Land of Pine

I am blessed by the Universe to be able to see this. Yes, this will be funny and sharp, but this entry is also a bit more woo-woo than usual, because I feel legitimately overwhelmed by the generosity of the world to offer me this, in my already amazing lifetime.
My New Years' Resolution was to travel, and my resolution of the heart was to really try to get to know the Filipino culture and really make a sincere effort to learn, including the language. So my first order of business was to plan a trip to Baguio, which my roommate is from, and which was featured in Lonely Planet Magazine. People are always recommending the place, but then again, people are also always recommending their little island hamlet too, so I took it with a grain of salt. Well, I can say I have never, and I mean never, been to a place like this. I can truly say that this place is one of the most astonishingly beautiful places I've been to. And I've been places besides Niagara Falls, CA. (Although I've been there too.)
The bus ride began at 10.00 AM, on the Genesis Line. It was a pretty cool 4 hours, including two potty breaks and about 20 minutes (that felt like 5 hours) of waiting to go up the final stretch of one way road that lead to the town. Erwin came with, natch. While we were on the bus I had planned to occupy myself with the "new" Stephen King "Under the Dome"- 900 pages of fun (it's really great so far) but I also chatted with Erwin and enjoyed the view.
There was a striking looking young man on the bus that happened to be seated next to Erwin for the first hour or so until we switched seats to be together (this in and of itself was surprising, Erwin's usually about as in tune with someone else's feelings as a strawberry is to a hummingbird, and it was his idea to sit together), and Erwin commented on him "That guy's Igorat [one of the Aboriginal Tribal Peoples]."

Then he launched into the longest cultural commentary I've ever heard him make, explaining he could tell this by the bag the guy carried, which is handmade and a symbol of tribal pride. Erwin himself is half Igorat, something he's never told me, and he explained that this tribe used to be the headhunters who would prey on the Ita (the very physically tiny race that's the Aboriginal Tribe of the Pampagna area.). He explained that the bag is very sturdy, and very expensive, as it is handmade by the Igorat tribe. This information was quite a treat, coming from the normally very quiet Erwin, but it turned out to be a bellwether for a new, more relaxed and very pleasant Erwin that emerged on the trip.
After trudging up the inclined road to the bus station proper to find a bathroom and a badly needed Pepsi, we hopped a cab to the hotel, Casa Vallejo. I picked this online, sold after I saw it had a bookstore on the premises, as well as a five star restaurant featured in the Miele guide. Well, it was a find. It's a very cozy, quaint and truly charming place. Over 100 years old, it's been redone in a very simple, yet tasteful way. Wool carpets, brown, taupe and grey paint, simple yet welcoming furnishings. The room was small and the TV could have used a stand (it was hanging off the wall in such a way that one looked around for a group of dudes drinking beer and watching the game to materialize any second), but it was clean and serene- very "Real Simple" magazine. We dumped our stuff and then went to SM Baguio to eat, wandering around in a daze, then settling on Pizza Hut. Erwin settled on spaghetti (his favorite meal) and instead of nibbling the food like the Tasty Treats Persian cat and then proclaiming it overpriced, as usual, he horked it down and said it was good. My mind was reeling.
The piece de resistance was when I was in the wine store in line, having picked up a bottle of chard for watching TV with later, and Erwin toddled off to talk to the security guard. He returned announcing "The Ben Cab, that's a museum that the security guard told me about." At the time I didn't think anything of it, and I pulled out my torn out Lonely Planet magazine pages, and showed him "Headed there tomorrow, man. I do my research!" He asked for the pages and then pored over them (he loves, like all locals, to vociferously disagree with guides of any kind). Later I remembered, at lunch I had told him "Shopping, visiting museums, and eating at restaurants I've never tried, that's vacation for me, those are my priorities."

I was saying it in a lighthearted way (even though it's god's truth) but I was very touched that Erwin thought to find a museum for me. Usually the kind of person who springs out of the cab lightly and saunters off while you struggle with groceries, the wallet, and the bouquet of flowers, he did the kind of thing that I thought he was not capable of: he gave a damn and made an effort for someone else.
The moment that will live in infamy: I noticed the Cosmo Bedside Astrologer issue was out and Pizza Hut happened to have a copy on their coffee table in the waiting area. On the way out I took Erwin's arm- "look, the Beside Astrologer!" I reached for the magazine to show him and rammed my head directly into the glass door that was apparently directly between me and the coffee table. I immediately collapsed in laughter while Erwin wavered between sympathy and mortification. "I don't know you!" He groaned, trying to keep his distance from the spazz next to him who was cracking up faster than Humpty Dumpty. The only time I remember laughing harder at physical comedy was way back in the 9th grade, when a dear friend, Hannah, told me "My goddamn stupid sister broke her leg pogo sticking down the stairs. Again."

