(Feeling 19 again.)
Take a closer look at how our expressions change in each picture. I wonder what we were talking about. (I wonder if any of us remember.)
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We hung out in a cozyshop in Amsterdam after dinner. (Feeling 19 again.) Take a closer look at how our expressions change in each picture. I wonder what we were talking about. (I wonder if any of us remember.) Photos by Alex Sadove
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It rains in the afternoon here in Sagada, and it makes the night air colder. This happens here when summer is about to end, and the monsoon is kicking in. Though it gets gloomy, everything still seems to be healthy here - the food, the people, the vibe - but me. I've always been wimpy with cold. Sometimes it gets too cold here, and it pierces right through. I snuggle with the warmth I thought I had handy, but that too, got cold. About 30 minutes walk off the main town’s road, just before the entrance of Sumaging cave, is a nice little cafe called, Gaia. Its theme lives up to its name - organic organic healthy hippy happydom shit. Not my brand but, Gaia, is just my spot. We hung out at Gaia for a while after our Lumiang-Sumaging Cave Connection guided trip. (Guides are mandatory – if, you know, you wanna get out alive.) I'm glad that we did, for they have one of the best hot chocolates in town. The smell of thick black tablea (round native cocoa bars) was a taste that hit home all the way back from childhood. The staff also offered their thick woven sheets, seeing that I was shivering my ass off. Gaia was a heartwarming end to an adrenaline-filled day. It also has a pretty overlooking view of Sagada. But that particular afternoon, we can barely see the town. Everything was covered in mist. My heart was cold, and my eyes misty, too. It's too damn chilly. Nights, although piercingly chilly, are still starry here in Sagada. Summer is really about to end and - at home, back in the city - typhoons are coming soon.
Continuing on what turned out to be our Baguio leg's theme - arts and culture - we head out to check BenCab museum, and a couple of other known touristy spots in Baguio. Museum art didn’t excite me as much as finding an artsy wall – in the middle of Legarda Road on a random summer night – did though. There’s something pretentious about museums. Must be its cold white clean walls and flattering ambient lights, compared to street art’s warm and welcoming random dirt. Not riding on the high-art-low-art debate, but seriously, just what the fuck is art? You go to museums and see naked pictures of shit, and installations of what-have-you-junk and you end up asking yourself after, “the fuck did that mean?!”. Meanwhile, outside the imposing architecture of museums, a simple wall that’s covered in equally random junk with some words painted in loud colors - so loud that they move you - freely stands. The spirit of freedom is empowering. You know, for sure, that’s what art should be for. Back to BenCab, it’s nice. It’s a bit off the main city, so be prepared to spend a little more. (Taxis offer to wait for you, since public transport on that part of town is rare, at PhP200 to 300/hr.) You might end up spending an hour or two, especially if you get engrossed walking around the beautiful landscaped gardens behind the museum’s main building. Which, by the way, is restricted. Prepare to pay an additional PhP150/each if you end up wandering beyond the restricted gardens. Be warned for there are only restricted signs, but nothing about paying additional. (I know. Crafty isn’t it?) We then had a hearty lunch at La Comida de Antonio Ristorante – and as their ad says – it’s worth the climb. (It’s located at the 4th floor of La Azotea Building just along Session Road). It has a nice view of the city and they serve generous servings of very delicious food at a very reasonable price. We practically spent our last few days hopping and ticking the list of Baguio must-sees: Camp John Hay, Mines View Park, and so on. Since we started traveling, Alex and I have been doing the rugged, edgy, and generally “less” touristy way. (Although, less is, of course, relative.) So, spending the day with a touristy checklist in mind is a first. For the way we have done things though, I find something to be true: traveling couples should have a more healthy friendship, than romance. Traveling is not always the fun and exciting picture perfect shot as it is often Instagrammed, is why. Traveling is tedious. It can be dangerous, and it is often life changing – either in grand or small ways. So, imagine being with someone who is not, at least, a kindred spirit. Being with someone whom you can’t be yourself with. Imagine relieving that memory – will it be a good one? As such, I find that there’s a certain rhythm that people traveling together must master. A rhythm that only them can hear – a beat that may make or break them. This beat is trickier in romantic relationships, for it’s like having this imaginary third person – the relationship – which can either be a baggage or a joy to be around at times. Struck by a wave of nostalgia, I was mulling on these thoughts on our last days in Baguio, as I was reminded of my mom. The cheap and beautiful varieties of flowers sold in Mines View Park would have made her ecstatic – but would have complained endlessly on the expensive dine outs. My girlfriends would have also loved that pretty little café in Sagada – but would definitely gag and make fun of the vegetarian menu. Meanwhile, here I am, missing my friends and family while traveling with another person - and a romance - and I wonder: how did I end up here? Where are we going? The last item on our tick list was a sunset view at the infamous and creepy Diplomat Hotel. (Bribe the guard nicely if you get there after 5pm.) If you don’t care for scary sideshows however, head out to the circus that is SM. It also has a good sunset view. We were then off early to Sagada the next day.
