My body clock forced me to wake up early on our last day in Baguio. I worked on my laptop for a couple of hours while waiting for Toto to wake up. Went he finally got up, we went to the penthouse for our free breakfast. I had to go back to our room because I left the food stubs. Toto all ready had a table when I returned. Breakfast was buffet style. I just ate some local longganisa, soft scrambled eggs, danggit, and pomelo juice.
Toto fancied going to a cafe called Hot Cat. We rested a bit first back in our room before heading out. I called the front desk and requested a late check-out which was granted. We took a taxi to the cafe. It turned out that it was near the Pink Sisters Convent and Brent International School.
All too familiar
Hot Cat Cafe is just a few walks away from Brent International School. From the parking area, we had to descend a flight of stone steps before reaching the cafe. The space was small but they had tables outside. I chose one near the stairs that had pine trees at the back. Our table was neatly shaded by the tree branches. In front of our table was another level that can be reached when you go down a three-stepped stair. It was like a small amphitheater with trees along its perimeter.
Toto ordered coffee while I had hibiscus tea. It was delicious. There were the dads babysitting their kids who were running all over the place. The air was cool even, and the trees blocked most of the sunlight. A few minutes of sitting on our table, a cloud blocked the sun and threatened to rain.
Our conversation was interrupted when one of the owners approached and interviewed us. She then took some pictures of us to add to their social media site. Yikes.
Mt. Cloud Bookshop
How to get there: Hot Cat Cafe, Mt. Cloud Bookshop, and Brent International School are all located in one area. Just tell the taxi driver to bring you to Brent. Hot Cat Cafe and Mt. Cloud Bookshop are across the road.
Before heading home, we passed by Mt. Cloud Bookshop that was directly above the cafe. The bookshop used to occupy a cramped space in Casa Vallejo. (It is where I bought The Sins of our Father, a book that exposed the controversies of the Catholic Church in the country.) Now it occupies a bigger space. The iconic wood ladder was there, too.
The bookshop carried lots of Filipiniana books. I asked if they had a copy of The Conjugal Dictatorship by Primitivo Mijares, which they did. It was the last copy but i bought it because it was cheaper compared to buying the book online.
Check-out and a Quick Tour
We got back to the hotel with an 1 1/2 hours to spare. While Toto was resting, I contacted my friend Ian who is a Baguio resident. He wanted to tour us around the city while we were waiting for our ride home. Toto and I checked out of the hotel at quarter past 12 noon. Ian was early and he was waiting for us in the hotel lobby. Since the elevator was taking its time, I went down the stairs instead.
Ian was sitting on one of the hotel lobby’s couches when I arrived. After a quick hello, I surrendered the hotel keys and got the deposit back. Toto had to take the stairs also since it seemed like the elevator wasn’t working. I introduced him briefly to Ian, and we were on our way to his car that was in the parking area.
Now to the fun (funny) part.
“I’m your biggest fan!”
Baguio City’s biggest social media star is Raven Tacwigan, and we asked Ian to take us to Mine’s View Park where Raven’s bubble tea shop, Kabsat Bubble Tea, was located. We really wanted to see him and to get to know the person behind the social media persona.
Myself, I have been stalking following Raven on social media even before he got famous. He only had a few thousand followers at that time, but somehow it blew up overnight.
We first saw him manning the counter of the shop. He really was cuter and more handsome in person. At first we coyly passed by the the shop, then decided to buy the cheesecake bubble tea. Unfortunately, when we bought our drink he was at the back of the shop and another crew took our order. The three of us were kind of disappointed that we didn’t see him up close. We headed back to Ian’s car but debated if we should go back and ask if we could take a photo with Raven.
In the end, we all thought that it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. So, we went back. Fortunately, Ian gathered his courage and asked. Raven was gracious enough to accept and he granted our request.
Juicekolordt. He’s really cute upclose and borta. I think he was also embarrassed from the attention he was getting, because he was blushing all the time.
But what I did next was more embarrassing.
When it was my turn to have a picture and I came up to him, I blurted out: “I’m your biggest fan!” Shooketh.
It was so cringe. I was surprised and I kept asking myself why I said that, and I think Raven blushed even more. I actually wanted to hug him. Hahaha!
We thanked him prufosely, and the three of us went on our way – with so much kilig. Meeting Raven was surreal.
Brent International School Baguio City
We went to Brent International School after our lunch. I think it was Toto’s first time to visit the school. As for me, I have been there several times. Ian took us around, and eventually we met his sister, which was the school’s current principal, and her husband.
Toto and I took pictures by the lawn. Then I revealed that it was my birthday, and they both greeted me.
Brent is so clean and it felt like being transported to a bygone era with the architecture of the buildings. It’s like maze inside.
Leave-takings
Finally, it was time to go. Ian and I accompanied Toto to the van terminal that would bring him back to Dagupan City. Ian also had to go home because he had to sleep since he had work later that day. As for myself, I booked a ticket back to Manila but the earliest time available was around 7PM. I had time to kill so I stayed in SM Baguio and met with a friend. The two of us decided to eat congee in one of the restaurants on Session Road. After our fill, we parted ways and I boarded the Joy Bus that would take me back home.
Baguio City will always be a go-to place whenever I want to unwind. No matter how many times I’ve come to visit, I am amazed at what it has to offer. I would definitely come back in the future.
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