The Accidental Tourist 2 (The Baguio Country Club) Edition

Since my last post,  we have packed our bags and moved on to The Baguio Country Club for a complimentary  overnight stay. We're still pretending to be tourists and still have the things we packed since we stayed at the townhouse . We've thought of going back home to pick up more clothes but decided that if we were going to act as tourists, we would have to do what the tourists would normally do (keeping it real, is all).

the infernal rain as seen at the Veranda of bcc

Let me tell you a little about the Baguio Country Club. This 100 year old establishment is one of the preferred hotel destinations in the city. Not only are the rooms fully equipped with all the luxuries we expect from a Triple A class resort (the highest that we have as far as rating hotels in the Philippines would go), they also have great food from their 7 dining establishments, to make even a short visit, worthwhile. 

MAX in his fave storm evac center ;)

The Baguio Country Club also has facilities to make your vacation activity filled as well. From an 18 hole golf course, a tennis court and swimming pools, a fully equipped gym, bowling lanes, to name a few, the hotel has also been the preferred venue for weddings and other events. (FYI, Baguio City's also known for being a wedding destination)

the golf course...saw one dedicated golfer playing all alone (cept for his caddy) under the pouring rain

Now that that's out of the way, let's go back to our little vacation. 

We've always been into the whole travel lite concept simply because you don't want to throw your back by carrying too much stuff, plus it's just too much to watch your kids and YOUR bags right? Down to zilch as far as a change of clothes would go, we did what holiday-goers would do and just Shopped! 

Baguio City has two malls, department stores, surplus shops and a whole lot of second hand shops that sell clothes and accessories in a variety of styles and prices. We opted to head on out to the nearest one from the hotel, and that was the overruns shop at Camp John Hay. 

Got MAX a pack of Osh Kosh briefs (135 php for 3), a Gap sweater (he dirtied up his Calvin Klein sleepwear), an Old Navy sweater (so he won't have to wear the same sweatshirt he wore upon check in), a pair of Levi's jeans(1396 php)  for me along with a DKNY blouse, a GAP long sleeved shirt for Kix, and a Greg Norman dri fit shirt for Phil. Except for the 2 items with prices indicated, everything was around 200 php. The whole shop was on sale, from anywhere between 30 - 50% off on export overruns of known brands (the Philippines is also the home to an inexpensive, and a very hardworking workforce, thus allowing the country to have a lot of export processing zones that house factories that manufacture for these brands).

stuff from Export Overruns

I did bring enough toiletries, but just in case I didn't, the city proper's just 10 minutes away. Medicine, diapers and whatever supplies you may need are readily available in town.

patiently waiting for the food @ Par 7

Food was of course, not a problem here as you could find a wide variety of dishes and cuisines here at the BCC. What we didn't get to do was enjoy the great outdoors as it was (and still is) raining. This is the reason why I've got a lot of time on my hands to write this blog :-P.

Tonkatsu @ Hamada (BCC's resto)

Aside from the food and shopping, Baguio's got some must see places to go to. Nearby is the Mansion House, the residence of the Philippine President when he's in town. There's also Wright Park, where you could rent a horse and ride around the park for 30 minutes to an hour. Then we've got Mines View. A view deck on top of a mountain that gives you a spectacular view. One may also check out Tam-Awan Village. Tam-Awan Village is an artists colony set amid a charming collection of Ifugao and Kalinga huts. Spearheaded by National Artist BenCab, one may also view and buy works of art by local artists. 

These are some of the many places one can visit in Baguio. I shall save that for another blog :)

the Verandah

While writing this blog, the sun has risen and in a few, we shall be heading down to the Verandah for breakfast.

If there was anything we learned from being "tourists" for 2 days, it would be that you must not be a stranger in your own town. 

Plan a day trip to a tourist spot or destination in your town (or one nearby). You'll be surprised at how revisiting these places could give you a fresh outlook on things. You don't have to spend a fortune or go to far flung exotic destinations to have an incredible journey. Everything you need may just be a few steps outside your door.

hooked up with the the rest of the fam and went mechanical bull riding at SM Baguio (as part of the role  playing. no local would get caught riding that thang lol)

From TMW, may your wanderings be better than ours. 

the boys with their bacon cheeseburger and fries

The Accidental Tourist (Not Related To The Movie) The Townhouse Edition

The kids were looking forward to some R & R for the long weekend (a six day respite from school brought about by a series of National Holidays). That was not to be the case as the country was ravaged by a nasty typhoon. All our out of town plans were thrown out the window and was instead replaced by ennui and a two day power outage.

boredom and a 2 day blackout at its finest

We initially set out to get a room at the Baguio Country Club, but due to the volume of people who came up for the long weekend as well as the Baguio residents escaping the power outages in their homes, the place was fully booked. We were all dressed up and our overnight bags packed, but had nowhere to go.

Luckily, we were given a chance to relax and unwind overnight in a spacious, yet cozy townhouse within the city.  For those who aren't in the know, we're from the Summer Capital of the Philippines, which is Baguio City. A tourist destination to most, we've called it home for almost four decades.

Phee, the younger kids and I decided to play tourist for a day in a city that was, though ravaged by a storm, filled with weekenders.

