Michi Photostory

We stayed at Azalea Hotels and Residences when we went to Baguio last April. The room package includes complimentary breakfast for 4 persons at Tradisyon restaurant. From the name itself, it serves Filipino dishes and some international foods.


Breakfast 

We just came from our 6 Days Trip in Bangkok so I was really happy when I saw the different Filipino meals in their buffet spread. I love Filipino dishes so namiss ko talaga ang adobo, dried fish, daing na bangus, pansit, tapa and many more. They have salad, bread, main dishes, dessert, soup, fruits, drinks and omelet station. I just have limited photos because the restaurant was crowded, maybe because it was long weekend.





The restaurant was not that big so it is better to eat early or else ang tagal niyo maghihintay ng vacant tables. On our first day, we’re just lucky kasi dalawa lang kami ng anak ko so naisingit pa kami pero yung ibang guests, ang tagal talaga naghintay. I was a little bit disappointed because when I ordered omelet, tapos na ko kumain, wala pa rin. I made followed up pa, more than 30 minutes ang waiting, parang di naman nasunod yung listahan. Hindi din ako nag-iisa, the two tables on my left and right nagrereklamo na rin sa tagal. Yung isa, pinacancel na rin niya yung omelet kasi tapos na rin siya kumain.


Timing naman, the staff gave me a survey sheet so I wrote about that incident. Hehehe! The following day, may changes agad. Okay na yung pag-order sa omelet station and we even requested for bacon. Yes, the bacon is not included in their buffet spread but you can order without additional charge.

Lunch 



Since I was lazy to go out, my son and I ate lunch at Tradisyon Restaurant. They have brunch buffet but I’ve been eating a lot of buffet meals so I chose a la carte meals. I ordered pinakbet, rice, and chicken and spaghetti (kid’s meal). While waiting the staff gave me fruits pa, complimentary daw.


My son doesn’t like spaghetti so they I asked them to replace it with rice but the staff told me, same price pa rin. I have no choice but to agree kahit alam ko na wala pa P100 ang Chicken Joy meal sa Jollibee. Hehehe!


I was surprised when they served the pinakbet, good for three persons. Waah! So take-out na lang, since we have microwave in the room naman. I forgot the exact price but I paid P500+ for our meal so napaisip ko, sana nagbrunch buffet na lang kami. Hehehe! The food is good naman and ang dami din nila walk-in guests. They also give discount and cake for birthday celebrants, at that moment ang dami may birthday.


Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

Tradisyon Pinoy Comfort Food
No. 7 Leonard Wood Loop,
Brgy. Manuel Roxas, Baguio City 2600

We went to Baguio without itinerary because I just have no time to prepare and our trip fell on our coding day pa so I thought we will just stay in the hotel. We can commute naman but there were occasional rainshowers during our visit so baka mahirapan din kami. While researching, we found out that there are certain areas in Baguio that we can still access and we just need to avoid the CBD area.


We checked-out early and we started our tour in Camp John Hay. If you remember my Manor Hotel review, my husband discovered the Historical Core Tour in CJH so we decided to check it out. There is an entrance fee, no tour guide, no flyers so you can just tour the place on your own.

Read: The Manor Hotel 

Entrance Fee 

Standard Fee: P60
BLISTT Residence P40
Senior Citizen/Students/PWDs P30
Photoshoot Fee P1000

There are seven tourist spots that you can check, unfortunately, the Bell House Library Museum was under construction during our visit. If you want to know more about Camp John Hay or if you love history, you will enjoy this tour. It is a walking tour so expect na hihingalin kayo sa paglalakad especially sa history trail.

Watch the video here.

1. The Bell House
2. The Bell House Library Museum
3. The Bell House Amphitheater
4. Cemetery of Negativism
5. The Secret Garden
6. Totem Pole
7. History Trail

The Bell House 



The All American themed house of Major General James Franklin Bell. He designed this house and other structures in Camp John Hay. It gives scenic view of mountain ranges, pine forests, and manicured lawns and gardens.

The Bell Amphitheater 

“Where your whisper is heard”


Major General J. Franklin Bell personally designed and supervised the construction of the Bell Amphitheater. It was completed in May 1913. It is a perfect backdrop for all occasions like wedding.

