Several weeks ago, my office headed up to Baguio for a staff retreat. Located 6 hours north of Manila, it’s half way to Banaue, rice terraces, Sagada, and floating coffins. I was planning on heading up to Banaue and Sagada (an additional 6 hours north) the weekend following the staff retreat, the but storm rolling over the Philippines that week made the roads unsafe and produced so much fog visibility was restricted. And, well, why go to see an expansive, beautiful sight like the rice terraces if I can’t see 10 feet in front of me.
Baguio was built as a summer retreat for Americans when the Philippines was still a colony. People would head up north, to the mountains, for a break from the heat of the city. The roughly 15 degree temperature change makes a world of difference. It’s more comfortable in Baguio and less humid. The cooler temperatures also allow for a wider range of fruits and vegetables to be grown, harvested, and sold. The souvenirs I came back to Manila with included ripe tomatoes, broccoli, and avocados.
During our staff retreat, we stayed at the Ambassador’s mansion. Our meetings took place around the same table General Yamashita surrendered during WWII.
Here are some pictures of Baguio:
The Ambassador's Mansion
The Market in Baguio
And of the aftermath of the rain at my place in Manila:
This is right beside my place.
The water in the pool was all the way up to the pathway!
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