The Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City is number 1 in my
28 Things at 28. I have been to Baguio several times but I never had the chance
to catch the flower-studded floats that make their way through the streets of
Baguio City every February.
At 10:30 in the evening of February 23, 2013, Dex and I
were comfortably seated on board Dagupan bus bound for Baguio City. We were unquestionably
saturated that after a few glimpse of Cubao, we were awaken by the conductor’s
voice, “Baguio na! Baguio na! Hanggang dito na lang po.” Wow! It was 3:30am. We
were in deep sleep all throughout the ride! So with grainy red eyes, we folded
our malongs, grabbed our bags and alighted.
We headed straight to Jollibee to warm ourselves and to
eat breakfast. We were amazed by the sight of people sleeping by the side walk.
Teenagers. Adults. Children. 1 y/o being the youngest I have seen (I think). We
were supposed to take a nap at Jollibee after we ate but the thought of the
growing crowd pushed us out. We surveyed the nearby streets and we found no
place for us. There were vacant spaces but were already “reserved”! Imagine
that! So we walked and walked and walked until finally, we settled ourselves at
the intersection. There, we stood and waited for the parade and for the sun.
Then it’s 8:00am! Marshalls and police officers secured
the area with ropes to provide space for big floats and to contain the
spectators at the sidewalk. When the colors came, everyone was excited! Some
clapped. Others cheered. I jumped!
There were 19 gorgeous floats. They were really big and
beautiful! I can just imagine the process of putting the flowers together
weaving them into patters and different designs! That must have been very laborious.
A brief dragon dance ended the float parade. People from
opposite streets merged and made their way to different directions reminding me
of my first sight of Divisoria! But here, it’s not hot of course.
At 11:30am, we took our lunch at Ebai’s. We had a
breakfast set and pansit because lunch is not ready yet.
Meet-a-friend.
It has been three or four years since I last saw ate
Jack. Now, she is married. With her is my godson, Aidan. We had lunch at
Jollibee in SM and did a short “catching-ups”. After she handed us our ticket back to Manila,
Dex and I waited for a cab until our patience ran out.
Siesta
The plan was to explore Camp John Hay. But we settled for
Burnham Park instead. Traffic and transportation did not favour us that time. The
effects of lack of sleep started to creep as we walk to the lake at Burnham.
The sight of families camping under the trees lured our drooping eyes and in no
time, the grass kissed our back, our eyes shut. After an hour, we woke up to
the roasting heat of the sun.
Merienda
At last we found a cab. Although the traffic was slow, we
reached Camp John Hay. Pizza and fruit shakes soothed us from our scorching nap.
Sunday
Sundays are for the Lord. We attended the 6:00pm mass at
the cathedral. The priest delved into the significance of the celebration, its
impact to the society and how aspiring leaders took advantage of it. While it
is true that we must all be aware of politics and our system of government, I
submit that such is not appropriate to be brought for discussion inside the
church specially so when no one could ever rebut.
Session in Bloom
After mass, we walked along Session Road. It is closed to
traffic. Food and souvenir stalls occupy the streets. It was the first night of
the week-long bazaar.
Waiting for the
ride home
We were set to travel back to Manila at 1:00am. We still
have 5 hours. Because Session Road is not yet in full bloom, we went to SM, had
dinner and watched Bruce Willis’ A Good Day To Die Hard.
The Joy Bus
At Php665, we were cradled by a lazy boy and a blanket
with a bottle of mineral water and biscuits! There’s an attendant too! But the
ride was too swift (though steady) for me to rest.
Manila
We arrived at 6:00am, Monday. We arrived at our
respective offices just in time! ;)
Our Actual Itinerary
10:30pm Depart Manila for Baguio via Dagupan Bus Php445/pax
3:30am Baguio City. Breakfast.
8:00am Parade started
11:30am Parade ended. Lunch
12:30nn Meet a friend
2:00pm Roasted at Burnham
3:30pm Merienda at Camp John Hay
6:00pm Attended mass
7:30pm Checked the stalls at Session Road
8:30pm Dinner at SM
9:20pm A Good Day To Die Hard
11:30pm Checked-in at Genesis Terminal Joy Bus Php665/pax
1:00am Manila-bound