Cemetery of Negativism 


It is also known as Pet Cemetery or Lost Cemetery, it is a symbolic burial place of man’s greatest self-imposed infliction, limiting factor and heaviest burden. It is designed by Base Commander Major John High Tower. It is one of the popular sites in Historical Core, I learned about this because of the TV series that I watched before “Forevermore”

The Secret Garden 

“A calm rest with nature” A perfect place to make promises or whisper prayers to the elements.

Totem Pole 


It is made by Ernesto Dul-Ang who was employed by the camp as a wood carver. The Totem Pole has the image of leaders who helped shape the development and history of Baguio City, Camp John Hay, and the Philippines in general. They are Admiral George Dewey, General Emilio Aguinaldo, Pres. William Howard Taft, Secretary John Milton Hay, William Cameron Forbes, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, Major General Franklin Bell, Lt. Col. Lyman W. Kennon, Mayor James Hanselma, and General Douglas McArthur.

History Trail 

Learning the history of Camp John Hay while taking a walk under the pine canopy. Take time to read the history posted along the way. It is approximately 500 meters in distance so it is a walking tour that my son did not enjoy. Hehehe!


After our Historical Core Tour, I saw the Statue Liberty and I was really surprised because I’ve been to Camp John Hay for the nth time but it was only last April that I saw this statue. Oh di ba, no need to go to France, meron dito na kapareho ng statue nila.

The Statue of Liberty 

The Statue of Liberty portrays the figure of a woman who had just won her freedom. The torch in her right hand is a light to others to follow. The law book in her left is a symbol of justice. Broken shackles lie at her feet as she steps forward to enlighten the world.


The Statue of Liberty at Camp John Hay erected on December 1981 stands exactly 48” high - the same as the original located at Point de Grenelle Bridge in Siene, Paris, France as symbolic and beautiful as her sisters.

We did not stay long at CJH because the rain started to pour again. Buti na lang natapos namin ang Historical Core Tour before umulan.

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

We’re supposed to eat lunch at the Food Camp but because of the rain hindi na natuloy. So we decided to go to a different restaurant but we’re having a hard time looking for parking, parking is always full. We were really hungry so kahit saan pwede na pero punuan talaga. We were losing hope so we went straight to Good Shepherd Convent to buy pasalubong first, then we started looking for a restaurant again.


We passed by Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna and I remembered that this is one of the Top 10 Restaurant in Baguio and finally, we were able to park. Yey, merienda time na yata so nalipasan na kami ng gutom. Lol I love the interiors of the restaurant, the combination of blue, white and yellow colors. There are a lot of tables but the best spot is at the balcony because you have the view of the mountains and pine trees. And like I said, it is a good spot so sometimes di kami makaconcentrate sa pagkain kasi bigla may pwepwesto sa gilid namin para mapapicture sila with the view. Waah!





The staff gave us the menu, it’s been years since the last time we tried Greek food so it was a challenge to choose meal. We ordered Greek Village Sausage P180, Grilled Steak P410, Greek Style Spaghetti P260 and Classic Baklava P160. They have a special menu too where you can order lamb rack, seafood platter, Angus beef, beef giouvetsi and lamb giouvetsi that is good for two, four or six persons.



The meals are good for sharing. I was worried that my son would not like the sausage but I was glad that it was not spicy. For the grilled steak meal, it includes vegetables and a choice of fries, plain rice, lemon pila,f or pita, I chose fries. I enjoyed my grilled steak, there is a distinct flavor so siguro ito yung Greek or Mediterranean taste.

My husband enjoyed his spaghetti, it is not the usual red spaghetti. The pasta is already filling because of the big chunk of beef sirloin and generous mozzarella cheese. I love cheesecake so I ordered Baklava Cheesecake but it was not available so I chose Classic Baklava instead. It is a delicate dessert made of thin paper-like dough called Phyllo filled with chopped nuts and sweet honey syrup. It is not the usual dessert that I eat but it was good.



Overall, we were satisfied with the meal and service. The only thing I don’t like is yung bill-out, ang tagal talaga. Uwing-uwi na kami, parang gusto ko ako na magcompute para sa kanya. Nagmanual computation pa sila in the end, I don’t know why.

Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna
26 Outlook Drive, Baguio City
Open daily from 11AM to 10PM

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

Happy Independence Day! Today is a holiday but because of the heavy rains, we’re stuck at home and enjoying the bed weather. This reminds me of our Baguio trip last April. After our Historical Core Tour in Camp John Hay, we passed by Food Camp in front of Baguio Country Club so we checked it out. Parking is limited, fortunately, we got a slot.


