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I wanna rock-n-roll
I wanna give my soul
I’m wanting to belielve
I’m not too old
Don’t want to make it up
Don’t want to let you down
I want to fly away
But I’m stuck on the ground
So, help me decide
Help me to make up
Make up my mind
Wouldn’t that save you
Wouldn’t that save you
Wouldn’t that save you
Watched it all go by
was it really true
is that what is was?
was that really you?
I’m looking back again
tracing back the threads
You said I was a mess
or was it just in my head
Something’s gotta break
You gotta swing the bat
too many years of dying
why is that?
written by Matthew Perryman Jones & Neilson Hubbard
south-east asia → philippines → benguet → baguio city → camp john hay
sadly, my posts are overdue. i’m not really feeling well right now, and i haven’t completely arranged all of my pictures during the trip. so i’ll probably just rush things..
‘visited camp john hay. traffic was heavy, good thing taxi drivers know almost all shortcuts that we had to pass by unusual hills and residencial areas. i don’t really have any idea what to see in camp john hay, just heard it as one of the many destinations in this city.
because it’s impossible to get a cab downtown. we climbed the hill (marcos highway? not sure) hoping to get a cab somewhere else. when travelling, i don’ really mind walking endlessly. i might be walking in the wrong direction, but still i might find something else interesting! but good thing, we ended up in a gasoline station then got a cab from there.
not only taxi drivers are skilled in baguio, they are also polite, very kind, and honest. they would never take you around and around just to make the meter high. they give change precisely to what the meter says, and they offer some tips and answer generously when i talk to them.
camp john hay. i didn’t really get to see a military camp here. well, war was ages over..so this place is more of a tourist spot. they have butterfly garden here, (which by the way is a complete waste of 40-pesos because i think there are more butterflies i can spot in the wild nearby), horseback riding, paintball, roller skating areas, an elegant hotel the manor (which we passed by as shortcut in order to exit, with dirty rubber shoes and pants’ end soaked with dry mud), more parks, and some recreational residences for united states armed force during the war before. in one of the parks, is a strange cemetery called cemetery of negativism and an original american resthouse called bell house.
pictures here -> camp john hay
south-east asia → philippines → benguet → baguio city
so, baguio trip over last weekend. it’s a city in northern part of luzon, and popularly known as the summer capital of the philippines. often times before, people are surprised to hear that i’ve never been to baguio. well, it may not be very close to manila, (some 250 kilometers north that will take about 6 hours on road) but i guess it just becomes a requirement that a filipino must at least be in baguio once..and at 24, i think it’s really a bit late that i’m going to this town only just now. for first timers, it’s also popular to kiss the earth/ground in baguio once you get off the bus!
we got there around 4ish in the morning on a saturday (leaving manila friday at 10.30pm), and it’s a bit chilly. this place is elevated by some 1500 meters from sea level, that makes the temperature mild and cool especially during december and early parts of the year. well, in general (except for batanes group of islands), geographical location of philippine provinces has little thing to do with the climate. i mean, those in northern part of the country doesn’t mean they have cooler weather. it’s more of the altitude that makes the place mild and breezy.
we were actually here to witness the panagbenga festival. it’s a flower fest that draws thousand of tourist from manila or other local parts of the country, and as well as international travelers. rest for a bit on saturday morning, and then went to central area to get breakfast and witness the morning parade. it’s not yet the flower float parade (which is for tomorrow). it’s street parade, people dancing with costumes of different colors and design ranging anything from flowers, to native ibaloi clothings, to pizza design. some parade entries are sponsored by commercial establishments like greenwich, jolibee, or sm. you wouldn’t imagine how hard is it to look for a decent spot to take pictures! we squeezed our way up and down the pedestrian, swiftly cross the streets illegally, shove other people (well, you can’t avoid sorry), but it’s all worth it and the weather being not so hot is a little bit relief.
i like taking pictures of people. especially the natives when i’m in a different place, and i like it more if they could look at the lens and give even a faint smile. however, i’m also a bit scared and hesitant because first: they might get mad if you spot on unfriendly ones; second, they might not like having their face exposed and scattered over the net. well, indeed it’s strange if some people you don’t know would take a picture of you! this is especially true for local native people that are not really in costume or attire (unlike the picture on the right). it’s a bit awkward because you are having interest of somebody’s appearance in their normal dress. so, you deem that there is something peculiar in the way they look, which in this case might lead to a little confusion just like when my friend asked a lolo (elder man) if she could take a picture of him. the lolo answered, "sila na lang" (literally, just them), plus pointing to the parade. however, some are cooperative, just like the one above. 
after watching the parade, it took us more than 1 hour looking for a taxi before finally giving in and just had lunch at nearby SM. during this time, i swear you would have a very hard time grabbing a cab. most taxis in baguio are the bigger FXs, but there are still some cars…taxi rates starts at 25 pesos, and 1.50 pesos there after. so it’s cheaper than manila. in SM, they have taxi queue, so we decided to go home and have some rest first. later at night, we went to this place called nevada square and stayed longer that we weren’t able to get up early the next day to see the float parade. 
on second thought, i’m really just after seeing the floats and the flower itself rather than those personalities boarded. so after painstakingly looking for session road for lunch (ended up in pizza volante), we went to athletic bowl where they put the floats minus the prima donnas.
more picture –> here
south-east asia → philippines → metro manila → taguig
so i’m in the office right now, all set to go to baguio tonight. ‘had teriyaki boy for lunch (tabemashou!) in market! market! and got some advil in case migraine stricks at the most inconvenient time over the supposedly cold weekend. it’s going to be panagbenga flower festival there, and it’s my first time see baguio! so a bit excited but unprepared as well ’cause i only searched the net a little this morning on things to do and see there.
the bus we’ll be taking will leave manila at around 10pm later, and the ride is about 6 hours. that is, on a regular occasion. and since it’s festival and long weekend (no work on monday, yahoo!),i guess it’s going to take longer. we’ll see…
i’ll get back soon!
