DAY FOURRR! STRAWBERRY FARM! This is actually not in Baguio anymore but in La Trinidad. Still in the province of Benguet but a different municipality. I just had to mention this. Nakakatawa kasi how I thought before that "Baguio" is the province itself. Hehe! Pasensya na, mahina lang sa geography. :P

So for our last day, we headed to Strawberry Farm to.. guess what?? Pick strawberries!!! Hahaha! You can actually just buy strawberries outside for P250 per small basket but where's the fun in that, right? So we decided to pick the berries ourselves. The twist? It will become P400 per basket if you're going to pick them yourself. The strawberries kasi are very delicate and they have to consider the wastage from casual pickers. And come on, a difference of P150 for the experience? Definitely not bad!

More than anything, I loved seeing Mithy enjoy the experience. Feeling ko, hindi na ako nakapag-pick ng strawberries sa kakapicture ko sa kanya. Haha! But seriously, it's hard to explain. It just feels so good to be an instrument for the welfare of the kids. Just so you have an idea, I am the greatest aunt ever buying everything for the kids -- food, toiletries, books, clothes, shoes, toys, lahat! I bring them to places, I let them experience things. But the thing is, we have a little family drama going on. But I guess no matter how angry and disappointed I am right now, I'd always wish for the kids' well-being. Ano ba 'to! Enough of that. I'd probably write a life update in the coming days but for now, let's get this over and done with. Must work on the backloggsss! Hahaha! 

If I am going to elaborate more on the experience, it's not exactly easy 'cause first of all you have to walk on sticky mud. I repeat, sticky mudddd! Haha! You can opt to wrap your shoes in plastic (they're for free), but it doesn't make walking any easier. Eventually you'll let go of the plastic wrap 'cause sale-salengkwang na sya! Hahaha! Did I really just use that word on the blog? I did? Oops! 

And then there's the narrow aisle between the rows of strawberry forbs. Gusto ko nang maginarte ng, "ayoko ng masikip! ayoko ng maputik!" Hahaha! Yes, that was a Maricel Soriano line. Hehe! But anyway, there are thin bamboo arcs naman that you can hold on to. And of course, even if it wasn't easy-peasy, it's still worth experiencing. Although our mom and 6-month old Aya had to skip it. Understandable, right?

After the strawberry picking, we went back to Baguio to have lunch in Good Taste Cafe. And it didn't disappoint, the food tasted good indeed! Hahaha! We all agreed that if we're going to rank all the restos we ate in, Good Taste will come first, then Balajadia in Slaughter House, and lastly Rancho Norte in Ketchup Community. 

Also, papi got to see another good friend before we head home -- Councilor Peter Fianza. It was nice of him to actually drop by in Good Taste just to see my father. I felt like our Baguio trip was a success. We got to bring papi in the old places he's been to, and he met two old friends -- Tito Jun and Tito Peter. 

I actually plan to bring papi next to Ilocos 'cause it's where he was born. And then probably after that, Davao naman for my mom. But of course, I have to save first. Yun talaga yun eh. Hahaha! But honestly, it feels good na pinaghihirapan mo. You get to value every experience more. You can to celebrate each victory more. See? It's just a matter of perspective. So let's always choose to see the good. ♡

Anddd it's Baguio day 3 on the blog today! First stop was Baguio Dairy Farm. Another cousin happens to work and live there but aside from visiting the relatives, we were hoping to chance upon papi's old friend, Tito Jun. And boyyy, we were lucky! Personally, I was so happy to see my father reunite with an old pal. Nakakatuwa lang silang tignan. I'm a self-confessed father's girl so it's something big for me. I feel like kahit papano, nakabawi ako sa kanya by bringing him to Baguio. And with our entire family in tow! 

Did you watch the video? Mithril's playmate was Ridwan, ate Grace's baby boy. They clicked instantly 'cause our dear Mithy plays like a boy! Haha! We can only wish that the cousins get to play more often. Distance sucks, eh?

