The “Baguio” I Miss
I created a page called “Old Baguio.” There’s nothing in it yet, but I plan to post articles and photos of the Baguio I fell in love with.
Since Go Baguio!’s redesign, I have been receiving emails and comments from former Baguio residents who now live abroad. What we all have in common is, we knew Baguio during its “glory days” before the great earthquake in 1990 and miss it terribly.
Of course we can’t turn back time. All we can do is give you a glimpse of Baguio Past and hope that Baguio Present will try at least to live up to it.
Here are the things I miss:
1. Walking up and down Session Road and finding many people I knew (and to think I was just a constant visitor then), who were most likely introduced to me by my cousins, the McCanns, who own Mountain Lodge.
2. Buying shoes for the coming schoolyear at Gregg’s on Session Road, eating Coney Island ice cream (New York, New York and Bubble Gum), Bookmark, chocolate covered goodies at Choco Loco, Loco Choco, shopping for silver items at Philippine Treasures. Actually, just strolling up and down what used to be the quaintest shopping area in the country with flat little painted signs. (Now Session Road looks like Avenida Rizal sans the LRT, with perpendicular signages all trying to “outdo” each other)
2. Cafe Amapola (which is now BPI) at the corner of Session and Governor Pack Roads, the Philippines’ first sidewalk cafe/bistro, with a few tables outside, a cozy interior with an even cozier loft. I had a few romantic dates there over fondue, listening to the blind pianist playing love songs, and eveyone just really partying.
3. Being able to have a good ride at “Marlboro Country” (Tiptop) with my cousins, as there were no houses on those hills then and you could “ride like the wind” across the plateaus on a beautiful horse named “Love Me.”
4. Partying at night in cool little joints like “Rock Session” (where “The Blank” used to play with my classmate in UP Diliman in Francais 11-12, named Grace, as lead singer), “Harlequin,” “Basement,” “Chico and the Gringo” (with great big “lambaritas” - our cheap margaritas), and discos like “Crystal Cave” in Hyatt Terraces (renamed “Gold Mine”) and “Sadiwan” at Pines Hotel, going to dance parties at “Woodshed” (with my high school great friend, Osay, as spinner) at the old Baguio Country Club, and Top Spin parties at Green Valley.
5. Watching “uncensored” movies at the base theater in Camp John hay and buying $.25 (Php2.00) imported chocolate bars from the vendo machines (Marcos did not allow importation at that time) and a bucket (a bucket!) of popcorn.
6. Walking everyday from Wagner Road to the Camp John Hay Main Gate (at the corner of Session and Loakan Road) and with the “boy of the moment” all the way to Mile Hi, where we would feast on burgers & pizza, play pinball, and just hang out with other kids our age. Of course the long walks were slow, shy and romantic.
7. At Scout Hill, pistachio ice cream at the ice cream parlor, Sunday Masses followed by steak lunches at Lone Star, uninterminable mini golf with the gang, touch football with the cousins.
8. Lying around the McCann residence watching soap operas and hit TV shows on FEN.
9. Smelling the pine upon entering Kennon Road at Camp 1.
10. Walking all around Baguio without smelling diesel fumes.
11. Having the boys you met at last night’s party visit you first thing in the morning at “home.”
12. Hopping from house party to house party at your Manila friends’ vacation houses all summer-long and eating Marilen’s chocolate chip cookies.
13. Helping your brother and another male friend enter through the Pantranco bus window so they can secure seats for all of you on Holy Week, because you were not able to get reservations on the aircon bus, because your mom wanted you to go to the beach with the family instead and she acquiesced to your Baguio plans only at the last minute.
14. Four hour bus trips to Baguio.
15. Watching your cousin skate everyday at the old skating rink (the covered one) in John Hay so you could see your “crush” working out in the gym below, and having him finally introduce himself to you on your last day of vacation.
