Do you know where "tsinelas" is?

Let's play a game. 

Can you find where 'tsinelas' is?

Are the photos below enough to give you a clue?

So throw a guess and write it in the comment box.

The Airport

Local chauffeurs meet the tourists at the airport & even volunteer to carry the luggage off to car park area

 Means of Local Transportation

Young and old, male & female - they love motorbike riding!

 Livelihood

Wood & stone carving, sculpture, rice farming

Food & Drinks

Arak daiquiri, betutu bebek, skewered babi

Where to Stay & Relax

Villas, private plunge pools, day beds, 

Sagada | Escape to Tranquility

"Sometimes it’s good to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of a city life, to experience remoteness, and find pleasure in simple things –

Like,

Driving on a dirt road, face covered with dust;

Walking under the shade of gigantic pine trees while listening to the sound of the pine needles  & cones snapping open;

Or just gazing at the greenness of the rice paddies, watching the rice stems as they dance with the gentlest whisper of the cool mountain breeze."

That is what I found in Sagada - a place so tranquil and charming, it’s a perfect ‘escape’.


Our trip to Sagada, not to say the least, wasn't planned ahead of time. It was one of those "spur-of-the-moment" road trips. We left Baguio at half past one in the afternoon and arrived in Sagada just before 7:00PM. Hence, it took us more than 5 hours but we did make few stops to take pictures along the way.

Our first sight of Sagada.

A bit creepy, hey? But really, it's not that bad during the day.

There's plenty of interesting sights in Sagada. One of them is "top load" jeepney ride. It doesn't look safety at all but in Sagada, this scene seems to be nothing unusual.

 Dirt road leading  to Sagada stretches to about 14 kms

Naked trees alongside dirt road

Overhead rock projection along a main road

Clustered residential houses

Transient houses & lodges (*notice the huge satellite dishes ;-)

Houses filling up buildable areas

The famous Yoghurt House. It's almost impossible to get a seat there! It's jam-packed with tourists especially during lunch time.

Staunton Rd., one of the main roads in Sagada

We found the best-tasting burger in Masferre!

Sagada Weaving | est. 1968

Livelihood

Sharp, pointy limestone rock formations sprawling in Sagada

Gigantic pine tries creating canopies

Perfect spot for viewing the rice paddies

Spectacular!

Fueled up bat Sagada's humble Caltex station before heading back to Baguio

Make sure you have cash. They don't accept cards.

Session Road | The Heart of Baguio City

Anyone who’s visited Baguio would most likely agree with me that this city is a foodie haven. Just along Session Road alone, there are wide range of choices - from a street-side food stalls to a hole-in-a-wall type café, fast-food-chains to semi-fine dining restos; they're early morning ‘til late night. This stretch of road just doesn’t seem to sleep at all.

There’s a place for traditional Pinoy food lovers – the Solibao Restaurant. Start with a little “merienda” (snacks). You can never go wrong with Solibao’s special “puto bumbong’ (purplish steamed glutinous rice)’. Beautifully wrapped with a banana leaf, the “puto bumbong” is served piping hot with freshly grated coconut meat, melted butter, and a dash of the golden-coloured muscovado sugar. Best paired with “hot tsokolate”, one must never leave Baguio City without trying Solibao’s special “puto bumbong”! 

If you’re up for a big lunch or dinner, dine in at Solibao with your friends as the serving size is perfect for sharing. Worth trying – “binagoongang lechon kawali” (crispy pork roast sautéed with shrimp paste), “crispy pata”, “kare-kareng bagnet” (so yummmmy!!!), and “sinigang na tiyan ng bangus with miso”!

If you're tight with your budget yet wants to enjoy good food with huge servings, the Tea House Restaurant and Bakeshop is the place to be (the owner is very  friendly too).  They offer Filipino-Chinese cuisine, dine in or take away. Try the “Tea House Special” – mixed vegetables made savoury with chicken strips, pork lechon, longganisa (chorizo), and hardboiled egg. Get this yumminess in a plate at P135 (about $4). 

Craving for pizza? Session has it. Again, Vizco’s pizza is on top of my list! Their dough and crust is just so tempting, the toppings come like a bonus! Pizza Volante and Don Henrico’s also have a lot of selections – 4 cheese pizza, pepperoni, puttanesca…

How about scoops of ice cream in a cone? Walk along lower session road and look for the little shop where people patiently queue in a long line – that is the ice cream parlour! No matter the coldness in Baguio, this ice cream parlour never runs out of customers queuing.

All-year-round, Session Road has something for your foodie adventure. Yet, the best time to be in Session is right after Panagbenga (Flower Festival) when Session is in bloom – (tagged as “Session Road in Bloom”). It’s a week-long event happening within the first week of March each year featuring arrays of foods, crafts, and gardening expos. This is your chance to try the delicious foods of Mario’s, Le Chef, and other fancy restaurants in Baguio as they exhibit their popular menus in affordable rates.

Truly, Session Road is the heart of Baguio City.  It’s crowded, busy, noisy, but you’ll love it anyway!

Baguio City | Heart-warming Coolness

Ever have a place that has taken a soft spot in your heart that no matter how difficult it is to get there, you'd return again and again?

Baguio City comes in mind.

