DAY 1 : Lost and Found, Asleep and Awake
After weeks of planning and RSVPs, June 10 finally arrived! Baguio, here we come! And by "we", I mean, me (Tenten), Mark G., Rommel, Tonton, Mama, Lola Naty, Tita Marison, Tita Gina, Gibo, Pao, Tita Guste, Mark S., Ate Henny, Ate Linda, and Kuya Ariel. The meeting place was 8 San Marcelino st., the evening of June 9. There was a flurry of activity in the house (sandwich spreads were made, bags were packed). Finally, after all the loading and blessing were done, we left the house at 1AM of June 10. The van was just jam packed!
45 minutes later, we found ourselves in the very conveniently located Petron Station along the North Luzon Expressway. Rest stop for most of us. And Siopao break as well! Mama treated us all to a midnight snack of mini-paos. Much was left to be desired of Chowking's service. But anyway, after the "I want to speak to your manager", we all finally got our siopaos and were on the road again.
Most of us pretty much were in the sleepy zone during the first part of the trip. But I felt somehow restless. Perhaps because it was a Friday night and my system somehow has been programmed to sleep on a later time. Anyway, I soon realized that I was quite dubious about the route Kuya Jerry had taken. There was a detour in Capas Tarlac which had our navigator a little confused. This brought us to this not so traveller-friendly looking route in the middle of nowhere! And by nowhere, I mean tall, tall wild grass or "talahib". I swear! Blair Witch Project itech! So we took a chance on the road. But then, we couldn't see where exactly we were headed! Walang ka-ilaw-ilaw! At wala kaming kasunod na sasakyan! Scary! So Mama started an "Our Father" asking for guidance. After some point (and mind you, this time, wide awake na ang lahat ng tao sa van!), we all decided to turn back and try a different route. Basta... in a nutshell, nawala kami! Haha! Pero ayun... we soon found where the detour should have taken us. And we were back on McArthur Highway. Phew!
First stop, before we went up to the City of Pines, was Manaog. I've never been to Manaog, and neither has Lola. Syempre, in very Aguirre fashion, and despite the early hour, Lola had to make herself pretty for the Lord. Here are her before and after shots...
We arrived in Manaog just in time for the 6AM mass. The priest was quite articulate and the mass itself was not so long. I was surprised to find so many people up and ready for some spiritual uplifting so early in the morning. The church had a nice blue glow, and one could sense that it's well maintained and loved by its devotees. Here are some images of Manaog.
After lighting candles and saying the Manaog lighting-of-candle-prayer, we had our "munting breakfast" in one of the stone benches close to the church parking lot. Our hungry stomachs welcomed the hot lugaw/goto gleefully. Yummy!
It was another hour-long ride before we reached Baguio. It was close to 10 AM then (Saturday morning). The Monterazza Village (where Alpha Village was located) offered a series of steep, sometimes narrow roads. But the view was just breathtaking. The Ramirez house (Thank you Tito Frank and Tita Alexi!) was quaint and very homey. It was the fourth house from the corner of the street. Inside, the walls were painted in pink and green (my favorite color combination!).
We arrived at #8 Pluto Apartment with tired sighs. Although it was just mid-morning, we were all exhausted and in need of a nap. After a quick morning snack (which consisted of Tita Gina's yummy chicken and cheese pimiento sandwiches), the mattresses were slaves to our tired bodies. ZZZZZzzzzz..zzzz..zzzzz...
It was past one P.M. when we woke up, stomachs growling for lunch. Our chicken adobo from Manila satisfied our hunger. Discussions of course here and there were made about our day's itinerary, as well as our activities for the coming days. For that Saturday afternoon, we were to do 3 things... Visit the Mansion, go to Wright Park, and then shop at SM Baguio for some of the things we needed.
Following our list of to-dos, our very first tourist stop was the Mansion, the Philippine President's summer house here in Bagiuo. The Mansion can be aptly called, Baguio's white house. Hehe. Here are some of our group pics:
After our series of pictures, we crossed the street and stepped into Wright Park, whose very aromatic atmosphere subtly announced that there were dozens of horses downhill, waiting to be saddled. Hehe! The very excited Gibo just had to sprint his way to the horses' lair, despite his mom's incessant warning. We weren't at all surprised nung nadapa sya. Ayun. He cried and he cried. Calling out to his mom.
