Last June 8-9, we held our team building activity in Baguio. It was a short trip, but we've managed to squeeze into our schedule the must-see places in Baguio! :)

GO-TO PLACES! 

LION'S HEAD

Photo opt with the Lion's head!

It is a famous attraction along Kennon Road. Don't forget to take a photo with it, since it's just along your way to Baguio City proper! :))

CAMP JOHN HAY

Another famous tourist attraction in Baguio is Camp John Hay, which primarily contributes to why Baguio was known as "Little America." It is the former rest and recreational facility for the US Armed Forces, and later developed into modern structures like resorts, parks, and hotels. It is also where you could find famous attractions like The Manor, Bell Amphitheater, Bell House, Eco-trail, Secret Garden and Lost Cemetery.

CEMETERY OF NEGATIVISM

Also known as the Lost Cemetery, this is not the typical cemetery we often got to on All Saint's day. You can find here different tombstones where negative vibes were buried, instead of dead people. The place was really striking since the messages engraved in the tombstones were deep and meaningful.

It was said that the messages 'buried' in each tombstone represents the negative thoughts of the soldiers back in the 1980's. They were asked to bury these since negativity can make the soldiers unproductive and may limit their potential, hence make them weak! It can be a good practice, instead of doing bad things or worse, committing suicide due to suppressed emotions!

BELL HOUSE/AMPHITHEATER

In front of the Bell House

The former vacation house of General Franklin Bell, converted into a museum of American colonial architecture and lifestyle. The furniture and fixtures were still in place and gives a vintage feel! I felt like I was transported to the ancient times! Hehe :)

Bell Amphitheater

Outside the house is the amphitheater which also serves as a historical site in Baguio. It was very picturesque and can be a nice place to chill and relax with the amazing view.

TAM-AWAN VILLAGE

Tam-awan!

It is a museum-ish village showcasing the Cordilleran culture and art thru paintings, traditional huts, and Ifugao art. It is another place which can give you a historic feel with the ambiance, structures and scenes. 

With Ms. Rea

NPPD girls on the bridge!

BENCAB MUSEUM

In front of BenCab

One of the most famous museums in the Philippines today, BenCab Museum is owned by the National Artist Ben Cabrera. The 4-level museum showcases BenCab's art collection made by himself and other known contemporary artists in the country.

Whoa there!

'Whoa' some more!

 Probably the most famous (and controversial) part of the museum was the Erotica gallery which houses different art forms depicting erotic scenes, hence the name of the gallery. It is where people often goof around when posing for souvenir photos! Hehe.

The Sad Republic

Wasn't able to take good photos of the "Ode to the Flag" exhibit displayed when we visited the museum, but the photo above was my favorite among others. The exhibit was in commemoration of the upcoming Independence day (June 12) of the Philippines.

MT. CLOUD BOOKSHOP

Signage pointing to Mt. Cloud!

For book lovers like me, this bookshop is heaven! This is where you can find affordable novels and books by local Filipino authors, which are indeed very good reads!

View from the 2nd level of the bookshop.

FOOD TRIPS!

CHOCO-LATE DE BATIROL

Entrance of the garden.

Of all the strolling and sight-seeing we've done, we finally headed to the Choco-late de Batirol Garden  Restaurant known for their signature hot 'tsokolate' drink made from local cacao beans, which is really perfect for Baguio's chilly weather. Besides their famous drink, they also serve meals suitable for breakfast in combination with their hot tsokolate.

YUMMY!

I tried their Bibingka and Almond Tsokolate. One bibingka is good for two not-so-hungry people, already! Hehe.

Check out their delicious rice meals (and other dishes)!

And of course, variety of tsokolate's to choose from!

Check out their menu for more affordable dishes! Your Baguio trip won't be complete without dining in here!

KETCHUP FOOD COMMUNITY

Hello, Kuya Photobomber! :))

The Ketchup Food Community consists of 5 restaurants which cater different dishes-- Canto, Green Pepper, Happy Tummy, Rancho Norte and Rumah Sate. You can dine anywhere and cross-order with the other restaurants for more food choices! Our group dined at Rumah Sate, a Thai restaurant. since other restau's were fully-occupied. Others (including me) ordered from Canto since we were not up for some Thai food. 

Time for a groufie! :)

Canto Burger. Not endorsing UFC ketchup, btw!!! :))

I ordered the classic Canto Burger which was tasty and affordable (fairly large for a P190-worth meal). The others ordered half-slab ribs with mashed potato (or rice, your choice) which were also very affordable and delicious!! Canto's dishes were generally topnotch! :) The red iced tea was ordered from Rumah.

