Chapter 63 Baguio City
KIA
I enjoy traveling, especially to the amazing places in the Philippines. Pangasinan, Quezon Province, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, Tagaytay, and La Union are among the places I've visited. Ares and I decided to carry on with our journey in Baguio as I only had five days left before the start of my second semester. Although I have never visited Baguio, I have always wanted to go there with my family. As of right now, I believe my dream will come true.
“Is that all, hon?” Ares asked, gasping for air.
He was picking up our baggage to put it in the car while I was checking if all our things were in the bags.
“I guess so… I already checked every corner of this room, I guess that is all. Are we going now?” I asked, curiously.
Ares answered me with a nod, “I already talked with the staff in the reception. We are all good.”
“Are you sure? We don’t have to wait for them to check the room before we leave?”
“No, it is all settled. We just need to leave. It is quite a long journey, so we need to leave now.”
“Alright!”
At exactly 2 a.m., we checked out of the hotel. We finally arrived after four hours of travel and felt the chilly wind. Finally, here we are! But this place is very different from Tagaytay in terms of the air quality and the chilling cold. The wind is much chillier, and my nose starts to feel sick. The first thing we did after arriving was to drive around and look for a place to stay. We spent half an hour moving between hotels before we found the V Hotel and Apartel close to Legarda Road. It's not far from Burnham Park. For guests on a tight budget, the V Hotel does offer certain accommodations with kitchens and dining areas.
In this city, I sense something peculiar. It hit me in the gut. I'm not sure what it is about this city, but it really does make me feel content and at ease. Perhaps the atmosphere, the surroundings, or the weather are to blame. Regardless of what it is, this location is undoubtedly one of the few tourist hotspots in the nation that I didn't regret visiting.
We made the choice to set our bags down first before changing into more winter-appropriate attire. Towels, a mini shampoo bottle, and soap are provided in the motel. The room was cozy and had a huge screen TV, a big mirror, a table, and chairs.
“Hon…” I said, calling Ares, who was busy unpacking.
“Hmm?”
“We should have brought an extension or multiple plug-ins as the socket is limited to only 2 plug-ins.”
“That’s fine. We will not stay here all day long. Of course, we were going to enjoy ourselves outside.” he answered.
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Around 12 degrees Celsius, the temperature had dropped. I was on the fifth-floor balcony, bundled up against the chilly wind with a bonnet and a hood. Looking across the entire city while holding a steaming cup of coffee. It was a moment of calm and quiet reflection to welcome the beginning of the day, appreciating the beauty of Baguio as our location serves as the best area to watch the sunrise, and visually, it's been a cold paradise, the city of the cool sun surrounding all tourist attractions. I could see a portion of "Camp John Hay" and the stunning foggy mountains as the sun was about to rise dramatically between them.
It's tempting to forego your morning shower in Baguio, but it doesn't feel right to start the day without one. Or am I the only one? I mustered up all my strength to take a bath at 6:30 AM in the chilly embrace of the city. But nevertheless, I managed, thanks to the hot running water.
“Let’s walk outside. I’m starving.” Ares said.
I immediately got dressed and went outside. He was sitting on the bed waiting for me. I approached him and threw myself on him. We ended up landing on the floor because he lost his balance. There was a what the fuck expression on his face while I was just laughing at him.
“Why did you land us on the floor?! I expected you to land on the bed, hon!”
“The answer to that is you need to lose weight—”
He didn’t finish his sentence when I suddenly grabbed his neck and started acting like I was choking him.
“What did you just say? Are you saying that I am fat?!”
“No! I didn’t say that!”
“I heard it! Repeat what you just said, ha! I dare you!”
“I am just kidding, hon. Look!” He stood up and pulled me in front of the mirror. “Look at yourself.”
I always see the same person in the mirror when I gaze at it. The same sharp nose, black hair, brown eyes, and ear as everyone else's. I appear to be a typical person. I envision a person who is bold, loud, self-assured, and joyful. Sometimes I get really self-conscious when I see my reflection. There are times when I feel insecure. I wish I had higher self-esteem and was more confident in my appearance and self-image.
“What do you see?” he asked, looking at my reflection.
“I see myself. The flaws that I have... When I look in the mirror, I wish at times that I could change the way I look. I am sure that I’ll be a much more confident and positive person—”
“Why would you like to change your look? You are beautiful in your own way, hon. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire life, not only in physical appearance but also in inner beauty. You are such a kind person, I know. Your flaws and imperfections make you unique, and that’s what makes you beautiful.”
His voice makes me calm. I've never experienced having this kind of relationship before. I am so thankful to have him as my husband. I hope this moment won’t last...
As we stroll together while carrying our backpacks, the morning dew and the chilly breeze welcome us. Most people are wearing jackets, and some early morning runners have their running gear almost completely covering their bodies. The roads are only going uphill or downhill, and there are tall pine trees on every corner. In this city, it is uncommon to find straight roads measuring more than 100 meters.
KFC was visible after a short distance of walking along Session Road. My entire body is filled with a sense of famine. As soon as I could, I dragged him into KFC. I ordered fried chicken, rice, coffee, and a sundae for dessert.
We then started snapping our photos. We began our journey in the Stone Kingdom of Igorot. I seized my phone and checked the time. The sun was barely beginning to warm us at 8:00 AM, yet there was already a large line outside the establishment. There, we also meet our tour guide for the day.
“Good morning, lovebirds! I am Mari, and I will be your companion for today’s adventure. The Igorot Stone Kingdom is a new theme park here in Baguio that intends to showcase the way of life and culture, architecture, values and beliefs, and other significant traditions of the indigenous people in the Cordillera region. The park was opened to the public in 2021, and there was still ongoing construction inside the place.” She said, proudly.
The scenery is kind of similar to Banaue’s Rice Terraces and The Great Wall of China.
Next on the list is a spooky place - the Diplomat Hotel! This infamous ruin was originally the Dominican Hill Retreat House.
The Diplomat Hotel is an old abandoned hotel located on Dominican Road. Tourists go here because it is famous for being a haunted place. The area is only open to visitors until 5:00 PM.
“The hotel used to be open to the public, but due to some cracks on the second floor, the building was closed for repairs and rehabilitation,” Ate Mari said.
However, its windows allowed us to catch a glimpse of what was inside. The location was a little unsettling, but there was a spot where you could ignore it all and just enjoy the beauty of nature.
While out for a stroll, we came across the ideal location for a photo. We waited for the tourists, who were also snapping pictures, to finish before continuing.
“They were about to leave, hon. Let’s go!” I said and handed him my phone.
He snapped a ton of photos, and since it was my first time visiting Baguio with him, I found everything to be interesting. I wanted to take a photo with Ares, but we didn't have a tripod with us. On the corner, I noticed a crowd of people gathering. I moved in their direction in search of someone who could take our picture, but I was too embarrassed to approach anyone.
While gathering with them, I bumped into someone. “I am so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to — You? What are you doing here?” I asked curiously as I looked him straight in the eye.