Food Camp at the Baguio Country Club is the new attraction in Baguio that offers local and international dishes such as Japanese, American, Mediterranean, Mexican, Chinese, and of course Filipino. You can see camping area, bonfire, log cabin, go-kart, and food stalls.


The Christmas Village is now Food Camp. It is the first and only food camp in the city. There is no entrance fee and will be open to public from February 14, 2018 until June 2018. But I learned that they already closed the food camp last May 31, 2018.

Opening Hours 
5PM to 10PM (Weekdays)
10AM to 11PM (Weekends and Holidays)





My son tried the Go Kart but after one round, the rain began to pour. Sayang! Since it is an al fresco dining restaurant, hindi na kami naglunch and I just bought bread. I bought banana bread, carrot bread and raisins bread. We liked the banana bread. My son and I did not like the carrot bread, we prefer the carrot cupcake that we tried at Hill Station. But my husband liked the carrot bread so binaon pa niya sa office. We gave the raisins bread to my in-laws since favorite nila ang raisin bread.


Baguio Country Club Food Camp Desserts by Kate Reed’s 

P100 Almond Brownies
P100 Baked Cheesecake
P100 Baklava
P265 Banana Bread
P100 Blueberry Cheesecake
P290 Carrot Bread
P280 Cheese Bread
P100 Chocolate Mousse Cake
P100 Cookies
P50 Cream Puff
P50 Eclair
P100 Mini Cake Choco Truffle
P100 Mini Cake Red Velvet
P100 Panna Cotta (Mango)
P100 Panna Cotta (Strawberry)
P265 Raisin Bread


Now that the food camp is closed, I don’t know if I can still taste the BCC bread or desserts if ever we will go back to Baguio.

Read: 2 Days in Baguio 

My husband promised me that we will eat at Hill Station if ever we will go back to Baguio. Promises are not meant to be broken so after his seminar, we went straight to Hill Station. It was 5PM, parking is limited so it took us several minutes of waiting before we were able to park.

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio


There were a lot of empty tables but it was already reserved. We don’t have any reservation but fortunately, they accommodated us. The staff handed us the menu and even gave me a small table so I can put my handbag.


Read: Breakfast at Hill Station 

My husband already ate at this restaurant so we knew that they have big serving so we just ordered two dishes. I ordered Salpicao P595 and my husband ordered Soup of the Day P120 and Lechon Kawali with Laing sa Gata P370.


While waiting, they gave us complimentary bread which we liked, it was gone in 60 seconds. Lol Just ask the staff what is their soup of the day, I forgot the name of the soup but it was good.


After several minutes, our order came. The Salpicao meal has tenderloin cubes in garlic and olive oil, garlic rice and vegetables. It looks simple but when I tasted it, napasmile ako. I loved it, it was really tender and juicy. My son and I enjoyed our meal. My husband tried it and parang nagsisi siya na iba inorder niya. Hehehe!


The Lechon Kawali with Laing sa Gata meal has crispy belly pork, served with gabi leaves and cooked in coconut milk. The lechon kawali and laing are good but we all liked the Salpicao dish.


We’re so full already but my husband still ordered Carrot Cupcake with Cream Cheese icing P85. He tried this before and sarap na sarap siya so pinatikim niya sa amin. My son and I tried it, masarap nga. My son who is not fond of eating carrot, finish the cupcake. The cupcake was warm, mukhang fresh from the oven.


Don’t forget to order this if you are going to visit. Kung hindi lang kami coding, dadaan kami ng Hill Station just to buy some desserts before going home. As of this writing, I’m craving for these meals, how I wish tatlong tumbling lang ang Baguio.

Hill Station 
Open everyday 7AM to 10:30PM
Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Road
Baguio City, Philippines

Our summer vacation is about to end so I was cramming again. I bought my son’s uniform three weeks ago but after washing it, hindi ko na siya ginalaw. Hehehe! Iniisip ko kung ipapatahi ko ba o ako na lang magtatahi. I have sewing machine at home but I’m not confident with my sewing skills since konti pa lang nagagawa ko. I’m afraid na baka masira ko pa yung school pants ng anak ko, ang mahal pa naman ng uniform.

Read: The Day I Learned How to Sew 

But after watching YouTube videos nagkalakas na rin ko ng loob. It was funny because I forgot how to put thread in the bobbin and sewing machine, so aral ulit. When I was about to sew, I realized that my thread was insufficient for 4 school pants, so I told my husband I needed to go to the mall. Typhoon Domeng did not stop us, kelangan ko ng sinulid.