The others who ordered in Rumah were not greatly satisfied since according to them, the dishes do not taste like authentic Thai food. But anyway, no time for regrets!

Overall, our team building activity (slash 'gala') was very fun! We got to see a lot of famous places in Baguio eventhough we only stayed there overnight. The photo above was taken in the place where we stayed at-- Europa Condominiums-- which was really spacious and clean. :D

Project Pie is a famous custom pizza restaurant, known for DIY-ing your own ordered pizza! You have 8 standard pizzas to choose from the menu, and you can add all the available toppings you want for a very affordable prize!

All the while I thought that the pizzas in Project Pie are quite pricey, but I was wrong! For only PHP285, you can avail one pizza and add toppings free of charge!

Iyah, Tin and I ordered three different pizzas and a salad, all for sharing!

#5. Mozzarella, ricotta, gorgonzola, parmesan,
cracked black pepper, olive oil, garlic, and fresh chopped basil.

#2. Pepperoni, italian sausage, crumbled meatballs,
mozzarella, signature red sauce and garlic.

Choco S'mores with Nutella - PHP 145

Classic Caesar - PHP 225

We didn't customize much of our orders since we're all too lazy and too hungry to think. We only added bacon to #5 (since a 4-cheese pizza wasn't salty enough. Haha!) We were so full after finishing all dishes, and loved most the Choco S'mores (obviously) :))) It was also good that we included salad in our meal, to neutralize all the oiliness and sweetness of the pizza. Haha!

I also loved the interiors of the place. The tables and chairs were strategically placed, the lights add up to the cozy ambiance, and even the walls were customized. If only there were not much people, I would've gathered the courage to take an #ootd photo with the wall decors as my background! Hahaha!

Anyhow, our dinner/ catch-up session was definitely worth it and we're all willing to come back and try the other pizzas!

Wouldn't end this post without posting our groufie! Hehe <3

Til next pig out! :8 :)

Whenever I go to Buendia on Fridays, I usually pass by "Little Tokyo" in Pasong Tamo, Makati. I've always wanted to go there, however it's out of my way home (I live in Taguig) or I just randomly choose hanging out in Glorietta for easy transit.

But all thanks to my ramen craving and also to my officemates (May and Tin) who wanted Japanese dinner, I've finally experienced the Little Tokyo rage! Aside from the authentic Japanese restaurants nestled in the compound, it's also an ideal place for those who can only hangout after office hours since majority of the restaurants are open only during peak hours (i.e., lunch and dinner time).

Photo from google :)

Coming from our office in Taguig, we're only a ride away from Little Tokyo. We immediately entered the compound and chose to dine at Ha Na. Since we got there by 7 PM, it was crowded so we sat outside, at the restau's patio.

I ordered Miso Ramen while Tin and May opted for Shoyu Ramen. Ramens are good for 1-2 persons if you do not eat much during dinner; and also, if you have other dishes to try out ;)

Miso Ramen - P220

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a photo of the Shoyu but it looks more enticing than the Miso (and costs a little cheaper, P200). Haha! I was also quite disappointed with the latter since I was expecting a soup with lighter consistency, and not much of the veggies! It actually looks and tastes like Pinoy Chop Seuy!

Anyway, after serving the ramen, rain suddenly poured hard so we transferred inside the restaurant. Luckily, a group of friends were already done eating, making the space already available for us! :)

We also ordered Futo Maki, which means "fat" or "thick" roll. It then didn't disappoint since it was shockingly huge, and were too big to eat in only one bite. Haha!

Futo Maki - P300

We also tried their Salmon Sashimi. I love all kinds of sashimi so I cannot give an unbiased opinion. They also have Tuna and Squid Sashimi if you want to try something different.

Salmon Sashimi - P350

And to complete the set, we ordered Gyoza to neutralize our palettes. Forgot to take a photo tho!! But it costs P195, i think. :)

After eating, we were feeling so full but upon seeing the Dojo Dairy stall, we didn't think twice on buying! Lelz. Haha! Dojo is known for its Japanese ice cream made with Hokkaido milk. Learn more about Dojo here. Hehe. :))

8 oz - P270

We bought the green tea flavored ice cream. 8 oz was already enough for us three since we just want to taste what's different from Dojo among all other Japanese ice cream manufacturers. True enough, Dojo is satisfyingly delicious! :)

Overall, our quick Japanese food trip was laudable! My craving for ramen however wasn't fully satisfied, but the other dishes made up for its shortcoming. (Haha! Shortcoming talagaaa? :))

Here's our group photo before the rain poured! Haha. We'll definitely go back! :)