Baguio Quickie

I was born in Baguio, a city located in the higher altitudes of the northern Luzon. It is the country's summer capital because of its cool weather. My earliest childhood memories consist of our stay in a small mining community a few hours from the city--wooden fences, pine trees, shavings of ham, the night's biting chill. A few weeks ago we made a short trip to the city to check out The Suites of The Manor at Camp John Hay as a possible training venue.

A few minutes before entering the city proper, our van broke down. While waiting for it to get fixed, I played with my new phone and came across this.

It looks like a yellow aphid. A big yellow aphid. What do you think?

Good thing we traveled via Marcos Highway. Some parts were steep, but it is the fastest way on land to Baguio. Here is the view where our van almost conked out.

We arrived a little after lunch. We first ate at Le Chef of The Manor. Lunch was superb, as expected, what with Chef Billie King at the helm. Just my luck--I was only able to click at the dessert.

We then proceeded to check the rooms and conference facilities of The Suites, which was a hop and a skip away from the Manor.

Like I mentioned earlier, it was a brief trip. Work was done around 4pm. On our way back to Manila, we dropped by the town of Villasis, Pangasinan to check the market. One of my bosses buys his vegetables here whenever he's in the area. Since I live practically alone, I bought easy-to-cook items, like sweet potatoes, the kind whose meat turns yellow when boiled, and tuyo (dried fish).

I fell in love with the Suites, but I won't be returning or the seminar. On the same dates I'll be flying somewhere else. I'll write about it next time.