Back to the City of Pines

 Guess who's back in Baguio after 3 years ???

It is I!

Finally took a quick escape to my happy place. I'm not much of a traveler but Baguio is legit my fave city amongst all I've visited. And to be there, just breathing and doing nothing makes me feel at peace. 

I've been wanting to go back for the longest time. In fact, I've been wanting to live there too! It has always been a dream of mine. Maybe one day I can fulfill it once I have the means to do so. They opened up to tourists last year but they require a negative swab result and a QTP code from Visita Baguio which was a bit of work so my lazy friends and I kept on rescheduling it until we found out that they no longer require them. We booked rooms through Airbnb and off we went. It was a smooth 4-5 hours drive from Manila. We also got a QTP code in case they look for one. 

Do you see the fog? uwaaahhh!

We checked in at our unit around 2 pm. This is located at Moldex Residences, a bit far from the city proper but I loved every bit of it. It's quiet and a little private. 

The view from our condo is soo beautiful. This photo just doesn't do justice!

I could live here! ♥

The best part of our unit is this terrace!

We spent the afternoon resting from the long drive then had dinner at the infamous Good Taste. 

There was a pile of people lined up outside. Waited for about 15-20 minutes to get a table. 

We had Buttered Chicken, Beef Brocolli, and Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet. 

Took a refreshing night stroll around Burnham Park after. Supposedly, we planned on bar hopping but they close earlier than expected. So we decided to have alcohol and stayed at the Airbnb instead.

Here's everyone!!

It's also the birthday celebration of our TL and a good friend of mine, TL Yssa ♥

Catching up while sipping on Soju =is probably the best way to end our first night.

The next day, we enjoyed a simple breakfast while admiring the view and feeling the coldness of the weather.

I'm soo in love. ♥

Yo girl went from sipping alcohol last night to sipping tea in the morning. 

As if it's gonna make up for all the food intake yesterday lol!

This will be by far my fave Baguio memory. 

Me in my pambahay clothes, messy hair, sipping tea on this tiny terrace while appreciating how beautiful mornings in Baguio can be. 

After what felt like a lifetime of staring into nothingness, we prepped up and went on our second day.

We had lunch at Bistro by the Hill located at Camp John Hay. 

I had their Spaghetti Puttanesca with Chorizo and TexMex Fries.

Rating it 9/10 for both dishes. Generous serving and delicious!

The next stop was at Chocolate de Batirol.

There's a looong line too so we had to wait for about 20 minutes.

Like the tourist that we are, we took photos to kill time.

This cafe is situated in a rainforest garden.

They serve hot chocolate and other Filipino cuisine.

Chocolate de Batirol is actually hot cocoa made from tablea, or blocks of ground and roasted local cocoa beans. 

                                                               

I got their Hazelnut-flavored one.

It was epic.

Now that the night is nearing we all decided to stop by Sky Ranch Baguio.

Rode the Viking and the ever-popular Baguio Eye which I really enjoyed. 

Because one, I'm not always up for the thrill (I know boooring right?), and two, I'm scared of heights. But since I was with my group, I felt like I could be brave. and indeed I was.

At this point in time, we were all starving from all the walking we did. 

Believe me when I say I enjoy walking now and this is a cold city so I didn't mind it at all. It was the uphill slope that made me tired lol 

Walked around SM Baguio and Session Road to have our dinner.

Feeling like a frustrated 20-something school girl in this fit! 

50s Diner is one of my fave restaurants in the city, I actually prefer the one located at Military Cutoff Rd but with dead legs and starved stomachs we were left with no choice. The vibe is pretty much the same though. The food was hella good of course! They were never short on servings. It's always full. 

Just look at my Clubhouse order. I was expecting some tiny, cute cuts of bread but what they gave me could feed 4-5 people!

The one in Miltary Cutoff Rd is just less crowded and not located inside the mall making it seem a little private to me.

We went back to our Airbnb and called it a night. Planned to leave first thing in the morning so I slept early.

but lo and behold this mf woke up at 2am!!!

I couldn't sleep at all.

I stayed at the terrace, played some music, and embraced the coldness while feeling sentimental being the drama queen that I am, I probably shed a tear or two lol

Had some time to contemplate life and everything. This was such a perfect moment for me. 

I'm just so in love with this city ♥

Desperately wanted to commemorate this very moment so I took this photo. 

Just darkness, cold breeze and, me alone.  

I didn't go back to bed so I vibe in the living room while packing my stuff. 

The rest woke up at around 5am and this was our last breakfast before we left. 

We dropped by the colorful houses or the so-called Color of StaBosa.

Our last stop was at the Strawberry Farm to buy pasalubongs.

It was my first time here it's just unfortunate that it's not the strawberry season. 

Despite the countless times, I've tried the strawberry taho, I know I just gotta have it whenever I visit. 

Ending this post with strawberriessss!

Thank you sooo much friends for this trip. 

and to Baguio who probably witnessed all my drama lol, I will never ever get tired of visiting you.

Now I got to get back to reality.

xoxo

Grace