Since I had to finish paid work after our rock trip weekend, the first half of our stay in Baguio was rather uneventful. Every night though, we would go out for a walk. For fans of DIY travelling like us, night walking is a staple itinerary. It’s interesting (and cheap) to see how cities are at night. It's like watching a person sleep – intimate, but at a distance. A whole week in Baguio, and our nights turned out to be more exciting than our days. Random surprises made the chilly nights warm. On one night, a popular local celebrity spontaneously performed free verse on stage in 18 BC – a famous local pub in Baguio known for featuring promising musicians – contributing to Baguio’s reputation as art’s haven. (And, apparently, the local celebrity hot spot.) He was jiberring yada for all we know, but it did bring the house down. Meanwhile, on another night, we went out on a mission. We were set to find something that will keep our stay in Baguio warm, so we figured 18BC is a good start. Cut the long story short, beginner’s luck. Check out the band, Powerpuff Corns. Bryan, their lead, is our rockstar guy. He welcomed us to Baguio in a way that only a brothah would. Really talented musicians with soul – they connect, man. Music and art connects, yeah. (*Smoke rings, smoke rings*) Coincidentally, on our way back, we found an artsy graffitied wall along Legarda Road, a block away from 18 BC, and two blocks away from where we’re staying at Bernabe Apartments. It’s the wall at the entrance of a narrow street behind Caltex. It shouldn’t be that hard to miss. We find meaning in random things that we feel connected to. It makes the art of traveling sweeter, and makes any place we go to a bit cozier. In an age where everything is diluted as empty publicity, meaning has become a scarcity. So, we take pieces of meaning with us as we travel along. And soon enough, they will make sense.
A 3-Week Trip to the Cordilleras and Guess What We Got At the End of It To escape the piercing heat of Manila, we decided to head up-north to the Cordilleras. The sort-of plan was to kick it off by joining Alex's climbing buddies on their rock trip to Baguio, then wing it the rest of the way. How long, where and how? We didn't really know until 12 hours before we started hitting the road. Bus rides are fun, and all that existential bus window journey bull, but it gets old after a while. When you have to schedule your days following bus trip times, it gets - for a lack of a better term - grueling for a while . So, we grabbed the chance and hitched a ride with Alex’s climbing buddies. It was 4am on a Friday that we had to leave for Baguio. A text we only got on the afternoon of the Thursday before. We knew we'd be spending at least 3 weeks traveling, but we didn't get to the packing part yet. In fact, nothing remotely close to any sort of planning until the weekend has past. So, 4am it is! We spent the first weekend tagging along the Baguio rock trip. Since Alex's return in the Philippines, he managed to build his own group of friends (aside from my rather girly friends) and do what he loves most. And as guys would have it, it had to be more than just chatting - of course, sports. We've been hanging out with a group of really good Filipino climbers since we first hit Power Up gym in Tandang Sora. We went to La Trinidad in Benguet and did some bouldering - or more, sleeping and general state of wimping for me. You see, when around these sporty people, you seriously doubt your own health's capacity. Don't get me wrong, I'm athletic and outdoorsy and generally able, plus I smoke a considerable lot – so you know, I do live a balanced life - yet, I still feel like a loser wimp when around these guys. Then, it came to me: it's really not that healthy to be with healthy people all the time, contrary to popular belief. Though more than the physical stamina, it's the grit - the passion, the fire, and dedication for what they love to do - that makes hanging out with these people fun. Since we started hanging out with them, I’ve been asking myself: "How about you, love?" "Where's your fire and love gotten you?" I could change my mind about healthy people. I don't mind hanging out with this kind of healthy. This kind of healthy is contagious. After the weekend, and when the rest of the guys have left, we were all on our own – again, naturally. And the winging this starts.
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