<< (click to enlarge picture and see the kids going home from school)
Baguio Diary
words and pix by rix
Wednesday & Thursday February 11 & 12, 2009
When my editor for Maxim Philippines and Business Mirror asked me if I could find a way to interview current IBF/IBO Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire I said, "Why not?" Except that the problem was getting in touch with him. It took a couple of weeks before I was able to track him down. So when the opportunity finally presented itself to attend his training camp in Baguio, I leaped at it right away. It isn't everyday I get to write about a boxing champ. And even better, I was the first one to seek him out since he arrived in January so I was getting pretty much "royal treatment!" Hahahaha. Exag!
I've previously written about two boxers -- Manny Pacquiao and Brian Viloria. I've met Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista but have not put any thoughts to paper. So to write about a third World champ was something I looked forward to considering that I don't write too much about boxing.
There was the added incentive of going up to Baguio since I have not been there in a decade. Except I hated the long trip as do I long drives and long flights. Travel sickness. Yes, I suffer from it and my symptoms are nausea, headaches, and cramping on my legs so I can't drive long distances.
Surprsingly, I stayed awake the whole trip. Blame it on my ipod as it offered some solitude and moments of reflection and reminiscing. Some of the music makes for a good soundtrack especially when you see the countryside. I'm getting ahead of myself though. When you get out on the Northern Luzon Expressway, notice how there are more than a dozen huge billboards with celebrity endorsers feeding me information on what brands I should buy. Everything from mobile phones to alcohol to clothing. Incredible! Does a celebrity prompt me to buy a product? Not really. Maybe kicks like Air Jordans and the Kobe Huaraches but that's about it. That's me and I wouldn't know about others.
Traffic was a little bad when I got to Tarlac and I suddenly wished I got off. Tarlac is where me mam is from and I enjoyed going here as a kid. Since my grandfolks passed away i have refused to come back because it always brings a tear to my eye. Anyways, thankfully traffic wasn't as bad as Urdaneta, Pangasinan which seems to be in a perpetual state of "under construction." What gives, man?
After Sison, Pangasinan (which is by my reckoning the last town), we turned left to Agoo then Pugo to go up the Aspiras Highway rather than take Kennon Road going up. It's just as well because those zig zag roads really don't sit well with me.
It isn't often I get a close up look at small town Philippines. And I thought it was incredible and revealing. In La Union, I saw school children walking great distances to get home. Even along the zig zag I saw kids walking home. I tried to take a picture of them but it was tough coz you just couldn't stop along a highway because you'd coz a traffic jam. The closest I recall seeing a public school was in Agoo and I saw sudents rehearsing some dance with bamboo sticks (not the tinikling) with everyone watching them on. In a nearby plaza, there was a basketball game going on. Then we passed by this jeep that was jammed with folks who even sat on top of the roof. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to snap any photos of that jeep. What a great one it would have been.
Then there was a sign that said, "Beware of falling rocks" and boy, they, weren't kidding. I saw several rocks along the shoulder that were bigger than bowling balls. Imagine if one of them would hit a car or a bus; that would be catastrophic!
The zig zag along Aspiras Highway (or is it Pasilpas whatever? There's another route through Naguilan Road but I've been there before) isn't as hair-raising as the one along Kennon and it does not have the sights that one can see like the waterfalls -- hey is it still there?
Finally, after what seemed like a five hour trip, I was in the Summer Capital. I still somewhat know my way around but got lost when I saw the flyover.
I'm booked at the Microtel Inn at the top of Upper Session Road and it's not bad. It's roomy, spacious, and the bed is soft! The bath could be better though, but who in the blue hell will spend their stay inside a bathroom? Bwahahaha!
I check in; rest for an hour before heading out. I check my email but the connection isn't the greatest at the moment so I'll have to get back at it later tonight.