16. Walking around Burnham Park without seeing hotdog and ice cream tents, and street hawkers.
17. Feeling all grownup while hanging around with the “oldies” at the lobbies of Hyatt and Pines.
18. Looking at all carplates that started with “AA_”
19. Believing that “haunted” Dominican Hill was “far” away.
20. Discovering that vegetables were good to eat because the Star Rice at Star Cafe was oh so cheap and really great!
21. Baguio houses with no perimeter walls and lots of flowers, plants and curb appeal.
22. Crossing from Session to the market with a hundred other people without having to climb stairs.
23. The smell of Wright Park as you approached it — there were no cemented portions then so horse manure was never washed off with water (a process which makes it smell bad) - added 2/11/07
24. Spending the whole day at Wright Park begging the pony boys to let you take their horse for one round for free (”Manong, pa-round pleeeese!”) after having spent all your pocket money on riding for hours and hours earlier that day, eating roasted peanuts for lunch because your lunch money could buy you one more hour on horseback. - added 2/11/07
25. One hour horse rides costing Php5 ($2.00) in 1971, Php12 (S1.70) in 1978, Php20 in 1986 ($1.25). Now it costs Php300/hour (S6.00). Sigh … but still cheaper than maintaning your own horse. - added 2/11/07
So now you know how “old” I am. But not old enough to miss the coffee at Dainty (I was not even drinking coffee during those days). The Baguio I miss is the Baguio of the late 70s and the whole of the 80s.
Hi Lisa,
You’re right… we can’t turn back time. So here’s the good old “Baguio” I Miss. Walking up and down Session Road to go to school at ST. Louis Center and without that much traffic or people on the sidewalks in my grade/high school days. Brought my ‘baon’ of rice,hard boiled egg with fried tuyo or pieces of adobo to school and having lunch with my buddy Emil Pineda on the school steps fronting the view of City Hall, the public Market, and Camp Allen. Did my bowling at Olympian Bowling Lanes and Strike & Spare Lanes along Mabini St.. And how about picking spiders up the trees around Burnham Lake. Fighting them off with friends along Abanao Street and Zandueta. But nothing beat those spiders you caught along electric lines if you were lucky to find them. Finding more spiders in those sunflower thickets and being bitten by thos lack.white mosquitoes that gave you big welts. Biking and learning the real scooter with Mang Fred in Burnham. Oh yes, did my horseback riding too when folks from Pampanga came up to Baguio for the Holy Week. Teen days were spent hiking Asin Hot Springs coz you were a Boys Scout and dipping in those pools there. Going bowling again with the Uys, Laurel’s, Figueras’s,Tolentino’s & Bacani from Manila during summer. Yes, we too did our house hopping during the summer months with Manila friends we got to know. Four hour bus rides to and from Manila were uncommon then. What about the 3 hour and 20 mins. rides we did with VW beetles or fastback to and from Manila huh Juancho. Just to visit our girlfriends. Timing our our Zig-zag trip of 23 mins from Camp 1 to Checkpoint. I miss the Baguio where you can go to the old market we knew and did shopping quick. Got the strawberry & ube jams from relatives who owned stores there at a discount. I miss San Carlos Heights Subd. when nobody even dared put up a house there and did our joyrides there with Manila girls. And how about those endless getting -to-know-you-nights with Maryknoll/Assumption etc. students of replete with food a & drinks…singing,get-together,partying those summer nights away.
Lisa…this can go on and on. I better stop here and continue next time. I am so Sooorrry i messed your night sleep with my early call. cheers. Joe
Hi, Joe!
I didn’t realize you were such a “boy!” Spiders, mosquitoes, bikes, girls, beetles, and more girls… you must have had such a great time growing up in Baguio. It’s great that you have such good memories to keep you warm in Poughkeepsie.
Hey, guys! There’s a whole lot to miss when you were born here and grew up here, and think that you need a university education in Manila just to get out of Baguio, only to return …
I LOVE BAGUIO! My body wakes up from the long ride from Manila now (wow, 3 hours and 20 minutes, Joe compared to 6-8 and sometimes 10 hours from the traffic) when the sight of lights of the city could be first seen from Marcos Highway, Irisan in Naguilian Road, and Saitan is just around the corner when you go through Kennon.
I could beat Lisa’s and yours anytime, so let me end now.
Just loved the old baguio
growing up as igorot in old Baguio.
What I miss most of all when I came for a visit with my Canadian girls was the sight of the original people. Where did they go????? Most of the people we saw was different after 20 years.
