you can see from above the city of Baguio. A friend of mine said that before, there were no houses to be seen but now, you can see them clearly. But still, we enjoyed it. We stopped by for some time and since there were no other to be seen and we still need to packed things because later was our schedule going home. I just wanted to share that all the prices of pasalubong have increased. Also, a kilo of fresh strawberries now costs Php550. So be financially prepared. Though things have been pricey, it is still better to buy on the city than on resellers outside. There are also fresh vegetables that you can buy.

For our last stop before we went home in Manila, we ate lunch at Cafe by The Ruins. We arrived lunch time and happily, we get into the queue. Though we waited for almost an hour, foods are worth waiting for. I ordered Shrimp Mango Curry and for my friends, they ordered Bagnet Sinigang, and Baguio Bagnet. The foods were tasteful and the ambience was good. I enjoyed the food and the place. We rest for some time while we waited for our departure.

Shrimp Mango Curry

We had a hard time going to bus terminal because we wrongly calculated the time. We forgot that the roads are inclined and the walks will be that hard. Not to mention, we carried a significant amount of kilograms: our things including pasalubong. Blessed, we got in on time. We rode Luxury Bus of Solid North. For Luxury Bus, a seat costs Php850 while for Deluxe Bus, it costs Php750. Like I said earlier, their differences are lesser seat in a row and a screen on each seat. Honestly, I had not used the monitor since there were no pre-installed movies in there. The only thing that made me want the luxury is the comfortability due to large space reserved for a seat.

This is inside a Luxury Solid North Bus. The portable CR is located in the middle right.

Supposedly, the travel time will take only 4-5 hours but it was raining so it took us almost 6 hours. Blessed, it was still a safe travel. From PITX, I rode Carousell going home. This conludes our 3-day Baguio journey. We had so much fun and I, myself, would like to come back. I still have many attractions to visit and foods to try. My soul is happy.

Some photos grabbed from friends.

Binondo Foodventure: A Taste of Authentic Chinese Cuisine

Binondo is rich in traditional chinese culture and the Chinatown district of Manila wherein it is considered as the first and oldest Chinatown in the world. Famous on its Chinese gastronomy, people fall in line rain or shine, morning until evening. My friend and I came back. We visited again some restaurants and explored new ones in the district and ordered their famous delicacies.

We met in Carriedo LRT station at 12 noon and have decided beforehand to start our Binondo food tour at this time. Since we have not tried Roasted Pecking Duck even with our previous food tours, so here we are. Our first stop, Wai Ying Fast Food. Wai Ying serves authentic Cantonese cuisine and famous on its hanged roasted pecking duck as you pass by inside the place. We ordered 250 grams of Roasted Pecking Duck, 2 cups of white rice supposedly fried rice but was not available this time, and their famous Hakaw.

This fastfood place has generous servings of its food. We never thought that we can finish all of them in one sitting but because of its tastiness and appeal, while chatting, we have seen our plates gradually became empty. Roasted Pecking Duck is tender. I can not say that it tastes like chicken because the taste and its texture is really different. The asado-like sauce is also really good. I would suggest to partner it with simple white rice so you can appreciate its distinct flavor. Do not worry, they will give you free big bowl of stew whenever you need to compliment your meal with soup.

On the otherhand, my friend is a fan of Hakaw. Tho I can not remember if I already tried it once and what it tastes like, I find it tasteful but not overwealmingly flavorful. Hakaw looks good because of its thin layer wrapped around the generous amount of meat.

We came to Binondo without itinerary. We will just go by of what the moment offers. Our next stop, Shanghai Fried Siopao. I have ate one before but I could not remember its taste or if I have liked it. Actually, we bought some to take home because we are still full at this time and just trying to have a dessert. I will include my review anyway. I ate it a day after but first, I preheat it using microwave oven. Do not get me wrong, we bought them hot and I think you can never get a cold one since they have not run out of people who buy it so expect that what you will get is still fresh from the pan.

