Day 3 – PMA / Tam-awan Village / Lourdes Grotto

We left early to get a chance to see the cadets doing the drills in Philippine Military Academy but later found out that it’s Christmas break. First stop is the Cadet Hat – after the entrance of PMA, you will see the big mock up of a cadet’s gear where we posed. We also had good photo opportunities at the Relics Place where the old canyons and military tanks were displayed.



Aloysius enjoyed this site as he sometimes play soldier. We proceeded to the Museum but it’s still close by the time we arrived, so we just finish the tour of the PMA in the carefully manicured and full of flower gardens, the sun dial clock, the tree house and the display of military aircrafts which the kids enjoyed. We had lunch at The Grove inside PMA before we proceeded to Tam-awan Village.



Tam-awan Village is one of the search results I found on the internet when I googled Baguio City attractions, it’s also the reason why we were looking for a map because it’s not along the way going around the city. Tam-awan Village is a cultural preserve & living museum showcasing authentic traditional Ifugao huts in a replication of their original setting in the Cordilleras. We were intrigued by the Garden in the sky description of the place and we also wanted to check out how high the site is because according to the internet it has incredible views of the mountains and even the South China Sea. When we got there, all of us, including my mom and dad (seniors) decided to try the Eco-trail (hiking for non-hikers like us). It was a nice but exhausting experience. Before you reach the peak and experience the view, you have to go by narrow and sloping trails. It was challenging because we are not used to trekking and we have kids with us. Imagine, Kyle and Miggy hiking and me wandering with Alexus in a baby sling.

“FOG YOU”

We also had an odd incident, after reaching view deck 1, we followed another trail leading to view deck 2 which was higher and more challenging. True enough, we braved narrower, stiff trails and sometimes we used branches to hold on when the path is slippery. On our way to reaching the peak, I heard Miggy shouting, “mommy, mommy” because he was so excited to see the fogs or maybe it was clouds. But the seniors including me couldn’t make another step because it was slippery. All we could do is shout “Lucky Me, Sweet and Spicy” to hear the echo. We were surprised to see the sign – No Trespassing, Private Property when we look up – it was a wrong trail after all…We were so tired following the wrong trail, we didn’t bother look for the way to view deck 2. We were laughing on our way down, commenting on lack of signage and cursing “FOG YOU” for this experience. My kids first hiking experience including my one-month old baby.

We had a minute browsing the Arko ni Apo (artists nook) and saw an artist while doing a tin craft – amazing! After that, we proceeded to Lourdes Grotto then headed to our place along Loakan to rest. What a day!

Day 2 – Burnham Park / Camp John Hay

While Wendy and Carter attended the wedding in Baguio Cathedral, we stayed in Burnham Park and let the kids play on the park. It was not as grassy as before but the place by the lake with colorful flowers is relaxing and the air is cool, we enjoyed lying down in the picnic mat. The rest went to check out the Wagwagan / ukay-ukay places and some of them got good finds.





Bell House




In Camp John Hay (my favorite destination in Baguio), we find it hard to find a parking spot, most of the people also flocked here. We finally found a spot in Scout Hill and took the opportunity to visit and check out the other attractions there like the Bell Amphitheater, Bell House, Historical Core, Cemetery of Negativism and trail leading to The Manor which we didn’t took because it’s tiring to go uphill. The kids enjoyed the swing and slides while we wait for our hot chocolate in Choco-late de Batirol. The name speaks for itself because it took us over 30 minutes to get our cups. I would say it was worth the wait because the different flavored-hot chocolate (I liked the Almond and Strawberry) not only provided warmth but also good and authentic taste of chocolate tablea prepared in batirol. I recommend this to be a must-try when you go to Camp John Hay.

Holiday in Baguio City

We had a 5-day holiday in the summer capital of the Philippines after Christmas. Wendy will sing for her officemate’s wedding in Baguio and so we joined them, besides they already have a house to stay and 18-seater van to ride. It’s also an opportunity to get rid of the pollution come new year’s eve. On our first day, after checking in at Tulip Apartelle, we proceeded to the Baguio Market / Session Road to shop and find a map but to no avail. The city is crowded, it seemed we never left Manila.

Pictures are posted here

Candy turns 1

It’s Candace Ysabelle Idpan-Ordaz first birthday today and we celebrated it in Pixie Forest, Festival Mall. Wendy’s old friends attended and mine too. I invited Carlyn and Cherry’s family and it was like a small reunion for us with our kids. It’s also Alexus first social event. Kyle and Miggy enjoyed the rides after the party. It’s indeed a great day for Candy who is so cute in her tinkerbell costume.

Christmas and toys for my boys

Thank you Jesus for this day, Happy Birthday! The day started with opening of gifts and the kids enjoyed the toys they received most of them their request. Last night, they opened their Megabloks toys (Tiny Tuff and Lightning and Mack). Today, Aloy got his farm and Kyle got his Elmo guitar. Both of them also received a Fire Fighter and Construction/ Engineer gear. Aloy also received a real binocular which we can use when we go to Baguio later this week. It was a busy day for my boys, playing and enjoying their latest toys.

Aloysius celebrates his 7th birthday

I can’t believe my firstborn is now 7 years old. We didn’t have a party because Lito is not here and I just gave birth to my 3rd baby. Since his birthday falls on Christmas Eve and there’s plenty of food, I just bought him a birthday cake and cooked his favorite Spaghetti. We also have a reunion today so Aloysius and Achilles had a fun time with their cousins. Before we went to my in-laws house in Pilar, they enjoyed opening the gifts. When we arrived in Pilar, Aloysius had another cake to blow and more food to feast on. It was a double celebration.

Dneero Survey: Cheer or Fear

My little photographer and his first subjects

I am so proud to present my Kyle's first shots using a digital camera. He is only 2 years old (turning 3 in January 8) but has shown interest in photography as early as now. I hope he will become a very good photographer when he grows up.

I've uploaded his other works in webshots.