Favorite Date Spot: Elar's Lechon!

It is no surprise that my boyfriend and I love to eat and discover food--as evident by the exhaustive list of the restaurants, bistros, and cafe's we've eaten at (will post about that some other time). Although, quite a few restaurants on our list are special enough for us to frequent on. One of those few restaurants is my favorite lechon place in Manila: Elar's Lechon.

Elar's Lechon

 

Book Review: "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?"

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

The 34th Manila International Book Fair

At the 34th International Book Fair

Yesterday, Borgy and I went to the 34th Manila International Book Fair held in SMX Convention Center. This was my first time attending such a huge book fair and I knew there are going to be more people than expected; thus, more people than I can mentally and emotionally handle being in the same room with. As you've probably guessed, I am not comfortable around a huge crowd. For me, being around so many people requires mental preparation and an immense amount of focus.

Between The Blends of Baguio

The City of Pines has always held a sense of wonder for me. Ever since I've heard a lot of people talk about how Baguio is an amazing vacation place, I have always wanted to go there and explore what nature has molded itself into. And so my boyfriend, Borgy and I, after saving money, packed our bags and wandered around Baguio as a vacation and also, to satisfy my curiosity.

For this blog piece, I've put together our experiences of the rich blend of culture and heritage of the Filipinos constant favorite destination, Baguio City. Read about our experiences from sight-seeing spots, to amazing food hubs, to the best souvenirs we can find.

Click the pictures and read on to experience Baguio in the eyes of a wandering food-loving, bespectacled couple, Bobbie and Borgy!

By the way, guys, all photos are mine. So, please don't steal them.  ;)

Food

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Solibao Restaurant

Café Sabel

Canto

Café by the Ruins

Choco-late de Batirol

Bliss Café

Places

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Burnham Park, Wright Park, and Baguio Botanical Gardens

Tam-awan Village and BenCab Museum

Mt. Cloud Bookshop

Baguio Cathedral, Pink Sisters Convent, Bell Church, and Lourdes Grotto

Souvenirs

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Souvenir shopping in Baguio

I was disappointed at first because Baguio City does not smell like pines anymore. Although they were abundant in Baguio, the trees cannot seem to overpower the smell of cars belching out thick black smoke. Nevertheless, our four-day vacation in Baguio proved worth it and amazing. All we had to do was avoid the overly commercialized SM Baguio, and voila!--a perfect Baguio experience! :)

Note: if you want to experience a Manila-like traffic, go to Session Road and heavy traffic is guaranteed!

Baguio's Keepsakes and Mementos

Filipinos are familiar with buying souvenirs and pasalubong whenever vacationing out of town. Since Baguio is one huge treasure trove of cool relics and mementos, we looked for the best and memorable souvenirs we can find.

Technically, it's not a souvenir but still, it's an authentic Baguio experience. For the first time, I've tasted the strawberry taho or soy pudding (a Philippine snack food made of fresh silken tofu, syrup and flavoring, and tapioca pearls)! :) I bought strawberry taho twice: first time was when we went biking around Burnham Park and; the last time, when we went to the Pink Sisters Convent. There were a big difference between those two taho I've tasted. The first one was extremely sweet that, I think, majority of what I've tasted was the heavy syrup. The second one was better. You can perfectly taste the flavor because it has strawberry bits.

Strawberry Taho at Burnham Park

Strawberry Taho at Pink Sisters Convent

Baguio, An Artist's Haven

Baguio is known as one of the best-loved home of the country's free-thinking artists. Ben Cabrera, Butch Perez, Kidlat Tahimik, Narda Kapuyan and Kigao, to name a few. Maybe it's the climate or maybe it's the amazing mountain setting which gives you an astonishing vantage point of nature every day. Probably it's because of the Baguio Arts Festival held annually. Whatever the reason, the city has been an artful delight for travelers and art enthusiasts.

Among the various places where Baguio's artists have established their outlets of creativity, Borgy and I have visited the most popular and frequently featured Tam-awan Village and BenCab Museum. 

Spirituality in Baguio

A vacation wouldn't be such without any sight seeing. As accustomed by many Filipinos, due to our religious disposition and the country's plentiful hirstorical and religious sites, a trip to at least the nearest or most famous church in town is always included on our travel plans. And because of the unequalled landscape and climate of Baguio City, religious sites are even more interesting.