The bus trip from Manila (either Pasay or Cubao) to Baguio could take up to seven (7) hours long.  It's a day's work! You're lucky if you take the Deluxe bus, your agony is shortened. If you're coming from Cubao Terminal, there are 5 scheduled trips to choose from, 4 in Pasay. Note, however, that these seats sell like home-made pancakes. They disappear in no time; so travel smart by purchasing your ticket online ahead of time. That saves you from  standing in a long queue in any of the two terminals.

I usually take the Deluxe bus that leaves at 11:45PM from Pasay City Terminal. For me, it's the best time to travel. You would forget about the seemingly endless hours of sitting in a bus and it would spare you from experiencing motion sickness due to long, winding, uphill road. The bus takes the SCTEX route, stops somewhere in Tarlac for as 15-minute break, then off to final destination - the summer capital of the Philippines, Baguio City.

When you're approaching Kennon Road, stay awake, try not to miss the "lion's head". A lot of people stop by at Camp 6 to get a closer glimpse of the lion's head or even take some photos with this iconic piece at the background. The lion's head is definitely one of the most-photographed spots in Baguio. Unfortunately, despite my frequent travels in and out of Baguio,  I have no lion's head photo to show off.

But I have this -

Baguio's most famous thoroughfare, the "Session Road".

One of the things I love in Baguio is the Session Road. You'll get to know Baguio in a glance just by walking along this road. There's plenty of action, sights to see, and places to go - mobile food stalls selling sliced green mangoes with spicy shrimp paste dipping, sidewalk vendors displaying their local seasonal produce like strawberries & carrots, 'wag-wag' (second-hand items) shops, ice cream parlors, shawarma, DVDs, food chains, convenience stores, restaurants, pharmacies, clinics, name it!

Vizco's Restaurant & Cake Shop

There are two places in Session where I frequented! One of them is at Vizco's Restaurant & Cake Shop. When I don't feel like cooking, this is where I go to eat. Not only because it's accessible but also because of their delish food selection. This tiny restaurant is best with it's baby back ribs! So if you happen to be in Session, drop by at Vizco's. Indulge in a meal so savoury. And don't forget to take home with you a bottle of Vizco's in-house hot sauce. This concoction of spicy ingredients has a distinct character on its own. There isn't any commercial branded sauce that is similar to this one. So save a space for it in your pantry! While in Vizco's, never ever fail to try a slice of the strawberry shortcake! You will definitely say, "Every strawberry shortcake should be made like this"!

Oh My Gulay!

If you’ve been to Session Road several times but haven’t gone to ‘Oh My Gulay!’ then you’ve missed out big time! It’s like walking right past a familiar, busy street not knowing that there’s a hidden treasure just few meters underneath just waiting to be found. That's OMG, if you don't search for it, then you won't find it!

When you’re in Session, look for that circular, mosaic tiles on the sidewalk – it will lead you to the very location of this hidden treasure, right up at the La Azotea Building (green building).  Just follow the flight of the rustic winding stairs up to the fifth floor of the building, there you’ll find an artist’s haven - "Oh My Gulay"!

 

The moment you step inside the OMG’s den, you’re in another world. It’s almost impossible to imagine how much work goes into carefully transforming this place creating such a huge, intricately detailed masterpiece.

OMG doesn’t only give you the opportunity to see and touch the artists’ works but to enjoy a variety of vegetarian foodies. My personal favourite is OMG’s “Anak ng Putanesca” (spaghetti with olives, capers, cayenne pepper). Must try is ‘Oh My Gulay Rice’ – native brown rice garnished with ten kinds of veggies in season, made savoury with Mongolian sauce, and topped with steamed tofu and omelette.

Take a look around while waiting for your order to be served, and be wowed with the creative way in which the artists turned scraps into fascinating works of art or  just simply enjoy the sweeping view of Burnham Park from OMG’s balcony.

PNKY Travel Cafe

On the upper side of Leonard Wood Rd., not far from the Teachers' Camp, lies a tiny cocoon of travel elegance. Thoughtfully furnished with wooden dining furniture and accessorized with rustic travel luggage, retro cameras, passports, travel diaries, PNKY offers a refreshing disconnect yet still just few minutes away from the city center.

From the main road, the cafe looks stunningly beautiful especially during the night with its tasteful lantern string lights deco.This travel-themed cafe is my ultimate favourite!

PNKY's rustic elegance with its beautifully presented foods makes it a perfect spot for cosy dining. As you’ll flip through the pages of their travel-inspired menu, you’ll find an ample selection of foodie delights. Think soups & salads, nibbles, main course, pasta, pita & sandwiches, guilty pleasures, coffee , tea, & chocolate, beverages, frappes & smoothies, wine…I keep coming back in PNKY, to enjoy my favourites such as “The Great Divide” {carrot & spinach soup}, “Beef a la Seine { sautéed beef with mushroom, pepper & strawberry}, "Colosseo" {beef caldereta topped with mozzarella cheese & black olives – and of course, the guilty pleasures – of which “Message in a Bottle" {Ube Crepes} and ‘In Bruges’ {Uber Moist Chocolate Cake} top the list.

These are just few of the many reasons why I love Baguio.

There's one more thing that impresses me about Baguio - something that's worth noting - their taxi drivers. They're honest, helpful, and courteous. They'll hand you your change even if it's just 50 cents!!! Now, that is impressive! I'd say that's what makes Baguio standout from the rest - its beautiful people.

So If I had to do that dreaded 7- to even 8-hour bus ride again, I would; because Baguio, despite it's crisp mountain breeze, is a heart-warming place!