It's a seven-minute walk to SM City Baguio. I wasn't crazy about going to a mall since I'm so sick of them but people were insistent that I see the terrace view from the mall. Man, these SM Malls are everywhere. Even the one in Rosales, Pangasinan is being expanded. I'll bet you there'll come a day when we see a SM Island. But credit the folks, the view from three different levels is nice. You get to see how Baguio has become overpopulated. I can see the Race Track, Burnham Park, the Baguio Cathedral, and Boracay. Hahahaha.
Walking around, I interviewed a bunch of locals. The mall has affected a lot of the businesses along Session Road and other areas but they have learned to adapt although rather difficultly. I went to the Baguio Public Market where pirated DVDs have become staple products alongside vegetables and meat and poultry. Was looking for some yellow bell pepper but it wasn't available. And the button mushrooms were kind of expensive even if I had to haggle for a lower price.
The one biggest change is the influx of Koreans in the community. There are some road signs that are in Korean and there has been an increase of businesses owned by them. Cab drivers -- some of them have learned to speak pidgin Korean. Wow. They're the new wanderers. They've replaced Filipinos as the kind of folk you'll find everywhere.
Wednesday night, I joined Nonito and Rachel Donaire for dinner at Sizzling Plate and spent several hours chatting away. We have some steaks and soup. I have a cup of coffee afterwards while the couple share a plate of leche flan.
The interview proper will be tomorrow at the SUB Gym. I'll write about that for Business Mirror and you'll see it in the blog as well. I also did a separate interview for Maxim. We had a blast shooting the breeze and listening to retro band Smooth play 70's music at the Event Center. The cold is manageable and the music made for an even more relaxing atmosphere. It's around 1030pm and as soon as I arrive back in the hotel, I found out that Alaska lost; someone in the hotel taped it and so we watched the last few minutes. Man... there's something about the way that ended, huh! But congrats to Talk N Text. The interviews were hilarious! I kept laughing. Good for the TNT team. And congrats to Coach Chot! Now we can do that story we've postponed all season long.
Thursday afternoon, we did another marathon three-hour interview with Nonito Donaire; most of which was done inside the ring where he trains. We did a few more at his hotel room where he showed me his Sony Plasma TV, PS3 system, wii, and his dog, Bolt! He had one more engagement with some local chapter before he'd get rest for training the following day. We have one more pictorial then we're done.
So I'm off to see the sights and get some rest. I wore a Brazil football jersey today and the funniest thing happened. Some guys stopped me and asked if I was from Brazil. Turns out they're Brazilians who have now made Baguio their home. I laughed politely and said no although I did tell them I love football. So we had some coffee (Cordillera Coffee, man!) talking about the sport. They play an 11-a-side game on weekends with locals and they invited me to join them if I was staying longer. One of them was wearing a Robinho Man City kit. How about that!
I went up the Baguio Cathedral and wanted to see if there really are 100 steps. I should have my head examined for doing this -- there are 104! Hahahaha. And I was a little winded by the time I got to the top. There am being honest about it.
But obviously, someone can't count. Maybe it's me. Bwahaha. 104 steps. Bwahaha.
Looking for a story, I wandered around a playground near Microtel and watched a pick-up game. By mid-afternoon, the rain started to fall and it was even colder. In the morning the sun was out and I could walk around without my jacket. Doncha just love the weather? The guys playing hoops were in jerseys and shorts so I asked them after if they felt cold. They all agreed that's why they had to keep moving. Immediately after they toweled themselves dry and put on jackets.
For dinner I go to the Public Market where I had some fresh veggies cooked to go with beef strips. Pretty good. Freshly cooked food. And it costs me like Php 60 bucks. And oh, a reminder to all: bring your own bottled water and any other juice drinks you might want to take along. The Php10 mark-up here is a killer.
Then I'm back in my hotel to watch the (replay) ACC game between Duke and North Carolina. I stayed in my room for awhile before going down to the lounge where there were five others watching the game. That makes for more fun watching it with others. The dude from Ohio is rooting for the Blue Devils. I'm glad the Tar Heels killed Duke and Greg Paulus goes down in his entire four year career at Durham winless against UNC! Time to celebrate, Tar Heel fans.
