June 6, 2011

Baguio redux

It has been three years since my husband and I went up to Baguio City. Located in the Cordillera mountain range, it is known as the Philippines' summer capital because the American colonial government would move there during the summer months to escape Manila's heat. Casa Vallejo was Baguio's first hotel, though originally built as a dormitory for government workers. It survived Japanese bombing during WWII and the devastating 1990 earthquake, and after laying in disrepair for many years, it was finally restored and reborn as a boutique hotel—with a restaurant, bookshop and spa—last year.

Casa Vallejo in Baguio City


The main reason for the vacation was our 15th wedding anniversary on June 1. One of my husband's former students, who lives a few kilometers away in the town of La Trinidad, sent us a beautiful bouquet of roses and lilies which I arranged in a vase I borrowed from the hotel, wrapping it in the sinamay (woven abaca fibers) and ribbon that the flowers came in. They brightened up our room wonderfully and made our stay even more special. Thank you, Sari.

bouquet of roses and lilies from Sari

11 comments:

Francisca said...

First, a warm congratulations on your anniversary, Hilda. Baguio is a lovely place to celebrate (although I thought it was a summer capital long before the Americans were there). Looks like they did a nice job with turning the dormitory into a boutique hotel and the bouquet is sweet!

Lakad Pilipinas said...

Congrats on your anniversary ma'am!

Would have loved to stay at this hotel too but the dining hall doesn't allow shorts and sandals =P

Hilda said...

Francisca:
It was the Americans who built the infrastructure so Manileños (and other lowlanders) could reach Baguio with ease. "Baguio" was an Igorot village before the turn of the 20th century.

Francisca said...

Weeelll... a lot of use those Spaniards were then... NOT. (Not to mention the Manileños themselves.) :-D

Al said...

Happy belated anniversary! That sounds like a beautiful area, there's certainly something to be said for altitude to reduce heat. Hopefully you'll have more to post from this area soon.

Reena said...

Happy anniversary Hilda! :)

That's a nice hotel. I'm starting to appreciate boutique hotels eversince we stayed in one in Leyte last year. I hope i'll have the chance to stay here during one of our visits in Baguio. :)

Olivier said...

un Joyeux anniversaire Hilda, et j’espère un superbe et gros gâteau d'anniversaire ;))

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Happy anniversary you two. Sometimes thoughtful acts (the bouquet) have the power to resonate for a very long time. A sweet gesture.

Kaori said...

The flowers are gorgeous! Happy Anniversary, Hilda! I bet you liked the fact that they had a bookshop, too :D

arabesque said...

happy anniversary hilds! ^0^
baguio is a nice place indeed.
i hope you had a good r*r during your stay.
it's been a long time since i went to baguio, in fact, i have vague recollections about it, i was still in my teens then and we stayed in a transient hotel, i remember getting carsick because of the zigzag roads but what i remembered the most was the cool, breezy weather. ^-^

JTG (Misalyn) said...

Happy belated anniversary! I'm planning to visit Baguio sometime in August. I was born in Daet, Camarines Norte but we stayed in Baguio sice I was 2 months old and left when I was 5 years old.

Sweet and thoughtful Sari. The flowers are lovely.