We started off with our diabolical scheme to become posers (mwahaha) with a  short drive to Camp 7, (10 minutes from the city proper). Nestled in a residential area, we deposited ourselves in a spacious townhouse ( owned by a wonderful Baguio-based couple), located within the Marcons Suites Compound. Not all of its townhouses are for rent, but this particular unit is.Renting this unit is a breeze. But first, let me tell you a bit about this place (as quoted loosely from its website:)

this room's got a little balcony too

This wonderful piece of real estate has 2100 square feet of living area. 5 levels high, it can sleep around 8-12 adults max and has separate quarters and a bathroom for 2 drivers.

driver's / maid's quarters

The beds are all made up with the necessary beddings and are available for each room. There's also a closet provided with hangers for your clothes, so you won't have to live out of your suitcase.

All 3 of its bathrooms have basic bathroom provisions  (soap, shampoo, toilet paper and a complete assortment of towels) in them and have hot and cold showers as well. 

The kitchen has a complete assortment of tableware, flatware, kitchenware and cookware, an electric 4 burner range oven, hot and cold water dispenser (mineral water included), an oven toaster, a microwave oven, a rice cooker, a coffee maker and a refrigerator. Just rummage through the cupboards and drawers. You'll certainly find what you're looking for, and if not, a sari-sari store (a miniaturized convenience store) is right across the street. There are two dining tables as well, and running hot and cold water at the sink.

The living room has an electric fireplace (perfect for those cold Baguio nights),  a television and a balcony ( if you want to get a whiff of the pine-scented air). It's a great place to get a rousing game of charades going, watch a movie at HBO (yup, there's cable in the townhouse) or just snuggle by the (electric) fireplace.

the living room

The place is also near enough for fast food delivery service. A list of restaurants and their corresponding phone numbers can be found at the kitchen. Worried about the storm complicating the delivery system, we opted to buy some snackage at the Camp John Hay Commissary (the essentials, junkfood and soda lol) and some grub (burgers, burritos and a cheese steak sandwich and fries) for dinner at the Army Navy  restaurant (also at John Hay). 

the kitchen

More pictures may be found in their website. Ample parking is also available and a built in pump and heater ensures you of hot water 24/7.

Spending a night at the townhouse made us realize that not staying at a hotel or resort wasn't at all bad and has allowed us to consider renting an apartment instead of booking a hotel room when we fly off to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in November.

MAX and I at the master's bedroom

For those who want a great place to stay in while visiting Baguio, this may just be the place for you. It may not exactly be home, but given a few minutes in it's tastefully decorated interiors, you just might think that it is. Oh, and when you make a booking to this delightful place, don't forget to tell them you saw it on The Mediocre Wanderer (just so they know how much we appreciated our stay there).

From TMW, may your wanderings be better than ours.

Our Oh-So-Nice-r (The Inex Ozonizer Review)

Mommies and cleanliness often go hand in hand. Being obsessive-compulsive when it comes to your family's health is the norm. I'm sure I'm not the only person here who often buys things with the words "antibacterial" labeled on them. From soaps, socks, food containers and so much more, you just gotta have these babies. Protecting your family from germs and bacteria that could make them ill is simply non-negotiable.   


Because of this, we ended up with the magical gizmo known as the ozonizer. 

Not having written anything in this blog for over a month for various reasons, inspiration struck when a storm raged over our city. The power has not yet been restored, so I'm quite worried over the food in the fridge, the seafood and the veggies particularly. This was when the ozonizer came in handy.


Bought at one of those shops that have sales personnel approach you from the mall's entrance, this handy item from Japan was one of the things thrown in the package which included a massage chair, a beauty massager set, a 4 in one cooker, a digital scale / fat analyzer and an energy cooker (more on any one of these later).


According to it's label, the Ozonizer:
Immediately removes 80% to 95% pesticides, antibiotics; hormones from meat and vegetables. Kills 99% living micro-organism, viruses, germs in the meat, veg. & fruit. Fruits & vegetables, fresh-keeping ; mold proofing. 


Ozonization can eliminate residual chlorine, foreign flavour; heavy metal in tap water. In air purification: increase oxygen content in air and refresh air. Sterilize kitchen utensils, baby bottles, etc. Sterilize farming (seriously have no idea what this is)and watering flowers. Treatments to skin diseases (haven't explored this area). Low investment with great benefits.


Reading some articles by reputable government agencies, I've read that inhaling ozone might not be the healthiest idea, so I'm not even going to recommend that, but it's practical application on sterilization and food preservation was not bad at all. 


We used it on the food items mentioned above. The result, fish still smells clean even a few days after it's been bought (this was after I froze it and defrosted it 2 days later). Meat ozonization took out scum from the water surface after I treated it. Veggies are still a ok, even the ones I bought a week earlier. I'm not sure if putting them on ziplock bags were quite helpful, but hey, as long as food is kept longer.


It doesn't even take a rocket scientist to operate this. All you have to do is put a little water along with the item you plan to clean. Pick up its stone attachment and submerge it into the glass container that has your items in them.  Pick from buttons on the machine's interface (purify water, food, etc..please see pictures below), and voila, it's fool-proof! 

foolproof menu system

At around 3000 php or so, it's a good tool in keeping your food fresh longer on top of refrigeration. Here's to you and your family's health.


From  The Mediocre Wanderer, may your wanderings be better than ours.


(more pictures to come)