Jurassic World 


My husband and son were pleased because we could also watch a movie. My husband asked his parents if they wanted to watch a movie but they declined, may sarili silang lakad. So off we went to Southwoods Mall to watch Jurassic World. We knew that we were late for the 10:45AM first showing but my husband saw that there was an 11:10AM schedule so buzzer beater na naman kami. The movie fee is P300 (with popcorn and bottled water) so I guess, the rate depends on the movie or may price increase na. We just watched Avengers: Infinity War last month, P290 lang. You cannot choose the flavor of the popcorn, mas prefer ko yung popcorn last month, sour cream yata.

Hukad 


After watching the movie, I wanted to go home but my husband wanted to eat at Hukad. This branch was just opened last April 2018. He always visits Hukad whenever he is in Cebu and we also tried it during our trip. It was past 1PM so the restaurant was not full. Upon seated, we immediately browsed the menu and my husband said, wala daw yung inoorder niya.


I’m not sure if they have a different menu or we did not notice the dish on their menu. We just ordered Dinuguan P175+, Chicken Tinola P300+ and 3 Rice P65+. I was not able to take photos because when I went back to our table, busy na mag-ama ko sa pagkain so ito na lang natira. Hehehe!


The food was just okay for us, I was not happy with the Unli Rice for P65 because lugi kami dito. I hope they have an option na per cup lang. My son and I were not able to finish 1 cup of rice nga e. But if your family loves unlimited rice, then sulit itong Hukad sa inyo.

The last time we tried Hukad was two years ago pa, so I was surprised with the price increase or iba presyo sa Luzon? Well, the price is budget-friendly compared to other restaurants kaso nasa utak ko lang yung presyo sa Cebu. Hehehe!

Read: Hukad by Goldern Cowrie 

Back to Schook Preparation 

When we got home, I started sewing my son’s school pants and I’m so proud of myself na nagawa ko. After that, I was thinking kung tahiin ko na rin kaya mga pants ko ng di na ko tupi ng tupi. Alam niyo naman, petite lang lola niyo, hehehe!


Then I printed labels for my son’s books and school supplies. This is one thing that I don’t like in their school, they only give section few days before the first day of school. Now, I’m waiting for the list of subject teachers so I can print labels for notebooks naman.

Baguio is indeed a popular destination not only summer season but also during the cold season. We were back in Baguio last April, it was just a short trip because my husband needs to attend a seminar. We’ve been to Baguio a lot of times so I did not make any itinerary for our trip. All I want is to enjoy the cool weather for two nights and two days.


Day 1 

The earliest flight from Bangkok to Manila via PAL is 1:30PM so after breakfast, we checked-out and off we went to Suvarnabhumi Airport. It was raining cats and dogs in Bangkok so I was praying that there will be no flight delay or cancellation. We’re glad that we arrived in NAIA 2 earlier than the schedule. After getting our luggage, we headed to Baguio.

It was really a long day for us, we arrived in Baguio past 11PM. We were all sleepy and just wanted to sleep. We booked at Azalea Hotels & Residences. We stayed in a one bedroom suite that is good for four persons, it has a living room, dining room, kitchen, one bedroom, and bathroom. The room package includes buffet breakfast at Tradisyon Restaurant.

Read: Tradisyon Pinoy Comfort Food
Azalea Hotels and Residences
Watch the video here

We just came from our 6 Days Trip in Bangkok Thailand so my son and I just wanted to rest and rest. We stayed in the room while my husband was in the seminar. So we ate breakfast and lunch at Tradisyon Restaurant, ang sipag-sipag namin. Hehehe! #lazydays.

Hill Station 

After my husband’s seminar, we had Dinner at Hill Station. We don’t have any reservation so we’re happy that they were able to accommodate us. If you’ve read my old post, my husband tried this restaurant before and he promised that we will eat here if ever we go back in Baguio and we did.

Read: Breakfast at Hill Station 

Day 3 

The seminar is over and we can already explore Baguio but unfortunately, there is number coding scheme in Baguio. At that time, we were thinking “paano kami makakauwi?”, “Ayaw ko na mag-extend sa Azalea”, “San kaya kami pwede magstay after check-out”.