It was off to bed early, for a good night's sleep and an early start the next day.

Day 02:

The breakfast was one of the best meals I've ever had, the food was fresh and well prepared. I had a simple meal of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee, with french toast, and it was just right. It kept me full until about 2PM, which is quite a feat for a breakfast. The hotel's restaurant, the HillTop, is just lovely. Scenic 360 degree views of the mountainous hillsides, same simple yet luxurious decor as the rest of the hotel, (real flowers on the table, helpful waiters, handmade local pottery for the accent dishes, and a piano were among the charming details) I was a bit surprised but happy when a young guy started plinking out piano lesson standards on the upright, while his proud parents took some souvenir photos. Usually I would be fuming with barely contained rage at this annoyance (hello! We're not in a music shop, jerky! Let us eat in peace) but I guess this place works on all kinds of cranks, me included.

After this, I toddled off to SM to upload my 75847 pictures and shop for pasalubong. I got a few teeshirts and a few books for later, then off to Ben Cab Museum. I'm really glad I didn't chose to go tomorrow, because it's not open Mondays and I would have missed one of the most sublime experiences of my life.

This place was...adjectives failed me. First of all, I was one of only 2 or 3 people there, which was a real treat. The place is nestled into the side of wide gorge, with a valley below and another mountain wall on the other side. This place is like the Poconos goes Tropical, it's a wild blend of everything you love about summer camp in Maine with a healthy dose of Carmen Miranda thrown in for good measure. Winding, steep streets give way to breathtaking views of hills crammed with tin shacks and the occasional Art Deco or Colonial masterpiece, the colors swimming into hyper vividness in the foggy mist that envelops the mountains. I wanted to grow a second set of eyeballs to take it all in as we drove there, just to see it all.

The museum itself is a wonderful blend of modern art and tribal pieces. I found the Philippines that I have been looking for, the "true" Philippines- local artists, tribal pieces (they were super cool and menacing, too). I took my time and about 5000 pictures ("Safety Last" the unofficial Philippines motto ruled here too and I could take my camera inside and take as many pictures as my little heart desired.)

The views from the back terrace of the place were defiant of description. Generally I'll take my daily serving of "Nature" from behind a thick sheet of plate glass, but the stunning natural beauty of this place was awe inspiring. I actually had a lump in my throat because it was so astoundingly beautiful.

I felt lucky to be alive. I couldn't believe the world could contain such riches, and still have more to go around, and on top of that, I couldn't believe I've seen so many of them in my travels. This view ignited a fire to travel in me, one that's been there all along, but seeing this, I thought "to HELL with 700$ studio apartments, horrible job interviews for jobs I don't even want, feeling like I never had enough, shopping at Target and jockeying for imaginary position with a bunch of fashion bitches over who has the hottest boyfriend and the coolest gay best friend back in the states. I'm not going back until I've had my fill of moments like this while I'm still in the position to be granted them." And you know what, maybe I'll never have to live that life again. Yes, this life has down sides, but the upsides are so high that it makes you never want to step off that star again and come down to the litter- strewn earth below.

Rarely in life do you have those moments when you realize "I'm living my dream." Even writing those words kind of chokes me up, but it's really true. I have to hang on to this moment, for those rainy days when I want a husband and a couple dogs to curl up with. Some people experience the meaning of the Universe when they look in their child's innocent eyes, some when they make their millions, some when they connect with others fixing a broken society, but for me, this was a defining moment- traveling and seeing this made me hungry in a deep, intense way that changes the way you think about things to travel more. "I must organize my life around this." I thought. "I can't grow old only having a handful of these times to remember. I must collect so many that my suitcase is bursting with them."

Sheets of undulating greenery broken only by pinpoints of colored flowers, thatched huts standing on stilts, graceful and inviting as orchids in a pot, mountains wreathed in mist in the far distance, cobblestone walks and a Japanese inspired reflecting pond in the near distance---this place was almost comically paradisaical. I am fortunate to have experienced it.

After eating an amazingly fresh all organic meal of carrot soup, fries, a ham, cucumber, and spinach sandwhich and a banana and ice cream thingie, rounded off with a cappuchino, I was ready to die happy.