Of course, we just had to convince the little one that the horsies simply cannot stand crying little boys. He reluctantly stopped crying and put on a brave face. Hehe.
But the before the tale of the horse ride... The walk down to where the horses were was a pretty pleasant walk. So many tall pine trees and the weather was just splendid. Cool, but not to cool. There were a couple of tourists, like ourselves. The green foliage was such a nice backdrop that I couldn't resist taking portraits. Here are some:
And of course, just like any Tanquilut vacation / road trip, we need to have the featured FHM poses. For this trip waaaaay up north, Tita Joaquina Munar was the very willing model.
Gibo was very excited to have his very first horse ride. Wright Park offered an array of different horses. There were ponies and older ones. Brown, white, pink... Hehe! Gibo wanted the chestnut brown one. His Kuya Pao accompanied him of course on the 30-minute ride.
While we waited, most of us kept busy by sampling the grilled corn on the sides and shopping! The beanies or bonnets were about 20 bucks a pop! A very good deal!
After thirty minutes, we all hopped on the Urvan and went straight to St. Joseph's Cathedral to hear the 5 P.M. Anticipated mass. This church is the same Church where Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales got married! It was also a soothing shade of blue. But what really stuck to us was the very entertaining church choir. Hehehe! At first, we thought they were just blending... but then, after the last note they sang during Communion (where they ended with a suppressed laugh), we knew they knew how much they truly blended. Haha! Classic.
By the time the mass ended, most of us were starving. Our last Baguio agenda that day was to go to SM Baguio, which we found out later, was voted 2005's best mall in the Philippines. We had dinner at David's Tea House, courtesy of our sponsor that night, Mama (Tita Lody). We were all stuffed after the meal. We all went on our separate ways (for the next hour or so). Mama and some of the Titas went to the grocery to buy our supplies. Us teeny-boppers explored why SM Baguio was the coolest.
The fourth floor deck is easily the best place in the mall! It was just blowing cold! Kuya Ariel, who I think was an eskimo in his previous life, absolutely adored the weather. The boys who thought they could withstand the cold were shivering! I could not resist the very coffee moment. So we sat (for about 15 minutes I think), in the bitter cold Figaro, while I sipped my warm white mocha drink. Hehe! Haaaay... I could do just that everyday!
After all that was said, shivered, done, and bought, we headed back to # 8 Pluto. Because of the one-bathroom challenge, some of us took a shower late that evening. The older peeps just wanted to rest. So they did. Soundly, I must say. Especially Tita Guste who made the best sound in the house! Haha! Those of us with some energy left, got into the poker mood!
I'm pretty pleased at the outcome of the match! I won! Haha! For the very first time! We used Monopoly play money. The final bout was between me and Macky. I retired a little after one, but the boys just kept going and playing.
The house finally fell silent at around 3 AM. Alas... everyone was asleep once again.
Thus concludes Day 1 of Brrrrrrrillllliant Baguio!
Gelo Torres, the first Torres apo on our side of the family, keeps this photo in his Friendster Photo Gallery. This was taken November last year when he, Kuya Jun, Ate Cynthia, and Gengen went to Hong Kong for their family's international escapade. Gelo is in his last year at De La Salle University. He is expected to graduate this December. Oh how time flies... His Friendster status : Single. So chubby girls with rosy cheeks beware!
Blas Gil Tanquilut, or BG Boy as we fondly call him, is the youngest father among cousins (as of now! Haha!). This was taken last year in their company's Retro Christmas party. Very Jericho Rosales, I must say. BG is the hardworking dad of Nickher and loving teambuiling husband of Lencx. His Friendster status : Married. So girls... hands off!
Marlon Esguerra, unico hijo of Tito Carlito and Tita Molly Esguerra, has always delighted and entertained us with his very interesting pictures! He's the sole model of the family, and his six-pack abs puts all our abs to shame. In this picture, whose caption reads "Gorgeous", Kuya Marlon shows just what it take to make it in the modelling business. He is currently workng in the PCGG and enjoys going to the gym and taking his protein shakes. His Friendster status : Single. So much of Kuya Marlon up for grabs!
