Missing Baguio's Food Delights

Missing Baguio's Food Delights

**when will the lockdowns end?

**when will we see better days?

**pictures taken before pandemic days

          Along that stretch of Outlook Drive, where big beautiful houses can be seen, is a restaurant serving good Baguio native dishes.

          The restaurant, in its early days, used to be an English grammar school for young sons and daughters of prominent businessmen. When the school closed for good, and ownership changed several times, the present owners decided to turn it into a restaurant.

          The resto serves good food such as Crispy Pork Kare Kare with Strawberry Alamang, Pinakbet with Crispy Pork Belly, Pork Dinakdakan, Salmon with Aligue. Beef Shanks, Mountain Rice, etc.

          You dine with a good view of tall Benguet Pines and the smell of Rosemary.

          Pray tell, is there anything else better than that ?

          Oh, the resto's name is DECADES.

DECADES

20 Outlook Drive

South Baguio

- KONTED 🖋️

Regular diners of Decades

This lady vouches for the goodness of food served at Decades.

Crispy Pork Kare Kare with Strawberry Alamang

Tender meat is served at Decades.

Pinakbet with Crispy Pork Belly

Beef Shanks

Salmon with Aligue, Vegetable Salad and Mountain Rice. Aligue is crab fat/

Yummy

View of tall Benguet Pines from the dining area

Fully satisfied customers

The place exudes the scent of the Old Baguio.

Good view as the resto stands on a ridge

Decades is near Baguio Country Club and Mines View Park.

Strolling down Session Road

Cold and foggy

Late snacks at Session Road

At Session Road

The famous Vizco;s strawberry cakes at Session Road

Descending Marcos Highway at mid-afternoon

Fog envelopes a wide area of Marcos Highway.

Almost zero visibility

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A Wonderful World

A Wonderful World

        It was still dawn when I woke up and took the wooden stairs down to the ground floor. It was too quiet as everyone else, I supposed, was still in deep sleep. Empty cans of San Mig Lite were strewn near the fire place.

        The window pane was misty and, like a child, I drew a swastika image. Not because I admire Hitler and the Nazis but that it was easy to draw. My reason was as simple as that.

       With just a little pull, the front door swung open. There was pearly glow in the sky. I could feel the cool, fresh mountain air. And there was this smell of burning pine cone. I could see anthuriums, golden candles, marguerite daisy flowers, birds of paradise, ferns, etc.

       Suddenly, I remembered the time when I was working at Hyatt Terraces Baguio. I was assigned at the graveyard shift. On the way home, driving through South Drive, I would step on the gas very lightly so as to be able to appreciate the beautiful and colorful flowers by the side of the road.

       One time I stopped to pick a white flower called Angel's Trumpet. It caught my fancy. It was a bell-shaped flower. But a man in checkered jacket, perhaps on his way home too, approached and warned me that the Angel's Trumpet I was holding was deadly. It could also induce scary hallucinations or euphoria, added the man. I immediately dropped it. The Angel's Trumpet was, after all, not that angelic.

       The sun was now out. A man was walking his golden retriever. Two pretty ladies, both garbed in Nike Pro black tights with matching core sweaters, were running at a steady, gentle pace. A blue guard, making his rounds, passed by and smiled. "Magandang umaga, kaibigan", I greeted. To which he responded: "Naimbag nga aldaw, Manong." I headed back to our assigned house. It's time for breakfast.

- Konted

Forest Cabin is inside Camp John Hay where tall Benguet Pines still abound.

This is the typical residential unit at Forest Cabin. While the units are privately owned and, sometimes, rented out, Forest Cabin is still managed by Camp John Hay Development Corporation. Ownership of a unit reverts back to CJHDC after 50 years.

At Forest Cabin, you breathe fresh, cool mountain air.

The living room

There is a fire place for cold nights.

Enjoying their conversation near the fire place

Functional kitchen

Yummy !

Typical room

Room with two beds

Comfortable bed

Shower with hot and cold water

 Allen with daughter Kira and son Andre

As Allen still had to report for work, he took the Victory Liner Deluxe non-stop aircon bus. He arrived past 7pm.

Ladies' turn

Kristy with Andre and Kira

Kira Baby

Allen & Kristy

Forest Cabin is a tranquil place.

Marguerite Daisy Flowers

Take it easy while at Forest Cabin. Enjoy your stay.

Mini Golf near Forest Cabin

Photo taken in 1990 when my youngest son Albert was only one year old. This is near the Mini Golf playing area.

Konted

Baguio means strawberries.

Baguio City RevisitedI

Baguio City Revisited

        There were lights. And they were lights beaming from the headlamps of vehicles passing through Session Road. I was looking for neon signs of cafes, bars and restos I used to frequent in the old days. They were hangouts where one could play darts, listen to folk songs and drink a few bottles of San Miguel. Unfortunately, most of them had closed shop with fast food chains taking over. It was past 9 pm and most parts of Session Road were dimly lit. 

         The next day, I was haggling with the boatman at the man-made lagoon at Burnham Park. Burnham Park is now enclosed in steel fences. He was saying that rental fee for a flat top boat was P150 per 1/2 hour. He would do the rowing. Chewing bethel nut, he spit it out and then presented another option: Pay only P100 and ride the boat as long as you want but passengers will row. I picked the first proposal.

         Several hours later, we were at Mines View Park. This is located northeast of Baguio City with a view of the old mining quarries of Itogon. But the place has become too commercialized. On the way to the gazebo at the ridge of the park, noticeable were vendors selling food items, stalls selling souvenir knick knacks and booths offering plants and flowers. Handlers of two white horses with pink manes and pink tails were making money as visitors mounted their horses for souvenir shots. A few meters away were two St. Bernard dogs with the owners being enterprising as well. With a festive atmosphere like that, it was anything goes at Mines View Park. Anya ti kayat mo, manong?

- Konted

The Main Gate at the north section of Burnham Park facing Baguio City Hall

The Rose Garden at Burnham Park

At the Rose Garden

Daisy Marguerite Flowers 

Bust of architect Daniel Burnham who was tasked by the Americans to prepare a master plan for the development of Baguio City. The park was named after him.

The man-made lagoon at Burnham Park

The Lagoon is 8 ft. deep.

Burnham Park is the most popular park in Baguio City.

The rectangular pond at Wright Park facing The Mansion

The Mansion is just across Wright Park. It is the official residence of  the President of the Philippines in Baguio City.

Horses ar the Riding Circle at Wright Park

Young girl mounts a white horse with pink mane for a souvenir shot at Wright Park.

The gazebo at The Ridge overlooking the mining quarries of Itogon

Another white horse with pink mane and pink tail at Mines View Park. You can ride the horse for a souvenir shot for P20.

White horses with pink manes and pink tails? Only in Baguio City.

Visitors can pose with this St.Bernard dog for a fee.

Sweet Strawberries at Mines View Park

The Everlasting

Poinsettia

Other flowers being sold at Mines View Park

Milflores

Brooms for sale at Mines View Park. 

Sweet corn

Strawberry Taho

Key chains and other knick knacks

Sweaters, t-shirts,blankets, etc.

Senior highlanders in huddle at the nearby Imelda Park. You can pose with them for a fee.

At Baguio City Public Market

At Baguio City Public Market

Strawberries at Baguio City Public Market

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