#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Philippine Forum >  >  Short trip: Angeles, Baguio & Sagada March 2020

## katie23

Hi all! Prior to the lockdowns/ community quarantines, the BF and I had some leave credits and we decided to take a short trip north. This was  done in the first week of March. There were already lots of COVID cases in China & S Korea, but that time only 3 confirmed cases in PI. It remained that way for several weeks - turned out that there was a shortage of test kits. 

Anyway, I'm glad we made the trip - we were both very busy the days prior, so the holiday was a welcome break.  We were both able to return to work hale and hearty, thankfully. The weekend after, there was a lockdown in Metro Manila and a few days after, in the whole of Luzon island. Some provinces/ islands in the country also made their own lockdowns. 

Anyway (again), I hope this thread will give some cheer during these lockdown days.  :Smile:  Pics on next post.

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## katie23

We decided to travel north slowly, so the first stop was Angeles City (Dau bus station). We dropped off our stuff, then had a Jolli (bee) lunch. He had burger & fries, I had this.  :Very Happy: 


^warning: don't eat the spaghetti if you're not Filipino!  :Very Happy: 

Our room was located near the American Legion place. 



Along that street, there were several apartment complexes which looked like Airbnb type rentals. Probably for expats or retirees.  Towards the end of that street, there was a group of apartments occupied by locals, and some "working girls" outside - it was their dorm or apartment. It was around lunchtime, so they weren't in their night attire. Sorry, no pics, as I wasn't comfortable taking them.

What I also noticed was that the houses/ apartments had their gates topped with spiky metal or barbed wire - seems there's a lot of crime there. That street was ~10 minutes walk from Walking Street.

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## katie23

In Angeles, there are many Koreans & K-owned supermarkets. I wanted to try my hand in making Japchae / Chapchae, so we went in search of noodles. Found this at JJ Supermarket in Walking Street, which is Korean owned I think.



@bettyboo - did I get the right noodles for Japchae? My local supermarket doesn't have this.

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## katie23

Walking Street, Angeles City.  It was my first time there, and it was... interesting.













Along that road, there are many bars, clubs and restos. Relatively few tourists/ (s) expats, bcos of COVID. Most of the restos (esp the Korean BBQ ones) had only 1 or 2 tables occupied. At present, the establishments are closed due to the lockdown. 

Note: some pics are from his camera

Sorry for the small pics /thumbnails. I'm posting from phone & my Internet isn't too good, so can't be assed to do the uploading pic thingy.

If someone reposts the pics or quotes them, thank you very much.

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## katie23

The digs in Angeles.

It was an apartment type room. Small but adequate, around 900 pesos or 17 usd (1 usd = 51 pesos). It was our cheapest room for the entire trip. I prefer apartments so that we can cook (if we want to), since we're not Dillionaires.  :Smile:  








^apartment complex exterior

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## katie23

Dinner at a family owned Korean resto on Walking Street - it was good!



Spicy noodle dish


Pork, squid & vegs

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## katie23

Next day, we travelled to Baguio City via Victory Liner bus. Not much pics of that day - it was a travel day. Baguio, since it's in high elevation, was blessedly cool, 20-24 degrees versus 30 degrees in Angeles & Manila. 




Dinner at a steak house. Not good - meat was tough. 



Good thing the tokwa at baboy (tofu & pork) dish was OK 



Eurotel Hotel - not worth it for the price of 2,500 pesos, IMO.  Location was good (near Burnham Park & restos) but room was bleh. Still, it was only for a night, so it was OK. 



Breakfast was OK too


^needed a heavy breakfast for the 6-hour journey to Sagada

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## katie23

I have been to Baguio several times, but this was only my 2nd trip to Sagada. My last trip was in May 2016, wherein I went with a girl friend/ colleague.

Sagada is a small town in the province called Mountain Province. Benguet, Mt. Province, Abra, Kalinga and Apayao are the provinces that belong to the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). There are many hill tribes in this region, which were largely left alone & uncolonized during the Spanish colonial period. In the 1900s, the Americans sent missionaries, engineers, etc and the hill tribes came in contact with Westerners.  I made a thread about my former Sagada visit.

For this visit, I was interested in the changes after four years. Sagada is famous for its Hanging Coffins. It wasn't famous among tourists, but in Feb 2015 it was used as one of the locations in a local indie film which became a hit. After seeing the beauty of Sagada, more ppl from Manila started going there, especially during weekends. There are tour groups (for joiners) that transport people in minivans direct from Manila, usually during Friday evenings.

We went to the GL Liner bus station and were able to catch the 0900 H bus to Sagada. One way bus ticket was Php 230 (?), no A/C - open the windows, the air is cool. 





At the 7/11, we noticed a promo for Soju. Both us us were fond of flavored soju, so it was a win!  :Very Happy: 





Edit: here's my past Sagada thread

Sagada Adventure 2016

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## katie23

Baguio city is chock full of people & houses, so in most places you can't see the trees or mountains anymore. Still, it's only around 5 hours from Manila (at night), so it's a good weekend escape if one wants cooler climes. 