I fall asleep with the TV on. I'm awake at 7am. The pillows are fluffy and I don't want to get up from bed. I lie down for a bit more before heading for the shower. There's breakfast downstairs -- longganisa, eggs, toast, tomatos, and juice. And I'm off to the shoot.
Check out http://the11-11pages.blogspot.com/ for more pictures of my Baguio stay.
I've previously written about two boxers -- Manny Pacquiao and Brian Viloria. I've met Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista but have not put any thoughts to paper. So to write about a third World champ was something I looked forward to considering that I don't write too much about boxing.
There was the added incentive of going up to Baguio since I have not been there in a decade. Except I hated the long trip as do I long drives and long flights. Travel sickness. Yes, I suffer from it and my symptoms are nausea, headaches, and cramping on my legs so I can't drive long distances.
Surprsingly, I stayed awake the whole trip. Blame it on my ipod as it offered some solitude and moments of reflection and reminiscing. Some of the music makes for a good soundtrack especially when you see the countryside. I'm getting ahead of myself though. When you get out on the Northern Luzon Expressway, notice how there are more than a dozen huge billboards with celebrity endorsers feeding me information on what brands I should buy. Everything from mobile phones to alcohol to clothing. Incredible! Does a celebrity prompt me to buy a product? Not really. Maybe kicks like Air Jordans and the Kobe Huaraches but that's about it. That's me and I wouldn't know about others.
Traffic was a little bad when I got to Tarlac and I suddenly wished I got off. Tarlac is where me mam is from and I enjoyed going here as a kid. Since my grandfolks passed away i have refused to come back because it always brings a tear to my eye. Anyways, thankfully traffic wasn't as bad as Urdaneta, Pangasinan which seems to be in a perpetual state of "under construction." What gives, man?
After Sison, Pangasinan (which is by my reckoning the last town), we turned left to Agoo then Pugo to go up the Aspiras Highway rather than take Kennon Road going up. It's just as well because those zig zag roads really don't sit well with me.
It isn't often I get a close up look at small town Philippines. And I thought it was incredible and revealing. In La Union, I saw school children walking great distances to get home. Even along the zig zag I saw kids walking home. I tried to take a picture of them but it was tough coz you just couldn't stop along a highway because you'd coz a traffic jam. The closest I recall seeing a public school was in Agoo and I saw sudents rehearsing some dance with bamboo sticks (not the tinikling) with everyone watching them on. In a nearby plaza, there was a basketball game going on. Then we passed by this jeep that was jammed with folks who even sat on top of the roof. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to snap any photos of that jeep. What a great one it would have been.
Then there was a sign that said, "Beware of falling rocks" and boy, they, weren't kidding. I saw several rocks along the shoulder that were bigger than bowling balls. Imagine if one of them would hit a car or a bus; that would be catastrophic!
The zig zag along Aspiras Highway (or is it Pasilpas whatever? There's another route through Naguilan Road but I've been there before) isn't as hair-raising as the one along Kennon and it does not have the sights that one can see like the waterfalls -- hey is it still there?
Finally, after what seemed like a five hour trip, I was in the Summer Capital. I still somewhat know my way around but got lost when I saw the flyover.I'm booked at the Microtel Inn at the top of Upper Session Road and it's not bad. It's roomy, spacious, and the bed is soft! The bath could be better though, but who in the blue hell will spend their stay inside a bathroom? Bwahahaha!
I check in; rest for an hour before heading out. I check my email but the connection isn't the greatest at the moment so I'll have to get back at it later tonight.
It's a seven-minute walk to SM City Baguio. I wasn't crazy about going to a mall since I'm so sick of them but people were insistent that I see the terrace view from the mall. Man, these SM Malls are everywhere. Even the one in Rosales, Pangasinan is being expanded. I'll bet you there'll come a day when we see a SM Island. But credit the folks, the view from three different levels is nice. You get to see how Baguio has become overpopulated. I can see the Race Track, Burnham Park, the Baguio Cathedral, and Boracay. Hahahaha.
