One of my earliest visits to Baguio was not a pleasant one. I was a young cub reporter covering the aftermath of the disastrous July 1990 earthquake where more than 400 people died. I remembered that it took forever to reach the city because the major highways were closed. Session Road looked like a picture of devastation and most pitiful of all was the Hyatt Hotel ( also the site of a casino) which crumbled like dominoes and buried scores of people. The stench of death was clearly palpable above ground where we were and heard stories of who tried to escape, who died ... Continue Reading...

Back to the city groove after a mercy flight from Asian Spirit that got us out of rustic Batanes. Now it's time to continue with snippets of my neglected travelogue on Baguio City. I wish I can say am tired of Baguio but it certainly was a changed city when I got there this time around. The change was evident in Mines View Park, a famous tourist landmark near Hotel Elizabeth which has this splendid view deck for admiring the city landscape. Mines View Park was so called because it was here where one can see the gold mines of Abra and Benguet from a distance. It ... Continue Reading...

Tree-shaded highway. Road sign. It is a long way to Baguio City. Five to six hours by land at the most. This is the reason why I've resisted going here since being part of a media junket three years ago. I just have this thing about visiting places and revisiting them once again. I'd rather go elsewhere I've never been. This time was different though. I was about to show the sights to my twins, and Mr. Z, for the first time. He was a driver in a foreign land, all right, and I tried futilely acting as the navigator. The ... Continue Reading...

outrigger boat. Remember what your mama told you that strokes of misfortune can be blessings in return? This is what I felt when - by a funny twist of fate - we ended up in sunny Boracay instead. I was still recovering from the disappointment of a postponed trip to windswept Batanes, still one of the dream places on my book. But seeing the familiar sights of the Philippines' most famous and beautiful beach was enough to make my heart a-flutter. Who can complain?? Sunbathers. ... Continue Reading...