After researching, we found out, hindi naman buong Baguio ang affected ng number coding scheme. The restriction is limited to CBD or Central Business District from 7AM to 7PM. The area is surrounded by Session Road, Burnham Park and Baguio City Market. There are areas that we can pass naman so we were able to go to Good Shepherd, Camp John Hay and Food Camp at Baguio Country Club.

Good Shepherd Convent

Of course, we won’t leave Baguio without buying our favorite ube jam of Good Shepherd. The order is limited to 4 small jars per person so bawal maghoard. :)

The Historical Core 

It was not our first time in CJH but there are so many activities that you can do in Camp John Hay so marami pa kami pwede gawin. During our visit, we availed the “The Historical Core Tour”. There is an entrance fee for this, you can see the Bell House, Bell Amphitheater, History Trail and Secret Garden, Cemetery of Negativism, and Totem Pole. You learn more about history here.

Read: The Historical Core in Camp John Hay

Food Camp at Baguio Country Club 

Then we saw Food Camp, in front of the Baguio Country Club. It is Baguio’s newest attraction, I think Christmas Village ito before. Parking is hard since there is limited space around the area. The park has mini camping area, log cabin, and different food stalls. If you love taking pictures, marami pang Instagram dito. No Entrance Fee but the Food Camp is open only from February 14 to May 31, 2018 from 10AM to 10PM.

Read: Food Camp at Baguio Country Club

Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna 

We had late lunch at Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna. It is one of the Top 10 Restaurants in Baguio so don’t forget to include this on your list if you are going to the summer capital.

Read: Lemon and Olives Green Taverna

We were in Baguio for two nights and two days pero wala gaanong ganap but you can check my old post “24 Hours Trip in Baguio”, mas marami kami napuntahan niyan “10 Tourist Spots in Baguio”.

Thailand is not only known for temples or shopping haven but they are also popular with their scrumptious dishes. In fact, my husband loves Thai dishes so before going to Bangkok, I listed the foods that I want to try. My list was not that long since I’m not fond of spicy dishes but Khaoniao Mamuang aka glutinous sticky rice + mango or simply mango sticky rice is on top of my list.

Since I live in the Philippines, sticky rice and mango are very common so I’m really curious what is the difference of mango and sticky rice between Thailand and Philippines. So I promised myself that I won’t leave Bangkok without trying this dessert. On our first day in Bangkok, I wanted to eat mango sticky rice immediately but I have to control myself because we will be having a Chao Phraya Dinner River Cruise. Unfortunately, there is no mango sticky rice in their buffet spread.


The following day, after our trip to SEA Life Bangkok Ocean World, we’re lazy to go out anymore. We have Mcdo Chicken Meals in our room but I pushed myself to go to Terminal 21 just to eat mango sticky rice. My husband recommended The Terrace Restaurant since he already dined there and he also liked the mango sticky rice dessert.


The Terrace Restaurant has been in the business since 1975. It is a casual Thai restaurant that serves a variety of Thai dishes and few Non-Thai dishes. The interiors of the restaurant are simple and there is a nature or greenery vibe because of the white and green color.

Upon seated, the staff handed us the menu and we immediately ordered Ripe Mango with Sticky Rice THB155, Mango Crepe with Coconut Ice Cream THB95, Iced Tea THB45 and Bottled Water THB20 + Service Charge.


The presentation looks nice. There is one slice of mango, colorful sticky rice, coconut cream, and peanuts. I thought that the serving is not enough but it is already filling. I can’t even finish my plate. The mango is sweet but I prefer our Philippines mango, there is a difference in the shape and texture. The sticky rice is good, there is a combination of taste, I’m not sure if there is salt in it but it is not overly sweet. I like the combination of mango, sticky rice, and peanut. Now I know why a lot of people are craving for Thailand Mango Sticky Rice, it is addicting.


My son is not really into rice desserts so he just ate the ice cream. Waah! I thought the crepe is just mango crepe, but I was wrong. There is sticky rice inside the crepe, woah! Kung alam ko lang na may sticky rice yung loob nun, yun na lang din inorder ko, mas mura pa THB95 compared sa THB155 na order ko, wala pa ice cream and jackfruit. The Iced Tea is just okay.

We are satisfied with our order but I know that I can still find a cheaper version of mango sticky rice. Don’t forget to try the mango sticky rice if you visit Thailand. Since Bangkok is far, I will just eat Sikreto ni Maria here in the Philippines.

Read: 6 Days Trip in Bangkok with Kids

The Terrace Restaurant 
026 Terminal 21 19 Sukhumvit Rd,
Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand