Alone in Baguio For a Day

As someone who fancies cold weather but easily gets cold, Baguio is my go-to city. You get just the right amount of chill but not life-threatening so you will live. LOL 

I was already at Pangasinan to attend a birthday so I took a quick detour to Baguio. And my cousins decided to follow me the next day giving me a full day alone in my most fave city!

I've been wanting to go here alone for the longest time but never had the chance to do so until that day. 

So I packed my stuff, hopped on this minibus and took a 2-hour travel time to Baguio. 

The bus dropped us off near Burnham Park. 

here comes the "I'm here!!!" selfie!

Booked a capsule pod at 3BU Hostel in Gov. Pack Rd. so I walked my way up to Session Road from Burnham. I was sweating all over, the uphill slope there never ceases to challenge my cardio!!

Upon checking in, they gave me a welcome card and a coaster for a free beer. IKR??? 

They have different rooms that cater to a certain number of people. The one I booked can accommodate 6 pax.

They also gave me toiletries and a bathrobe.

Once settled in my pod, I retouched my makeup and went out to have dinner. It was Sunday so there were tons of people out.

A lot of buskers, people in random costumes, and street art everywhere. Oh, and I came across this soldier who once went viral!

iykyk

Found this mirror along the way. I swear mirror selfies are sooo helpful when you are traveling alone. 

When I got a little tired, I went to Vizco's Restaurant. I couldn't help but feel a little anxious when I told the staff it was a table just for me in front of the other customers. I could feel the stares but I couldn't care less at that point because  I've always wanted to try their Strawberry Shortcake but never got to do it when I have company. 

Asked the kind waitress to take a photo of me!!!

The good thing about dining alone, is you get to have your seat a little faster, since....well... you are alone so that automatically makes you a priority. 

I had Pesto and a slice of Strawberry Shortcake. 

After devouring my sumptuous dinner, I opted to have some booze. Googled the nearest bar and off I went. 

 Next stop, Rumours Bar & Restaurant! Sat by the bar counter for the full experience because why go to a bar alone if you can't hit up the bartender with "one whiskey on the rocks, please". 

Lol

I asked them their most popular cocktail and they suggested their House Special which was this drink that had a total of 7 different kinds of alcohol mixed with some orange juice if I remember it correctly. Please don't expect me to recall everything I chugged down a whole glass of it. 

The people there were so nice too! I had conversations with the bartender and the waiters when they were not waiting tables. 

But can I just say how liberating this experience was? 

I WAS ON MY OWN. INSIDE A BAR. Sat in this high chair where my toe barely touched the ground and felt like I was in some rom-com movie. It's giving "Main Character!" This is a first for me and I couldn't be more proud. 

Took a quick restroom break because I'm not gonna lie that made me a little tipsy!

But I'm no loser and I'm a woman who can handle her liquors well. 👀

So with that being said, I went back and ordered a different cocktail, the Tequila Rose. It was sweet I think that sobered me up.

Took a stroll at the Night Market and bought this fancy ring for the heck of it.

 When the food stalls at the parking lot opened, I had Odeng!!

Went back to my hostel and had a nightcap with my free beer.

Took a quick shower and went to bed because my feet were killing me from all the walk I did. 

Goodnight, Baguio!

The next morning, I had brunch at Homu Cafe which was just a few minutes walk from my Hostel. I accidentally saw this last night when I was going home. 

There were a few people when I arrived and it was a good day. A bit humid though. 

I had Chicken Katsudon and Matcha Latte and literally stayed there for a good 3-hour lol 

 Having toured most of the tourist spots, I promised this trip would be calm, peaceful, and slow. 

After a good amount of time observing people go about their own lives, I decided to leave and cross another thing off my bucket list - go on an Amusement Park ride alone.  HA !! I KNOWWW!! I WAS DOING A LOT OF FIRSTS ON THIS TRIP! 

Walked my way up to Sky Ranch Baguio. It helped that it was Monday, coz trust me there were like 5 of us in there. It was awesomeee!!

So I hopped on the Ferris Wheel and before I knew it, I was at the top constantly fighting my fear of heights. In all fairness, it didn't scare me as much as it used to. I guess not having anyone around means no one can aggressively shake the capsule. Thus, a joyful and peaceful ride LOL. 

The second one was The Vikings which I thought would be the end of me!!! I could feel my stomach turning, and my spirit going in and out of my body. The staff who joined the ride with me was kind enough to ask if I was doing all right lol but I almost threw up after. I had to keep myself together.

Despite feeling nauseous to my core, I walked my way to Ililikha Artist Village along Assumption Rd. The place was surreal, it was like somewhere you'd see in a dream. A complete dimension to the unknown like a Studio Ghibli portal.  Kudos to all the artists who put their hearts and souls into this masterpiece. 

Oh, and I also met a fellow solo traveler here and we took each other's photos!

One path led to another, there were cute shops and they even had restaurants and cafes inside.

 Some corners made me feel a little scared since it was dark and I was alone. But that didn't mean I didn't enjoy the whole experience! It was phenomenal. 

It was fun going around but I have to meet my cousins before the night comes.

Now before I continue with the story let me just say a couple of things I realized with this "solo-ish" trip to the city of Pines. 

- Baguio is indeed a walkable city, just need a good working set of legs! Opted to stroll instead of getting a cab since most of the places I visited weren't that far from one another.

- Google Maps is my best friend. Coz again, I chose to tire myself out by walking and I SUCK at directions so yes to google maps and Arigatou af for saving my ass!

- Not going to the "usual" tourist spots allowed me to discover other places and cafes. 

- You get to be your own itinerary planner! Perhaps my fave out of all. You can be as spontaneous as you want and no one gives a fuck. You can go to all the spots you wanna visit and not wait for anyone. 

- You get to be alone with your thoughts. 

- In the grand scheme of things, my problems looked so small and unimportant. 

- and a lot more. I only had a day to myself but this gave me so many realizations. Never have I ever imagined myself out in a bar drinking but I did. Going to a theme park alone used to be unthinkable but I went too. It was exciting, scary, and liberating at the same time but I would never trade it for the world. 

As much as I enjoyed my newfound freedom, had to cut it short since my cousins were on their way over.

Took a stroll to Burnham Park and this was where we all met. 

We dropped by Choco-late de Batirol and played with fake snow in Christmas Village. 

*feeling holy*

It was midnight when we hopped on the bus. 

and another realization, traveling at night gives me the heebie-jeebies. So much so, that I had some sort of panic attack. I felt nauseous and weak which went on for the whole ride lol but I recovered after a couple of days. 

I feel so old now 😩

wow, if you actually read up until this part, I appreciate you. 😄that was a wild ride. Took me a week to make this, all procrastination included. 

 Here's to more solo trips this year *fingers crossed*

Bye, everyone!

xoxo

Grasya