Its been a long time since I last drove far and away. Well, about a couple of months ago we went to Subic. That's as far as I drove and it wasn't even summer yet.
So before I get stuck in the doldrums of deskwork and online chatter, me and M. decided to pack up the kids and head somewhere North, where we haven't been before. I was looking forward to the long drive, especially with the Civic just coming off its 10,000km service check-up a couple of weeks ago.
This trip to Baguio had been in the works since December, but due to a death in the family, we had to forego our holiday and plan it some other time. Well, it was time to cash in on that plan and with nary a couple of weeks of summer left, I hurriedly booked a room at AIM-Igorot Lodge inside Camp John Hay, and filed my VL from the office.
Ironically, this will be the very first time I'll be driving all the way up to Baguio City. In past trips for BWorld Online and during our Mobile Media days, I'd usually take the wheel for the first leg of the trip, then hand it off to another driver for the last leg going up. The last time I went to Baguio was in 1995, I think, and we took the bus going and coming.
The prospect of long drives doesn't worry me. In fact, I relish those times I can spend long hours behind the wheel, especially now with a powerful (1.8L) automatic transmission car, strong A/C and leather-covered seats.
We left Manila a bit late at 5am. I was aiming to be at NLEX by 5 but due to some delays (like the slo-mo ritual of getting out of bed to get ready) we got behind schedule. The girls were still sleepy but their excitement about the whole trip ensured that they were strapped onto their seatbelts in the quickest time possible.
Traffic was already building up on EDSA, especially at the turnoff to NLEX in Balintawak. I just told myself not to get too pressured and to just relax and enjoy it. Its not like in the old Motorista days when we needed to be either in Subic or BRC (Batangas Racing Circuit) before noon to catch the first round of Sunday racing. That means, out of Manila by 7 am because travel time was all of four hours in the pre-SCTEX and Star Tollway years.
Back to the present, our trip was made quicker and easier via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). Really convenient to start a long trip on a wide, smoothly asphalted highway! We entered SCTEX a little past 6:30am and sped thru it as the sun was coming up on the horizon.
Exiting Luisita, we made a pit-stop at Jollibee to stretch our legs and use the CR. The girls were up and about by now, munching on the buttered pita bread M. prepared as our in-car breakfast fare.
I'd say one of the more boring sections of the trip to Baguio is the one between Tarlac and Pangasinan, along the old MacArthur Highway. The kids agree with me, too. Every time I pass thru there, I don't retain any image of what I see. Weird. It all usually comes back the next time I pass thru. But before and after a trip, I don't have a visual image of this part of the highway. Whenever I make a return trip to Baguio, that's when the route starts becoming familiar, as I drive through it. Looking back now, I guess it just matched the name of the highway, from the WW2 American general who coined the famous phrase: "I shall return!"
We took Kennon Road on the way up, only because I wanted the girls to experience the zigzag road. The views up the side of the mountain were still spectacular, wowing the girls and keeping them wide-eyed. It was already 10am by this time.
The Civic did well on the drive up. It was light yet powerful enough to easily make the steep zigs and zags without losing momentum. Handling was great and responsive.
A quick stopover at the Lion's Head, then the Viewdeck, and we were almost within city limits. The welcome sign into the city was a rusty old metal billboard sponsored by McDonald's. Not funny.
Traffic was really bad at this portion, just upon entering Baguio City proper. I can't believe it took us about 20minutes to get past this intersection!
Driving inside Baguio City is just like driving through Little Baguio in San Juan. There were several one-way roads but it didn't help funnel out the traffic in a smooth manner. I guess arriving in Baguio in the middle of a Saturday isn't a very good idea.
Later that day, we drove through the city, parked inside SM City Baguio, and walked down and up Session Road. Then I drove around Burnham Park to get back to Camp John Hay. All this to familiarize myself with the immediate vicinity.
On our last day, we drove to La Trinidad Valley to check out the strawberry fields. Going there took quite a bit of time, with heavy traffic as you come out of the city center and turning left into Magsaysay Ave. Then you follow the winding road, passing thru the flyover and then the Boundary Arch to La Trinidad.
The Strawberry Fields is where you can go strawberry picking, but on the day we were there, all of the strawberries had already been harvested. The rains came early, someone said, so they had an early harvest. We just checked out the souvenir stalls that lined the road. Got some brooms, jams, some more igorot woven mats and stuff. The girls enjoyed fresh strawberry ice cream from one vendor.
We then drove back the same way, noticing the heavy traffic going back in Baguio City. It was our last morning so we proceeded to Mines View Park. Mines View had changed over the years; there are now more souvenir shops outside, more restaurants and resorts in the immediate vicinity, and more people of course. We took our obligatory souvenir pictures with a view of the mines in the back. Actually, the mines aren't there anymore. All we could see were houses and houses.
We stopped for lunch at PNKY Bed and Breakfast along Leonard Wood Road. The food was great and the place was quaint and relaxing.
Soon enough, it was time for us to say goodbye to our room at the Igorot Lodge. Its a simply laid out establishment, operated by the Asian Institute of Management. Reasonably priced considering its inside Camp John Hay. Its just a few minutes walk from The Manor Hotel, surrounded by pine trees.
The girls bade farewell to our room and to the pine trees around the lodge. They had a lot of fun, with the cold weather, the walking on forest trails inside John Hay, the drive to the strawberry fields and Mines View. Now that we know how easy it is to go to Baguio, we can definitely do it again soon.
On the way back to Manila, we took Marcos Highway going down to Pangasinan. We were going to visit a friend and former colleague of mine in BW Online. She lives at her parent's house in San Fabian although she's now based in Mozambique, Africa.
The view along Marcos Highway was different from Kennon. We saw thick fog blanketing the mountainside. We passed through the long tunnel and the girls found it exciting.
Had a tasty merienda during our 2-hour stopover at my friend's place in San Fabian.
It was almost 6pm when we said our goodbyes. Good thing my friend's dad recommended a different route that would take us through a secondary road parallel to MacArthur Highway, thus avoiding the traffic in Urdaneta and Dagupan.
This route was drawn by hand on a clean sheet of paper. from San Fabian, we were to take the road going to Mangaldan town, where we could also get the native delicacy called tupig. From Mangaldan, we passed thru the Y-intersection, heading left into Sta. Barbara town. Next town is Malasique then Bayambang, which means we would already be in Tarlac province!
From Bayambang, we traverse that stretch of road past small towns and villages, schools and churches to get to Camiling. Then on to Sta. Ignacia, the last town before Tarlac City, which is where Hacienda Luisita would be, and further along, the entry into SCTEX back to NLEX.
That whole route took us about three hours, on neatly asphalted and cemented roads, sidestepping the busier intersections and poblacions. By the time we exited SCTEX, it was already 9pm.
And it was straight and steady driving from there, making a quick stop at the Shell station in NLEX.
We entered the gate into our compound in QC by 11pm, which means the whole return trip from Pangasinan took all of five hours! Not bad.
It was a great drive back to end an equally fun holiday in Baguio City!
Ever since I got a new car, I always make sure to have it washed at a reputable place. My choice: Big Bert's.
