barangay ball in baguio

Our little family trooped to Baguio last weekend for a short getaway. The Panda spent the last six months being a new father and campaigning for our new VP, so this mini vacation was his rest period.

Of course, Audrey the Ball had to go with us. And when Audrey goes with us, the whole barangay goes as well.

Baguio, baby!

She'll be turning six months old this July, so we already wanted to take her somewhere more than two hours away from Manila, to see how she is on vacation.

Looks like she's fine with long drives.

We left Friday around 9:30 AM from Quezon City. We had planned to have lunch at Matutina's in Urdaneta, but we got there past noon and the place was FULL. So we decided to drive on. Panda remembered that there was a Mang Inasal in Pozorrubio, so we first bought some corn to tide us over until we could have lunch. But Mang Inasal was also overflowing with people, so we drove on to Rosario where we finally had lunch at Chowking.

We arrived in Baguio at around 3PM. It was the first time we stayed at The Forest Lodge, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the one-bedroom we booked was very spacious. The sofa in the living area was quite roomy, and made for a good bed for Yaya, who stayed with us in the room. The room was bigger than Manor's one-bedroom suite, we got it cheaper, plus it includes a buffet breakfast. When it comes to hotel deals, the Panda has really got it down.

Living and dining area (from the bedroom)

The biggie sofa that can serve as an extra bed. Say hi to the ball!

Our kalat at the closet area.

Our kalat at the TV area in the bedroom. First time I've seen this room layout in a hotel, with the TV in the center of the room.

Our kalat in the two queen beds. Kalat ko lang pala.

We made sure to pack sweaters and long sleeves and sleepsacks for the Ball. She likes the cold, unlike her mama. Still, we didn't want her to be uncomfortable in the cold Baguio weather. It's a good thing she had a surplus of clothes, because she peed through her pajamas and sleepsack the first night while the Panda was changing her diaper. Sigh.

One of our favorite places to go to whenever we're in Baguio is the Cantinetta cafe by Illy. It's beside Starbucks near Camp John Hay, the one not in Technohub. We like it there because unlike the Starbucks next door, the place is always quiet and cool. People prefer Starbucks so there's almost always no people when we go, which is how we like it. Besides, I like Illy coffee better than Starbucks.

We brought along the Ball with us, while the rest of the barangay stayed at the room to rest for a bit. She liked looking out the open window at the trees and feeling the cool breeze.

Audrey having an Adele moment

Hello, it's me!

When we were babyless, we used to bring our laptops and do some work or some other stuff at Illy (which has free wifi), and stay there for a while. A baby on vacation really does change a lot of your schedule. Right after we finished our pizza and coffee, we decided to head back to the hotel before Audrey got cranky.

Outside Cantinetta

The next day we went to Good Shepherd to buy ube jam and some of their other products. We also took some pictures around the area.

Audrey wondering where we are and why she has a bonnet on.

Mama and Ball

Afterwards, we went around the shops near Mines View. It was 11AM and getting hot, though, and I felt Audrey getting a bit warm. She had on a onesie under her long-sleeved pajamas, and I was wearing her so she had on extra layers. We went home afterwards.

NEXT on the blog: Places we ate at. Sarap!