First toilet break/ stopover in the 6-hour bus ride


My friend, the Hulk, was still there


Petrol prices


I had to look for Spidey, as he was hidden by new stores


Spidey was now hidden in a corner  :Sad: 


The views were still great





More pics later...

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## David48atTD

> Baguio city is chock full of people & houses, so in most places you can't see the trees or mountains anymore. Still, it's only around 5 hours from Manila (at night), so it's a good weekend escape if one wants cooler climes. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Petrol prices
> 
> 
> 
> More pics later...


Baguio city looks an interesting place.  How on Earth to you get to those houses at the back?

Colours are fun.

---

Unusual to see the diesel price lower than the Petrol (gas) price if I'm reading the board correctly?

What was the price to use the 'comfort room'?  :Smile: 

---

I was going to make the images larger but, it's easy enough to see them in all their glory by clicking one image and doing the 'next photo' dance.

---

Great trip report ... keep the pics and stories coming please.

---

BTW, I was looking to see what Caltex's Silver was and came across this site.

Why Caltex sells just 3 kinds of fuel

Scroll down and it had some direct Phillie info.

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## Headworx

Fields Avenue 'aye? What sort of a PERVERT are you!  :Smile: 

Very different reports and pics coming out of there now, full lockdown and it's completely deserted. Probably a good thing that you got a little travel in earlier this month, you could not do the same trip now.

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## hallelujah

Angeles is probably the worst place I've been to in Asia although I did manage to nail 5 birds in less than 12 hours, so it wasn't all bad.

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## katie23

@headworx - yes, most establishments are closed now in the whole of Luzon, except for food, hospitals, pharmacies. If interested in the lockdown of Angeles city, check out the vids of Philly in the Philippines (retired US guy/ Filipina wife) - they live in Angeles.

@David48 - that toilet was relatively cheaper than others! Only 3 pesos for a pee, in most cases, it's 5 pesos. Re: petrol prices, yes the one on top is for diesel, the 2 others are for gasoline. Caltex (California Texas Oil) is owned by Chevron (US). The big oil players here are Caltex, Shell, Total and Petron. Petron is owned by San Miguel Corp (the beer maker, among other things). Re: houses in Baguio, they get to the houses at the back via good old fashioned walking! People there are mointain goats bcos it's all hilly.  :Smile:  

@hallelujah - it felt a bit odd strolling along that Walking Street, seeing all the working girls - there were more girls than clients, bcos of COVID. Now, they probably went home to the provinces prior to the lockdown. I'm not keen to return to Angeles, unless it's to shop in the Korean marts or eat K-food.

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## cyrille

> I'm not keen to return to Angeles,


It's the one place on your itinerary that I skipped.

Sagada was extremely quiet when I was there. Admittedly it was in low season.

I was only in Baguio for a few hours but it seemed pretty cool in every sense. Lots of uni students. The winding hillside ride down from Sagada was a bit hair raising.  :Smile:

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## katie23

Some scenes in Sagada - it's a small mountain town. There are no large hotels, it's all family owned inns/ hostels. Most have have free wifi. 

In 2016, most tourists were either Filipinos or young white backpackers. This year, I saw more elderly groups. There was even a couple of French women (in their 60s?) who were eating in the same canteen with us. The canteen was in the basement of the building near the tourism office. 




^group of western non-millenial tourists

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## Dillinger

> I was only in Baguio for a few hours but it seemed pretty cool in every sense. Lots of uni students


My my. Are we to expext a Punty/Luigi/YD-esque thread soon? :Smile: 

Nice pics Katie

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## katie23

Because of internet limitations, I can't seem to attach many pics on one post, so pls bear with me.






^lots of construction for new inns

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## katie23

@cyrille - Sagada was also fairly quiet when we were there, but then we went on weekdays, so the usual weekend crowds from Manila were avoided.

The tour guides, inns, restos there must all be suffering because of this lockdown. And it's not just here in PI, it's worldwide. Still, we must cooperate to "flatten the curve". Sigh...

@Dill - lol. That would be a fun read!  :Very Happy:

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## cyrille

> My my. Are we to expext a Punty/Luigi/YD-esque thread soon?


I'm sure you'd prefer one from hal showing how he 'nailed' five women in twelve hours and still considers Angeles to be the worst place he's ever been in Asia.  :Very Happy:

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## Dillinger

> I'm sure you'd prefer one from hal showing how he 'nailed' five women in twelve hours and still considers Angeles to be the worst place he's ever been in Asia


 :smiley laughing:  He caught a dose I reckon or the last one had a proper Johnson . :Smile: 

Your last two posts; the piccies haven't uploaded Katie.

