For my eldest sister’s annual Manila visit this March, she brought along her daughter, Katkat. As a medical student, this was Katkat’s last chance to have a really long vacation. And since I mentioned I would be going up to Baguio for the week, they decided to come along especially since my niece hasn’t been to the North much.
I’ve been to Baguio many times over since those summer vacations of yore. Mostly the visits are for official work and advocacy, and I had managed an easy mix of business with pleasure. I also had friends over there with whom I meet up regularly, and sometimes, someone just manages to tag along for the occasion. Hence, I had seen Baguio’s slow transition from the cool get-away place to the hustling and bustling metropolis it is now.
Ate Marichu’s last Baguio visit, on the other hand, was during her own honeymoon in the 1980s; back when Pines Hotel still stood and the hottest disco was at Hyatt Hotel. But both are gone now - one lost to a big fire and the other to a devastating earthquake.
When we were kids, our Dad would always bring us to Baguio at the end of each schoolyear. Back then, even at high noon, you can see your breath as you exhale. Afternoon showers automatically bring thick fog that made travelling the roads dangerous because of diminished visibility. Nowadays, the coolness is manageable with appropriate thermal wear from the Ukay-ukays.
Going up to Baguio via the alternate route from Pangasinan-La Union, she asked why we no longer passed the La Union coastline where beaches abound. I told her there have been various roads developed aside from Kennon, Naguilian, and Marcos Highway. In fact, I believe there are two other shortcuts now coming from Abra and Nueva Vizcaya. She also wondered if we would see any waterfalls along this road, but I said I doubted it. The numerous waterfalls along Kennon and Naguilian have already disappeared with the continuous mining activities by the big corporations. And while the giant, sculpted Lion on Kennon Road still remains, the old Marcos bust has long been destroyed…first by pro-Cory sympathizers and finally, by NPA rebels supportive on indigenous peoples rights.
Arriving in the city proper, she immediately commented at the number of people and vehicles on the road. Indeed, Baguio appears to be overpopulated during the day and causing several traffic jams in some areas. It is said they number several hundred thousands here already, lowering slightly at night as some people go back down to their homes in La Union or Pangasinan after a day’s work. Ate Marie marvelled at Baguio’s own flyover in the downtown area, but the marketplace on Abanao St. beside Burnham Park is still as congested as she remembered. I noted that the lack of jaywalkers on the streets below was because of the adjoining walkways or overpass built to connect business establishments. The city government was also strict about its routes, seriously implementing one-ways and rotondas that makes for a tedious travel on vehicles rather than simply walking up to your destination.
For lunch, I took them to the ever popular Café by the Ruins near the city hall, but besides having to wait in line, Katkat was unimpressed with the menu offerings at the prices they charge. Ate Marie remembered Sizzling Plate and insisted we try that instead. Daddy’s clients always took us there and the restaurant now had other branches. Funny that upon getting there, we opted for pork viands and not the steaks Sizzling Plate is known for. Ate Marie inquired about the old Slaughterhouse near Daddy’s quarters at Times Transit along Magsaysay. I told her it is still there and locals still strongly recommend visiting the place for the best papaitan and other chevon or goat’s meat dishes. We both wondered whether they still serve asocena even with the Animal Welfare Act having been passed into law.
The great earthquake in the early 1990s destroyed many landmark establishments, including the Nevada Hotel and a commercial area known as Nevada Square now stands where it once was. Teachers Camp still existed, but I am not sure if Inn Roccio was still around. On the way to PMA Fort del Pilar, we passed by Loakan Road and we spoke about the White Lady. Our taxi driver showed us the area which had the old cemetery and could be very dark and eerie especially on foggy days. It now had streetlighting so it’s not so scary anymore except for the vehicular accidents that still keep happening due to the sharp curves and the mist that cause low visibility. As we were leaving PMA, we heard another tourist group speak about going to the Diplomat Hotel, an old abandoned and condemned building with lots of ghost stories. I guess the White Lady of Loakan was indeed passe’.
After the token foto-op w/ Katkat and Ate Marie at PMA, we headed for Camp John Hay. Once an exclusive facility for American servicemen and their families, it soon opened to the rich and the famous for golf. Now, anyone can just go in for a look-see, as call centers and high-end hotels occupy its prime lands. The miniature golf is still open, as well as the restaurant that serves the best American-sized cheeseburgers, and the little cemetery of “negativity” which had cartoon characters on headstones.
Ate Marie was bent on showing Katkat our usual haunts, so we headed for the Mansion and Wright Park since we saw Burnham Park already after lunch. As with Burnham, which had boat rides and bikes for rent, she just wanted to see where we used to ride ponies and horses of our youth. We got quite nostalgic, but Katkat was unimpressed. After having been informed that Mines View Park had no more “view” to speak of, and is now cramped with commercial business establishments, we decided to skip it and head instead for the Botanical Gardens. Previously known as Imelda Park, it boasted of an assortment of ornamental plants and flowers, so colourful you’d think you’re in some fantasy land. But upon entering, Ate Marie was disappointed. The gardens were no longer as carefully cultivated as we remembered. Indigenous folk in their native costumes now charge for every photograph with them as numerous stalls inside sell wares tourists would naturally fall for as souvenirs.
As we headed back to the DSWD cottage, we passed by SM Baguio. Proudly sitting on a hill, it was likewise strategically located just a few steps from Session Road. That main street seems to be the only familiar place to Ate Marie. But with even our DSWD newly-renovated cottage, the face of Baguio still keeps changing indeed.
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