A Serene Summer Getaway 2013

 

A typical ideal summer would either be partying like there's no tomorrow or hitting the beach to ramble ashore. I actually planned to experience a typical one, but never did I expect that an outgoing person like me would fall for a very serene summer escapade. Picturesque landmarks, pleasant weather, and wonderful companions - 3 things that made my summer 2013 just perfectly amazing.

This post is 5 months late. This escapade was poorly planned as it was all very sudden. Like, we were just sipping hot coffee on the veranda and thought of summer-fun-hunting. We thought of going to Bataan, Subic, Baler, or anywhere in Region 3, from June 3 to June 5. But it ended up going on a road trip all the way to Baguio.

(P.S. This blog is bombarded with several selfie pictures. Forgive me! Yay!)

From Bulacan, we landed at the summer capital of the Philippines in 4 hours. None of us knew the route directions to this place. Neither did we have map nor GPS. We just googled it, read a certain forum, and followed the written instructions. So yeah! We felt we were charmingly cool while were strolling along SCTEX, Kennon Road, and Marcos Highway.

Since it was a bit unexpected, I packed my things quickly that in the end all the attires I brought were very summer-ish. I forgot to bring accessories and cardigan.

We were not familiar with the tourist attractions in the city that much. We were not even aware that Banaue Rice Terraces could be reached. Unfortunately, a few spots were only visited.

As far as I can remember, we arrived at the City of Pines at around 2-ish in the afternoon. We saw the Lion's Head. The weather was very relaxing. Sunrays could be seen but its warmth could not be felt. How perfect! What really depleted our time was finding an accommodation to stay at. We wanted a hotel that is just nearby to much of the Baguio's attractive features. Summer it was, so most of the hotels were occupied. Nonetheless, we luckily found a fine one. After having checked out, we headed to Burnham Park since it was just alongside. Everyone was sleepless and tired. We had a dinner splurge at SM Baguio then returned to our hotel and snored.

Second day was a very long day for us. Honestly, I cannot specify the names of the places where we jaunted to. The only names I can recall are The Mansion, Botanical Garden, Good Shepherd Convent, Strawberry Farm, Chinese Temple, Wright Park, Mines View Park, and Camp John Hay. A lot, right? But I can no longer spell out the place where we had a tree-top adventure, played with butterflies, and bought souvenirs/food. Not to mention, we pleasantly pigged out in this city. I enjoyed the street food near Chinese Temple. We purchased jars of ube jam, peanut brittle, seedless oranges, and many more. Moreover, people from Baguio are so amiable.

 

Despite the tiredness of our raffish feet, we opted to go back to north. I marveled at our boldness to traverse the Kennon Road while the clouds bawled at night. The roadway was slippery that we did not need to touch the shift gear. Ain't kidding! We spent the night at a hotel in La Union.

The whole third day was spent inside a mall. We watched a movie, had a breakfast, played arcade, and shopped. We had a superb lunch at Isdaan, Tarlac.

It is too amusing how a not-so-intended summer getaway would turn into a splendid one. This is actually my 3rd visit in Baguio. However, this vacay made me relish the city more. What I have realized in this trip was my love for nature and historic places. I am a gregarious girl who likes FUN, but never did I think that I would fall for nature trip and would appreciate places with influence on history.

Here are some of my selfies. Lol!