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## katie23

From Metro Manila, one can get to Sagada directly via O/N bus. Visit Genesis Transport for details - I think its 10-12 hours, 3 seats per row (reclining) and ~900 pesos or 18 usd.

One can also go on O/N bus to Baguio (5 H, Victory Liner) then travel 6H to Sagada during the day. First trip is 5:30 or 6 am, I think, via GL Liner.

There are also minivans - I saw a group of 6 foreigners alight from a minivan, carrying wheeled cases.

Sagada is more of a backpacker destination and it's a simple town, no 4-5 star facilities. Great for hiking, caving, or just chill & enjoy the cool temps. When we were there, temps were 16-24 degrees C.  IMO, it's not advisable to bring wheeled cases since it's hilly and inns/ guesthouses don't have elevators. Most of the tourists I saw (local & foreign) were relatively fit. 

We didn't roam a lot in Sagada, just mostly chilled. I got ill on the next day and I self-isolated. Probably due to fatigue of the past week.  At times, I thought I had the dreaded C-virus. The BF had a bad knee (injured it a week prior), so we weren't exactky the fittest at that time.

Bus schedules. From Sagada, one can go to Banaue & Batad to see more rice terraces. Fun fact - the last scene of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity Wars - those rice terraces were of Banaue. 



Late lunch - we arrived past 3pm

His 


Hers

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## Dillinger

^ When you see that 'ATTACHMENT and numbers' appear in the upload box instead of the url, it means they haven't uploaded

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## katie23

^I'll fix the links, ta. Net problems. Prolly many students doing online lessons.  :Very Happy:

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## katie23

After a day of my self-isolation, we went for a walk. Our digs were located along South Road, so we just walked farther along that road. I wanted to see the Hanging Coffins. We reached the junction of Sumaguing Cave, then stopped & turned back. The BF's knee was acting up, and I felt a bit weak too, due to the mild flu-like illness of the day before.




^my digs in 2016 was near this place


^my old digs was in that direction. Before, it was just a foot path. Now, there's a concrete road

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## katie23

Thanks for all the greets and greens - you know who you are.

More Sagada pics


^more guesthouse construction 


^part of South road

I'll only put 2 or 3 pics per post due to 'net limitations...

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## katie23

The guesthouse had a husky and several pups - all very friendly.

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## hallelujah

> @
> 
> @hallelujah - it felt a bit odd strolling along that Walking Street, seeing all the working girls - there were more girls than clients, bcos of COVID. Now, they probably went home to the provinces prior to the lockdown. I'm not keen to return to Angeles, unless it's to shop in the Korean marts or eat K-food.


When I was there, some of the pubs had bars on the windows and the street was a total mess of bricks and stones. I couldn't wait to leave.




> I'm sure you'd prefer one from hal showing how he 'nailed' five women in twelve hours and still considers Angeles to be the worst place he's ever been in Asia.


I got confused. That was in Manila.  :smiley laughing:

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## NamPikToot

Katie what is Gods name is on that Spaghetti, looks like tomato ketchup.  :Smile: 

I may report you and this post for member cruelty, unless you get yourself a hazmat suit and get back in them hills.

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## cyrille

> I wanted to see the Hanging Coffins.


What a massive letdown that is.  :Sad: 



They're in there somewhere.  :Sad:

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## katie23

@cyrille - when (what year) did you go there? When I went in 2016, they had cleaned the area up a bit (removed some trees and bushes).  Now that area is part of the Echo Valley trail - I didn't go there  this year, but did it in 2016. 

These vloggers visited last year and I saw from their vids that they have closed that area off - the one with the coffins.  

Warning: it's not my vid, it's from a UK couple. But you guys will get the general idea of the place.

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## katie23

@toot - that's Jollibee spaghetti, for Filipino tastes only. You'll either be very Jolly or very barfy when you eat it.  :Very Happy: 

@hal - yes, Angeles walking street was kinda depressing. Not a place that I'd miss. But it was my first time to see it, so it was enlightening.

Edit: my net is acting up. After Sagada, we went back to Baguio & spent a couple of days there. Went to the Tam-Awan Cultural Village, Burnham Park, etc.  More pics next time...

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## NamPikToot

Katie, would you like me to post this to you?

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## katie23

^lol! Yes, pls feel free to do so. My area is in lockdown now, so I may need some proper PPE for the grocery run!  :Very Happy:

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## cyrille

> cyrille - when (what year) did you go there?


That pic was taken on April 14, 2005 katie.

The place was deserted and there were some major roadworks going on that blocked off half the (already very small) place.

I was only there a couple of nights.

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## NamPikToot

> so I may need some proper PPE for the grocery run!


That there is for hiking not ration runs young lady.  :Smile: 

Anyway, thanks for the thread, enjoyed it, may be the last trip report we see for a while. You and the family take care.

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## sabang

An old mate of mine that I backpacked Sth America with back in 1989 did a circuit of the northern Phillipines- Sagad, Banaue, