celebraTINg exisTENce

Pagkatapos kaming ulanin ng bongga sa Burnham Park at magpalit-outfit sa transient house na tinuluyan namin, we went to 50's Diner along General Luna Road for dinner. I wasn't hungry yet at that time but I had to eat something because I know I'll get hungry before bed time if I won't.

The place has a retro vibe with posters of Old Hollywood Films though I am not familiar with any.

Their menu was straightforward (American food) and the prices were affordable. I seriously wasn't expecting to be served a cheeseburger this big when my reason for ordering a burger was to eat something "light". I heard that 50's diner is also a popular restaurant for tourists and locals and upon eating there, I understood why. Masarap naman, malaki servings at mura pa.

Taken at SM Baguio.

I believe that aside from the view, you won't see anything "new" in SM Baguio. Most of the establishments there are also found here in Metro Manila. Well, okay nakapag-SM ka sa Baguio at nakapasok ka sa kaisa-isang SM na walang aircon. Hehe. I am used to SM malls also serving as transportation terminals so we were surprised to know that there wasn't any route of jeepneys that would take you directly there, you'd still have to walk... uphill or hire a taxi. Even so, SM Baguio is one of the dominant structures in the area and its veranda overlooks the city so it's worth a visit. Also, I found it easy to remember the places in The City of Pines with SM as my starting point.

We headed out of SM to find a cafe but we ended up doing a night walking tour.
This marker is located at a building along Session Road that currently houses a Korean Cafe and Korean Ramyeon Restaurant.

This is the map of our Baguio Walking Tour. :)))
From SM Baguio, Papuntang Session Road, Burnham Park, Cordillera University then pabalik ng SM Baguio. At around 9 PM, they set up tents near Melvin Jones Football Ground for their night markets. You'll find ukay-ukay, tiangge and street foods there.

On our way back to SM Baguio, we passed by this Korean cafe named Under The Tree Book Cafe. Ito 'yung cafe na andun ngayon sa Session building. We entered but they told us that it was almost closing time so we just looked at the interiors and left.

And we found ourselves overlooking Baguio City again. 'Yung white na building sa may bandang baba, that is the University of the Cordilleras.

This is the end of the rainy, food trip and fun DAY 1. :)

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We arrived in Baguio City at around 12 noon. Upon alighting the bus, there was a waiting shed that had been converted to an information desk for tourists. Someone from there brought us to this transient house in DPS area, Tuvera Pension House.

These were our beds. I slept dun sa pinakataas.
Our room was okay, the sheets and pillow cases were clean, there was a tv and an electric fan and the shower had a heater. For P 300.00 per person per night, you get a basic room for your basic needs - not bad.

Book your Pension House click: here.
These are their contact numbers and address.

If you don't have a big budget for your accommodation, transient houses are for you. The only time that you're staying there is for your bath and sleep anyway so long as the bed's comfortable to sleep in and the shower's heated, this type of lodging will do.

After checking in, we went to Good Taste for lunch.

Good Taste + Good Serving + Good Price. No wonder this cafe/restaurant is always packed with locals and travelers alike. Sarap nung chicken and lechon chopsuey ata 'yun nila.

It started raining while we were on our way here from DPS.

What a way to welcome your guests, Baguio. As in sobrang na-feel namin na gusto mo iparamdam lahat ng weather sa 3 days na pags-stay namin sa lugar mo.

When the rain has stopped, we went to Burnham Park.
Renting those pedal swans costs P 150.00 and each has 2-3 persons capacity. There are other types of boats there but I wasn't able to take pictures of the other options while docked.

I had a fear of riding boats when I was younger and proof of that was my picture taken here na umiiyak ako. Ang lala kaya siguro binawi ko sa tawa lahat ng 'yon nung araw na 'to. Hahaha. I had so much fears when I was younger and it's a good thing that I have gotten over most of those. Napunta kasi ako sa "adventure-seeker" side. Uma-adventure seeker! Ayun eh.

The weather was obviously gloomy, medyo umuulan pa nga nyan pero wapakels. Ayoko na ilagay dito 'yung mga kalokohan habang nasa boat kami dahil 1.) baka ma persona non grata ako at ayoko mangyari 'yon. 2.) judger ka at ayokong i-judge mo ako. HAHAHAHA.

Drama.Drama.Drama
#wowlegsnadapatitagonalang

After the boat ride, nag-CR kami sa "Clean Comfort Room," branches of which can be found everywhere in Baguio City since they have monopolized comfort rooms there. HAHAHAHAHA. Pero seryoso, kailangan talaga may clean sa pangalan ng lahat ng comfort rooms. hehehe. Pag kakalabanin natin sila, marami tayong name options na lahat superlative adjectives dapat. Anong laban ng clean sa cleanest na nga, may sparkling pa? hehehehe

At umulan nang umulan nang umulan hanggang sa mag-desisyon kaming bumalik sa Tuvera para magpalit ng damit bago umariba ulit.

To be continued...

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Korean cafes are very common here in the Philippines these days. Aside from the food, the interiors of these Korean restaurants are also something that you'd look forward to. SHP Cafe, same with Cafe Noriter, is in Vito Cruz, Malate, Manila area. The street is P. Ocampo.

(Note: While composing this, I am listening to John Legend songs. HAHA. Why do I love torturing myself? Whyyyy? Concert tickets, please?)

This is their counter where the menu is also found. Ayun, sa taas.
They're strict when it comes to orders. Notice that they even have this "One Order, One Person" Policy. Why? Read on.

They have regular tables but they also have these "double deck" tables options (Hindi ko alam tawag, second floor tables?).

It seemed to me that this kind of interior is the trademark of Korean cafes. Wooden floors, double deck tables, cute wall paintings and designs are what you'll normally see when you visit one.

Wash area.
I forgot to look at their restroom.

Korean merchandises are for sale.

See?
The reason why they're very strict with orders is because the place would really lure you to stay longer than the time you need to eat and that's a problem especially during peak hours. In other words, masarap kasi tumambay dito kaya pag maraming taong kakain at occupied lahat ng seats, good luck sakanila.

Our orders.
Their food are also good. The prices are affordable too considering how huge one serving is.
The matcha shake was mild but I like it's glass container. hehe.

My orders were cheese ramyeon and matcha smoothie.
I forgot the prices but each is definitely under P 200.00 each.

See the bear at the back of the kimbap?
You can also request for a stuffed toy who will accompany you while you're there. hehehehe.
Those fluffy companions add to the reasons why you should visit SHP.

I posted this picture in my Facebook account since the "suicidal bear" and I were so sweet.
I referred to him as a bear 'cause I really thought he was a bear or palusot, teddy bear kasi kaya na-assume na bear and suicidal because unless you support him with your hand, he looks so sad and tired.

Then one of my friend said, "It looks more of beagle, not a dog."

We concluded that the probable reason why he's suicidal is because no one would believe that he's a bear. And the reason why he's smiling in this picture is because our group was the first to realize that he's actually a bear and not a dog. Ipipilit ko talaga na ako 'yung tama. Hahaha. Alam mo naman mga tao, judge lang ng judge ng physical appearance. Bear siya, okay, bear. Say hi to Isaac the bear for me! We believe in you, Isaac the bear! (TFIOS reference)

*The service was good. They were fast, respectful and were very understanding to their customers especially those *ehem* who transformed the entire cafe into a pictorial studio.