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.
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.
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!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your anniversary ma'am!
ReplyDeleteWould have loved to stay at this hotel too but the dining hall doesn't allow shorts and sandals =P
Francisca:
ReplyDeleteIt 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.
Weeelll... a lot of use those Spaniards were then... NOT. (Not to mention the Manileños themselves.) :-D
ReplyDeleteHappy 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.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary Hilda! :)
ReplyDeleteThat'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. :)
un Joyeux anniversaire Hilda, et j’espère un superbe et gros gâteau d'anniversaire ;))
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary you two. Sometimes thoughtful acts (the bouquet) have the power to resonate for a very long time. A sweet gesture.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are gorgeous! Happy Anniversary, Hilda! I bet you liked the fact that they had a bookshop, too :D
ReplyDeletehappy anniversary hilds! ^0^
ReplyDeletebaguio 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. ^-^
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.
ReplyDeleteSweet and thoughtful Sari. The flowers are lovely.