This is not an ordinary fried siopao for me because as far I can remember, fried siopao is deep fried in oil that made it fried. But no, you can see the bottom of the siopao that was fried but the upper part is still in white like steamed. I am not familiar on the process of their cooking but the taste justified its friedness. On my first bite, I can taste already the fried filling. This is not asado nor bola-bola, it is fried meat! The amazing part is, you can not see any burn or uneven cook on the filling. This really tastes so good. No wonder why people wait for long to have some with them. I even want more. Definitely, I will buy again when I return.

I ate in Cafe Mezzanine before and tried their Oyster Cake, Xiao Long Bao, and others. Though I am not into Oyster Cake, I would like to eat again Xiao Long Bao due to its uniqueness. My friend would also like to try their Halo-Halo as our panghimagas. Sadly, it had too long line of people. Maybe because it was also raining. So, we strolled around to see where we can spend some time chitchatting. We then stayed at Bon Appetea.

Matcha Green Tea Salt and Cheese Foam Series for myself, Butterscotch Mousse Salt and Cheese Foam Series for her, and a slice of Toblerone Cheesecake for both of us. I would not say much about our food because we are busy checking up and updating each other. The ambience is good though and the place feels cozy. Just the down side, they closes at 4pm. Since it is still early for dinner, we went to Tasty Dumplings to try their steamed and fried dumplings to let the time passes.

We entered in the restaurant with some vacant tables. Though they are famous with their large chicken fillet, we were too full to try it so we just ordered two types on their menu. Kuchay is new to our vocabulary so we asked the staff. Kuchay is a mixture of meat and vegetables. There is no harm in trying right? There are 8pcs of it for every order. We thought just like before that 8pcs was enough for both us, but no, just like earlier we ordered another. This time it was fried dumplings. They are good and taste good. Hakaw is still better still but for the experience of eating a bunch of dumplings, no umay, we just ate them all. For some reviews I have read, they are on the list of must-try's but it is raining for quite a while. Maybe a one factor why people are not around.

After we finished eating the dumplings, we decided to stroll around 168 Mall and my friend look around for dresses. We did not know that most shops are only open until 6pm. Luckily, we have seen this shop which mostly sell dresses and she bought two. Achievement unlocked. It was getting dark and dinner was approaching. We went to Lucky Chinatown Mall and ate our dinner.

Last stop, Sincerity. Sincerety restaurant has good reputation. I have seen reviews from famous celebrities and recommend by some. Fortunately, there is a branch on Lucky Chinatown Mall. We wait for a bit to get us in and we ordered Half Sincerity Fried Chicken, Lomi, and Kikiam. Yum!

Damn! Their fried chicken is a bomb. So good. Tastes so so good. No need for sauce. We even ate all of them without rice. The meat is juicy and tasty. Sincerity does not disappoint until this day. Try it for yourself. Their Kikiam is authentic chinese cuisine. This is special and does not tastes ordinary even the looks is different. It is even paired with Atchara. I recommend it. Chinese Kikiam is full of flavors. And the Atchara is good, not so powerful. They are perfectly matched.

For the Lomi, I do not eat Lomi. As I remember, the taste of Lomi is too much. Flavors are too powerful. But in Sincerity Restaurant, the flavors are balance. It is rich in flavors but you can taste each the same. This is the Lomi that I can eat. So whenever I want to eat Lomi, I have a place I can go to. Lomi has shrimp, pork, and generous amount of veggies. The serving is generous too. Their small size is good for two people to be honest.

To wrap things up, I love Roasted Pecking Duck and Sincerity Fried Chicken. A special mention for Shanghai Fried Siopao for unexpected tastefulness. For the dumplings we tried including Hakaw, I like them all the same. Would be happy to compare Xiao Long Bao with them but I will do it next time if would be given a chance. Lomi is unexplanably good as for myself. And the kikiam has been good ever, no doubt about it. There are more restaurants to try. There are also dumpling places that offers more. Binondo has so much to give. Get your map ready, get your tummy ready because if you go to Binondo hungry, you will came home full, happy, and satisfied. Until my next Binondo foodventure!