I used to see my mother shopping while i seat in a corner eating my roasted peanuts and ice cream (what a treat that was)
Well, My old Baguio is booming and thats what happen.
Hope to come and visit again someday and embrace the change.
hi lisa,
hope you’re enjoying the sem break. just not that much traffic, at least in my part of town and not too many people. kinda quieter baguio. enjoy till the students come back.
Hi Marie, Cliff, Marina and Resty
Thanks for commenting on this post, which is one of my favorites because old Baguio is what we all fell in love with, and are hoping to recapture, the small town, the quiet town that comes alive only when visitors arrive, the pretty town, the clean town.
I don’t see why Baguio today can’t be that way still. All we have to do is want it and work to get it back.
Hi Lisa,
I just spent the last two hours (!) catching up on your/other people’s blogs re Baguio and I cannot help myself but react to what I have read.
I am actually depressed from your stories. For one, it is really sad to see what the city leaders have done and are planning to do to the city. It is like watching a chicken being prepared for pinikpikan…killing a city softly. (I never liked the dish and I honestly think it is the most unkind way of preparing a meal…barbaric to say the least. Has this been addressed by the animal rights groups?) Two, sadly, just like our precious infant and teenage years, we can’t ever go back to how Baguio was..ever.
It has been seven years since we moved down to your friend Lito Atienza’s chaotic Manila and I have gone back to visit Baguio only three times since then, the last which was November 2006 for Christine’s wake and cremation.
Like any other city in this country, Baguio is in a desperate call for healing and sensible growth. And like any other city in this country or planet for that matter, the healing will have to come from the residents themselves and not the leaders alone.
We are faced with problems that no man, no local government, NGO or citizen’s arm will be able to solve in isolation. It will take an all sector unified action to repair the damage and plan for the future. That is what this chaos is calling for. And it will take a strong leadership to put this together.
Your ideas as well as those of others who genuinely care about the city are priceless and the young mayor and his council need to see the wisdom behind it. Until this enlightenment is arrived at, brace yourselves for a continuing slow beating death of this mountain city until it resembles the lowland cities that their inhabitants escape from with every chance there is.
As a sage once said…there is no need for enemies…we tend to self destruct while they watch in awe.
Pero don’t despair…may solution yan. Talk to you again sometime. Iyak muna ako. email me.
Mike
Hi Lisa,
I totally agree of what you have wrote. I miss the old Baguio. I am not from the place but my family stayed there for almost 8 years. I had so many memories in Baguio (good and bad). We went to live in Baguio bec. my parents needs to cut out on our expenses since we are 7 children who are all going to exclusive schools in Manila. My dad was diagnosed with cancer in 1984 and died the same year. I was in 3rd yr high school at st.louis girls high. We were leaving in Gen Luna st at the back of Bgo Cathedral. It was clean and unpopulated Baguio then. Life was so simple then. Growing up in Manila, living comfortably and luxuriously and transfered to Baguio was a big turn around to my family. Living in Baguio made our family realized the importance of being one and living within our means. It is in this place where I value life,patience and perseverance. I owe it to Baguio where I am now. I will never forget the daily routine in going to market and spend only 10.00 for dinner of around 10 persons. Having sayote and dilis only. Cinnamon napudot for bkfst and need to look for ways and means for lunch. The memories of Baguio that made me a better person now. Thanks to the city of pines and cheers to the living memories!
Hi Mike,
I’m so glad you say ‘may solution yan.’ Am so looking forward to it. Thanks!
Welcome Ces,
And yup, I have gone on sayote mode during lean months, too! There was once when I had absolutely no money, having given it all to my caretaker, and he in turn took pity on me those desperate meningo times, bought an egg and mashed the talong so I could have breakfast. What a sweet man he was!
You are lucky to have lived here and learned. And seen Baguio when life was much simpler and Baguio way more beautiful.
Baguio was where I learned to paint, hammer a nail, use a drill and blowtorch, stain and wax wood. If Baguio turned you into a frugal gourmet, Baguio turned me into a carpenter!
happy time. ? like also to walk session road. up down. of festiwal flpwer time.
? like to see hapyly people.