Baguio City has always charmed me. I took a quick trip to Baguio to secretly celebrate my 43rd birthday. My friend Toto, who lives in Dagupan City, accompanied me though he didn’t know what day it was.
I left Manila around 2AM on July 29 onboard a Genesis De Luxe bus from Cubao. (You can reserve your seat.) The trip from Cubao to Baguio City took four hours only. I did not see any views because it was still dark. Instead, I took the opportunity to catch up on my sleep. My seatmate was annoying though because she was occupying some of my seat while she was sleeping.
Anyway, the bus arrived in Baguio at 6AM – I was too early! I got off the bus after the health and safety officer approved my QR code. It was so cold that my sweater was zipped to my chest. Unfortunately, I was just wearing shorts so I could feel the cold creeping up my legs. I also started to feel my feet and calves cramping.
After a few minutes of walking and updating Toto of my whereabouts, I ended up in Jollibee in Session Road (the one at the corner of Mabini Street). I ordered breakfast and went up to the second floor and found a seat by the window. It was just around 6:30AM. I might have dozed off after finishing my food and while waiting for Toto to arrive. At around 8AM, I went online to check if my co-workers were on our weekly online meeting. I was glad that they were.
Toto arrived at quarter past 8AM. After our hello’s, we decided to start exploring the city. Our first stop was Cathy’s Fastfood along Diego Silang Street which was a block away and parallel to Session Road.
Cathy’s Fastfood
How to get there: Head to Jollibee Session Road corner Mabini St, then head down to Lower Mabini Street towards Burnham Park, then turn left on Diego Silang Street. Cathy’s Fastfood is somewhere in the middle. You won’t miss it.
The first time I set foot at the restaurant was a few years back with friends who studied in UP Baguio. The feel of the restaurant can be compared to the hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants in Binondo. You could just imagine the thousands of students who have eaten there because of their affordable food.
The restaurant is clean but a bit dim when we entered, which was perfect for me. We were ushered to the mezzanine. The place had circular tables (not shown) for big groups and smaller tables for groups of four. The ceiling was low, the steps on the stairs were small, and the comfort room was cramped. But the ventilation was good and there was no musty odor. It really felt like an old house converted to a food place. The ambiance was familiar and was like home.
Why Cathy’s? Because I have been craving for their Lechon Rice for the longest time. Here’s the thing: I still confuse this with a similar dish on their menu called the Rice with Lechon. I’ll try to break it down for you. Lechon Rice is like a chaofan where the lechon has been cut into small pieces and mixed with the fried rice. The Rice with Lechon is plain rice with a large serving of vegetable stew with lechon. I might have switched them. In either case, the food was delicious.
The star attraction of the restaurant, however, was their buttered chicken (see picture above). It was to-die for. Toto and I ordered just half a serving and even we couldn’t finish it. The dish was so popular as evidenced by the slew of phone-in orders that the staff received while we were eating.
After paying for the food, we headed to Starbucks in Camp John Hay.
Starbucks, Sheridan Drive, Camp John Hay
How to get there: If you’re commuting, just a hail a taxi and tell them that you are going to Starbucks Sheridan Drive Camp John Hay. You can also navigate your way through Waze.
I guess a visit to Baguio City wouldn’t be complete without visiting this iconic Starbucks branch.
After breakfast, we hailed a taxi and headed to Starbucks along Sheridan Drive inside Camp John Hay. (The one that looks like a cozy cottage.) Our hotel check-in wasn’t until 2PM so we decided to just stay inside to pass the time. We got there at around 10AM. After getting our drinks, Toto read a book while I tried to write on my journal. I couldn’t concentrate though because I was so sleepy and my sight was kind of blurry. We eventually transferred to the seats on the porch by the door to enjoy the cool weather. At1PM, we decided to head to the hotel to try and check-in early.
Citylight Hotel
How to get there: The hotel is located here. You can hail a taxi going there. The location can also be traveled by foot from Session Road.
Citylight Hotel was just near the Baguio Cathedral. I honestly think that the location was a good area to live at. It was just a few minute´s walk to Session Road and to the city center.
The friendly front desk staff allowed us to check-in early at 1:30PM, and they also gave us a duplicate key. (I booked a hotel room with free breakfast for two online earlier, which was convenient.) With the recent M7.0 earthquake, I asked the staff if there were any damage to the hotel. I was assured that the building was safe.
I didn’t really expect the lobby to be nice but it was large and had this beautiful interior. But I guess that´s about it. We did observe that the hotel wasn’t really well-kept. Even the elevator buttons were dreadful. There were reasons why it was a 3-star hotel.
The hotel room was also dim and plain looking. It had two doubled-sized beds, a long console table below a large Hisense LCD TV mounted on the wall, a landline, and a ceiling fan for ventilation. There was also a set of bottled water, some coffee, a pot, and a two cups. The window was about a meter high and spanned the entire wall opposite the door. It was large enough to let in the cold air, thus there was no need for air-conditioning. The hotel room also had ample electric sockets for us to charge our gadgets. (I forgot to take a photo, sorry.)
The bathroom was passable. I don’t think it had an exhaust fan to suck out the steam from the hot shower. My number one concern was their shower stall. I liked that it had a glass divider, but the floor was slippery when wet. I almost slipped twice. The water also didn’t drain properly so we had a pool of water by the shower door. Maybe it was just our room.
I think I slept for a couple of hours. When I woke up, Toto and I went to a food place recommended by one of the hotel staff.
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