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mountaintop weekend
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 I just had my most relaxing Baguio vacation last weekend. The trip was not as tiring as it used to be, and we got to stay in one of the city’s finest hotels. Not to mention Sizzling Steak’s great Australian Beef Porterhouse and a great breakfast in Cafe by the Ruins. 
Also, be sure to try Benguet and Arabica coffee from Baguio’s coffee shops. Between Starbucks and the local coffee blends, I’ll take the latter any day (except maybe if I’m just a sticker short of the 2009 planner, which by the way isn’t special at all - makes me rethink what I just said. lol. So I guess I’ll go for the local blends again. Ü)
Some nice experiences and thoughts over the weekend:
1. You can enjoy walking outdoors without being sweaty and stinky. A walk from People’s Park to SM Baguio is much like a walk from Washington (Makati) to RCBC Plaza and back, except that you won’t suffer the heat of the sun or the dirt of the roads.
2. There are more local blends of coffee than just Kapeng Barako. Equally aromatic and strong, you should try the Sagada and Benguet blends. One tall Starbucks Caramel Macchiato will get you three addictive cups of the local ones.
3. Night market in Session Road is different than what we have in Divisoria; I was not worried about pick pockets and overly persistent tinderas last weekend.
4. The wet and dry market is another story; you’ll get bugged persistently by boys and girls less than half your age to carry your sack of ube, peanut brittle and choco flakes for you, which by the way you yourself had a very hard time carrying. At least they’re not in the streets.
5. With less than 15 degrees at around 5am, a blanket or a warmer won’t work for me. Not that I’m freezing; I was actually perspiring with the blankets on. My body handles low temperatures well; could be a good thing or a bad thing, depends on your perspective.
6. Carpets are so nice. I love carpets.
7. You can get a cab anywhere, and the drivers won’t ask for additional P20 or complain about how oil prices are too high even if the flagdown is just at P25 and the next 400 meters is only for P1.50.
8. More on the cab drivers: if the meter reads P47 and you hand him P50, he will still get hold of his coins to get you the P3 change. Amazing.
9. When you say ‘thank you’ to people, they’ll say it back. How nice. Not something you see and hear everyday.
