BACK TO THE CITY OF PINES: PART 1 / MAY 23-26,2009 =D

May was a busy, busy month as far as family bonding is concerned. As early as last year's trip to Donsol and CWC, Sister Pusjing and I were already discussing where we would want to go this year. We said, maybe we can take the rest of our immediate family for our 2009 Summer trip. We were concerned that Mother, these days, really hates going on long trips, but we thought, maybe (just maybe), she'd enjoy going back to Baguio. Besides, none of the kids have been there yet. =)

And so we found ourselves back in the City of Pines for Mother's birthday weekend. Yey! =D

As soon as the parents and Bro I-gue consented, we started scouting around for a place to stay, but the Manor (at Camp John Hay) was priced at ridiculously peak levels (it is summer, after all). We were unfamiliar with any of the other hotels in Baguio, and Pines Hotel (where we would traditionally stay when we were kids) has since burned down and been replaced with that mini-version of a mall everyone calls SM.

Father saved the day at the last minute. Before he retired, they used to have a corporate account at the Baguio Country Club, and one his friends so kindly offered to help us book a place there as his guests. Wooooohooooooo!!! This was shaping up to be a great weekend. Whereas downtown Baguio has been overturned by pollution, grime and traffic, staying within the BCC and CJH vicinity, I knew, can still give one a sense (albeit, slightly false) that Baguio is still the way it used to be. =)

So thanks to the collaboration of Father and Tito Manny, we were able to stay at one of the BCC cottages (right across the BCC grounds). It was gorgeous--especially so because it was surrounded by hundreds of pine trees! So gorgeous, in fact, that when Patita and Ray*-B rushed in, both squealed giddily with Patita exclaiming, "Ooooooooh, this is more than I could ever hope for!" Haha. Yes. =D

Following is the view from one of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. It was so gorgeous (especially awashed in cool morning mist), I actually started shifting my dreams of owning a row of practical condos/apartments for rents to owning a vacation house just like it (except that it would have to be somewhere nearer like, maybe, Tagaytay so the family can choose to go anytime without much hassle. =)). It soooooooo goes against my principle of building passive income, but what the heck! For the weekend, I allowed myself to dream. =)

Now, we were a group of nine adults plus three kids and the cottage was surprisingly big enough for all of us (with room to spare!). It had three big rooms, three T&B plus a maid's quarter with a double-deck and its own T&B!

We knew we would all be staying in one cottage and was not expecting to have that much space. Thankfully, there was more than enough. I mean, even the loft landing had a sofa bed that can be stretched out if ever additional sleeping space was required.

Push comes to shove, people can even hang-out in the two living room sofas which were big, roomy and comfy enough for sleep in. (This was a pic of the living room, taken from the loft.)

The kitchen was also fully equipped. Ref, range, microwave, coffee maker, a full set of pots, pans and utensils + plates, utensils, glasses, cups and saucers. It was complete. So we ended up getting breakfast groceries at SM and ended up preparing them ourselves every morning so we don't have to dress-up just to cross over to the BCC breakfast buffet in the main clubhouse. We're on vacation after all. It makes no sense to be required to dress up just to eat breakfast. =) We knew that no fancy breakfast buffet would ever beat having a leisurely breakfast with the family while you're still in your jammies, sipping a steaming hot cup of mountain coffee amidst the cool Baguio morning breeze. Mother of course would say that the one thing that would top that was the fact that she did not have to wake up early to cook breakfast for all of us! Haha. Everyone took turns on kitchen duty as Mother was not allowed to enter the kitchen all weekend. It was, after all, her birthday weekend. Belated Happy B, Mother! =)

Staying at the BCC cottages was like literally having our own vacation house for the weekend.

And, yes--yes, indeed. It was really more than we could all ever hope for. =D