Not sure why it is named that; it doesn’t look like any log cabin I’ve seen before. Anyway, my room is around the back side and is called “de lux,” which is also a stretch. Tiny inside the room and not particularly cheap at 3500 pesos.
The front garden at the hotelAnd a big ol’ pine tree I rather like the looks of. One noticeable difference besides the air temp up here is that the vegetation and foilage are unlike back home. This area is where strawberries and other fruits are grown, I assume because the climate is more conducive to their production.The hotel restaurant. Food average, service poor.
They do have a “fireplace suite” (you can see the chimney, something that is very rare in the tropical Philippines. I was cold when I got out of bed this morning, and that is a strange feeling. Oh yeah, last night, I could even see my breath! It got all the way down to 16 celsius! Yeah, yeah, I know that’s nothing, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt chilly.
Ed’s girl Helen got to experience her first horseback ride.The white ones with pink manes cracked me up.The hotel bar It’s the only bar within walking distance, so that’s where our group hung out. Later they had a duet that wasn’t bad. Closed at 10:00, which seems crazy for a Friday.This is a page from the hotel restaurant menu. The part about “beating a chicken live” was a little disconcerting.We did our dinner at a place next door to the hotel. The food was good, but they messed up our bill. We had asked for separate checks, but they brought one bill. No big deal; we all added up what our dinner and drinks totaled and put it in the basket. I checked to make sure we had enough (3500 for all of us), and we were only being charged 2600. We called the waiter over and explained that there had been a mistake. He didn’t think so, but we insisted he recheck. He came back, and sure enough, we owed 3500. He was grateful to us for having called the shortchanging to his attention.The prices were low. This US ribeye was under 700 pesos.And the ribs were under 400.
I couldn’t decide which I wanted, and it was such a good deal I wound up getting both. Yeah, I know, but damn such a bargain. They were good too!
After the meal, I was using a toothpick to dislodge a piece of meat, and my f’n crown popped off. Looks like a dentist visit is in my near future.
I hope to get some photos during the Hash this afternoon that capture the unique beauty of this city. I also hope the trail isn’t too difficult. I don’t know if it is a coincidence, altitude, or temperature, but my lungs have really been acting up at the slightest provocation. We’ll see what happens.
Assuming survival, I’ll be back tomorrow with a full report.
4 thoughts on “Friday in Baguio”
Dog stew in Korea also involves beating the dog alive. Something about how the fear-adrenaline enhances the taste of the meat.
Sorry to hear that the food at that one place was so-so, and the service was bad.
Still, the location looks nice. Good luck with your walk. May you survive the trek.
Yeah, I’ve never had dog meat, and hope I never do. They do dog stew here too.
Pinikpikan, also known as Killing Me Softly.
I hate to sound like an old fart, but Baguio was lovely until the 90s. Wasn’t nearly so crowded and overdeveloped. Guess that can be said about most places. Only reason there’s forest left is because John Hay was a protected US base. Much like the forest that remains at Subic.
Well, at least Baguio cab drivers are still mostly honest and civilized compared to the ornery crooks in Manila…
Drain Snake, if I didn’t like the sound of old farts, I wouldn’t be able to talk to myself as much as I do.
Yeah, Baguio is definitely unlivable for me, mainly because of the traffic. It was insane. Now, admittedly this was a holiday weekend, and there was a flower festival going on. Our Hash run was on John Hay, so it was a great escape. Only took one cab ride because, for the aforementioned reasons, it was hard to find an empty. But yes, it was metered and fair, and the driver was actually joking and funny.
“Killing me softly” is a hilarious name for Pinikpikan!
Dog stew in Korea also involves beating the dog alive. Something about how the fear-adrenaline enhances the taste of the meat.
Sorry to hear that the food at that one place was so-so, and the service was bad.
Still, the location looks nice. Good luck with your walk. May you survive the trek.
Yeah, I’ve never had dog meat, and hope I never do. They do dog stew here too.
Pinikpikan, also known as Killing Me Softly.
I hate to sound like an old fart, but Baguio was lovely until the 90s. Wasn’t nearly so crowded and overdeveloped. Guess that can be said about most places. Only reason there’s forest left is because John Hay was a protected US base. Much like the forest that remains at Subic.
Well, at least Baguio cab drivers are still mostly honest and civilized compared to the ornery crooks in Manila…
Drain Snake, if I didn’t like the sound of old farts, I wouldn’t be able to talk to myself as much as I do.
Yeah, Baguio is definitely unlivable for me, mainly because of the traffic. It was insane. Now, admittedly this was a holiday weekend, and there was a flower festival going on. Our Hash run was on John Hay, so it was a great escape. Only took one cab ride because, for the aforementioned reasons, it was hard to find an empty. But yes, it was metered and fair, and the driver was actually joking and funny.
“Killing me softly” is a hilarious name for Pinikpikan!