The Baguio tradition – and a ride up north – three decades ago

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Conclusion

ESIDES the cool climate, there is no place like Baguio City. is the most un-Spanish of the being a purely American colonial

regulars come summer and Christmas are echoes of the past -- the greatly reduced pine cover, the loss of

of water, lack of parking, the price of strawberries and grass brooms in the must-visit Baguio market, helter-skelter zoning, Kennon road diversions, the

hours to get to city center from the Kennon exit toll

just a narrow two-way winding lane, undulating with hairpins and paved with patchy tar and aggregate, and also on Session and known for its caesar salad and mango jubilee, always needed bookings in advance. - ing, night-time show bands at Halfway House, bingo

American military. But the genuine oasis of calm and hushed murmurings of the aristocracy was the pine-clad and exclusive Baguio Country Club with its like Gov. Pack Road, Kisad Road, Upper Session Road, Leonard Wood and winding Outlook Drive and South Drive were the typical tar and “blast” aggregate (dynamited from nearby mines) pavement found all over the area, essentially the same kind of paving Col. Ken- Baguio. With the death of the railroad, Asin became better known for its mountain sulfur springs with claimed healing powers.

Adventures beyond Baguio City, like the worldfamous Banaue rice terraces and the quaint “episcopal” mountain village called Sagada had long unpaved roads as access, so booking a bus ride was better than battering the family car. Closer to Bagiuo were the beaches of Poro Point, La Union and San Fabian, Pangasinan. Nearby Trinidad valley, known for its vegetables and strawberries, is even older than Baguio City and was where the Spaniards established a cantonment. An annual event that attracted its fair share of attendees was the Philippine Military Academy graduation in Fort del Pilar.

- inces of Pangasinan, La Union, Abra, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte) we decided to do a round trip covering Baguio and Laoag, Ilocos Norte, a total

nor the Bangui windmills to visit then although Ilocos Norte had the memorabilia of the Irene discovered by the UN as a place worthy of historical preservation. Marcos monuments in Ilocos Norte, like the man-made lake of Malacanang ti Amianan (Malacanang of the North) and the Fort Ilocandia hotel that housed the guests at the Irene-Greggy wedding were still fresh and were being maintained by volunteers

the Marcos treasures and cut off any maintenance fund-

cuisine could come so cheap.

At around this time, there were murmurs of new beach paradises in Puerto Galera and Mamburao an island hop away in Mindoro. Further into the Visayas,

had just gained a Club Panoly. The Queen City of Cebu, which always prided itself in not doing things the Manila way and blessed with great regional air connections, was pulling resort seekers to the beaches of nearby Mactan island.

Through Marcos cousin Michael Keon, meanwhile, motorsports survived under the alcogas program and