Sojourn in Baguio: Which Has Been Typical, The Place or The Experience? (Part 2)

[Continued]

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Much as we wanted everything to turn out fun, there had been some adverse incidents too.

On the second day, Den and I went to the marketplace to get what we needed for Saturday lunch. It was a fine sunny day that provided no hint of the downpour that came in the afternoon. Lalaine and I left the house by sunset to meet Den at the mall downtown after his licensure review classes. After having fun singing at a karaoke lounge for hours, we left the mall on closing time and had dinner at a restaurant near the cathedral.

While waiting for food, Den finally shared with me (Lalaine knew about it already) about losing his job earlier for unfair reasons. It was sad. The dinner relieved the tension caused by my friend’s troublesome situation for a while. But then we got into another misfortune after we left for home.

Dinner at Zola

The rain was pouring on the busy roads and all cabs were taken. We waited at Session road for quite long but to no avail. We descended to Harrison Road but still failed to flag down a ride. Summoning all our courage and vigilance, we walked through the dark and empty Burnham Park with the eerie sound of trees and water rushing down the sewers. It had not been easy to get a taxi that night even at Kisad Road which according to my companions is actually an express loading area.

Headlight-lit Kisad Road

On the other side of the road we saw in a silhouette of a man without an umbrella and heard him yelling at almost every passing vehicle. He was drunk. He yelled to us on a dialect that only my companions could understand but sounded to me like anger if not a curse and crossed the street towards us. Our instinct moved as to quickly cross to the other side as if playing checkers with the drunken man. Worst that man hastened and got the cab we had flagged down since it’s driving in the lane nearer to him. Thankfully, it didn’t took very long and another came.

We got home; shoes soaked from roughly two hours of waiting in the rain.


Baguio For Real

The experience showed me a different Baguio. In fact, it was more than I expected.

The City of Pines has always been known as “The Summer Capital of the Philippines” and is promoted as among the top tourist destinations in the country. While it had sustained such impression throughout the years, Baguio has some things known only by residents.

First, the press release regarding its being in a state of calamity due to waste management issues is true. Although no foul smell lingers in the city, only once has the garbage been collected during my 4-day stay. Garbage bags were hung on the garage and people actually sort trash into biodegradable, non-biodeg and recyclable. Hearsays tell about scholarships granted to students who take courses related to sanitation technology.

Crime rate had also increased in the area. Theft and holdups are common. The gates in Lalaine’s place are locked once someone leaves even if there are people in the house. The doors have at least 5 locks and the house is never left empty.

I’ve also experienced storm since the forecast I followed a week before my trip didn’t turned out exactly as estimated. The wind was howling throughout the day hence the itinerary my friends prepared for me was cancelled and we stayed indoors most of the time. When we go outside, heavy fog conceals the roads and vapor comes from our mouth when we talk. A knitted vest and a trench coat worn on top of a long-sleeved shirt couldn’t make me perspire.

Water in the pipes is not supplied round-the-clock. Homes have tanks filled with water ordered from and delivered by a refilling business.

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On my last day I was left alone in the house – Dennis had to go home since his mom will be discharged from the hospital, Lalaine went to work while her mom had left two days ago for some business. The power went out and I hadn’t heated water for my bath.

The typhoon didn’t cease but so did the thoughtfulness of my friends. Lalaine held an umbrella for me until I got a taxi while Dennis met me downtown and escorted and even stayed for a while until my bus departed.

It was a worthwhile experience for me. The ‘Be Happy’ phrase painted boldly on the fence has been true to its promise after all.

Thank You card I tucked in the bed


The bus that took me home