Next stop, Mines View Park! We made the most out of the perfect view by taking tons of photos by the observatory deck. I had fun taking snaps of the Bear Family (that's how we call my brother's family. Haha!) 'cause I made them wear matching outfits -- YET AGAIN. The kids are my real-life dolls and at times, nadadamay pati magulang nila. Haha! They can't do anything about it though 'cause I shop for their clothes too! Aren't they so lucky to have me? Hahaha! Kidding! But yeah, they're lucky. 

We made sure to have our photo taken with the famous St. Bernard too. Meanwhile, the craziest of them all a.k.a my sister Anit, rented Igorot clothing and started doing silly poses. After a while, Mariss got inggit and dressed herself in native clothing too. I skipped it 'cause I already did it back in 2011 when I went to Sagada with friends and had a short side trip in Baguio. And yes, I'm linking up my old blog as much as I can. Shameless plugging right hereee. :P

For lunch we went to the famous Ketchup Community and ate in Rancho. It's crazy how few months after, the food park had to close. Although, I don't get the fuss over this food place. We were honestly not happy with our dining experience. The food was mediocre and get this -- there were a lot of flies! Nakakaloka! They ended up teasing me about my restaurant of choice. Talo daw ng Slaughter House ni papi yung Ketchup Community ko. Papi - 1, Apple - 0.

It was a pretty long day 'cause after lunch, we then headed to Wright Park. Another park = More photo ops! Haha! Let's admit it, it really is inevitable now that everyone's hooked to social media. I actually just read an article reminding us to immerse ourselves more in nature; to connect and feel more deeply rather than to busy ourselves in documenting what we do for the purpose of posting in social media platforms for everyone to ogle at. So true. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling at the park. Before heading home, we dropped by Botanical Gardens but not everyone was game to explore the place. We were all tired by then so after a quick peek we decided to head home. It was another day well-spent with family in the beautiful place of Bagyoww. 

DAY TWOOO! ✌️ We had our breakfast in our accommodation lang because we were on a budget. Haha! We went to the market on the first day and we decided that we'd cook for breakfasts and dinners. It was the parentals' idea, actually. I originally listed down a lot of restaurants to try but our parents have always been against the idea of eating out. Kahit for birthdays. My father would always say, "kung nagluto na lang sana tayo sa bahay".  Fine, then.

We went out of the house at around 10am and headed to Burnham Park. We instantly saw strawberry taho vendors and I was so giddy. I first tried it back in 2011 and I really liked it. Sabi ko nga, bakit walang strawberry taho vendors sa Manila? Hahaha!

After we were done with our morning treat, we then headed to the boating area. I forgot how much boating costs but I'm pretty sure that everyone who can afford to go to Baguio can afford the boating experience. (Let's just put it that way 'cause hindi ko talaga maalala. :P) The boatman positioned us very carefully 'cause aside from being a big group, some of us are literally BIG too. Hahaha! We were quick to go back though 'cause mom is being praning. 

We stayed longer at the park for more photo ops. I wanted to take decent shots of the kids but we all know that it's close to impossible, if not completely impossible. Haha! I made them wore twinning denim dresses this time. 

For lunch, we looked for the Slaughter House -- another one from papi's Baguio stories. He used to eat there daw with his friends and he even have this gang war kwento about the place. It's not hard to believe though 'cause my father really used to be a basagulero. Yung tipong sakit sa ulo ng nanay nya. Haha!

Anyway, the place used to be a real slaughter house but now it's a compound that houses several eateries, Balajadia Kitchenette being the most famous one. And I must say that it's famous for a reason, they indeed serve good food. The bakareta (beef caldereta) is a must-try.

Next stop was Baguio Cathedral. We attended the ongoing mass but the church was full so we had to stay outside. After the mass, we tried to recreate an old photo of the parents but we couldn't find the exact place where they took it. Haha! What can we expect after several decades, right?

To cap off the day, we visited our cousin, kuya Ge, who lives in Baguio with his family. It was nice to finally meet his lovely wife and their adorable kiddos. ♡