Walking around, I interviewed a bunch of locals. The mall has affected a lot of the businesses along Session Road and other areas but they have learned to adapt although rather difficultly. I went to the Baguio Public Market where pirated DVDs have become staple products alongside vegetables and meat and poultry. Was looking for some yellow bell pepper but it wasn't available. And the button mushrooms were kind of expensive even if I had to haggle for a lower price.
The one biggest change is the influx of Koreans in the community. There are some road signs that are in Korean and there has been an increase of businesses owned by them. Cab drivers -- some of them have learned to speak pidgin Korean. Wow. They're the new wanderers. They've replaced Filipinos as the kind of folk you'll find everywhere.
Wednesday night, I joined Nonito and Rachel Donaire for dinner at Sizzling Plate and spent several hours chatting away. We have some steaks and soup. I have a cup of coffee afterwards while the couple share a plate of leche flan.
The interview proper will be tomorrow at the SUB Gym. I'll write about that for Business Mirror and you'll see it in the blog as well. I also did a separate interview for Maxim. We had a blast shooting the breeze and listening to retro band Smooth play 70's music at the Event Center. The cold is manageable and the music made for an even more relaxing atmosphere. It's around 1030pm and as soon as I arrive back in the hotel, I found out that Alaska lost; someone in the hotel taped it and so we watched the last few minutes. Man... there's something about the way that ended, huh! But congrats to Talk N Text. The interviews were hilarious! I kept laughing. Good for the TNT team. And congrats to Coach Chot! Now we can do that story we've postponed all season long.
Thursday afternoon, we did another marathon three-hour interview with Nonito Donaire; most of which was done inside the ring where he trains. We did a few more at his hotel room where he showed me his Sony Plasma TV, PS3 system, wii, and his dog, Bolt! He had one more engagement with some local chapter before he'd get rest for training the following day. We have one more pictorial then we're done.
So I'm off to see the sights and get some rest. I wore a Brazil football jersey today and the funniest thing happened. Some guys stopped me and asked if I was from Brazil. Turns out they're Brazilians who have now made Baguio their home. I laughed politely and said no although I did tell them I love football. So we had some coffee (Cordillera Coffee, man!) talking about the sport. They play an 11-a-side game on weekends with locals and they invited me to join them if I was staying longer. One of them was wearing a Robinho Man City kit. How about that!
I went up the Baguio Cathedral and wanted to see if there really are 100 steps. I should have my head examined for doing this -- there are 104! Hahahaha. And I was a little winded by the time I got to the top. There am being honest about it.But obviously, someone can't count. Maybe it's me. Bwahaha. 104 steps. Bwahaha.
Looking for a story, I wandered around a playground near Microtel and watched a pick-up game. By mid-afternoon, the rain started to fall and it was even colder. In the morning the sun was out and I could walk around without my jacket. Doncha just love the weather? The guys playing hoops were in jerseys and shorts so I asked them after if they felt cold. They all agreed that's why they had to keep moving. Immediately after they toweled themselves dry and put on jackets.
For dinner I go to the Public Market where I had some fresh veggies cooked to go with beef strips. Pretty good. Freshly cooked food. And it costs me like Php 60 bucks. And oh, a reminder to all: bring your own bottled water and any other juice drinks you might want to take along. The Php10 mark-up here is a killer.
Then I'm back in my hotel to watch the (replay) ACC game between Duke and North Carolina. I stayed in my room for awhile before going down to the lounge where there were five others watching the game. That makes for more fun watching it with others. The dude from Ohio is rooting for the Blue Devils. I'm glad the Tar Heels killed Duke and Greg Paulus goes down in his entire four year career at Durham winless against UNC! Time to celebrate, Tar Heel fans.
I fall asleep with the TV on. I'm awake at 7am. The pillows are fluffy and I don't want to get up from bed. I lie down for a bit more before heading for the shower. There's breakfast downstairs -- longganisa, eggs, toast, tomatos, and juice. And I'm off to the shoot.
Check out http://the11-11pages.blogspot.com/ for more pictures of my Baguio stay.
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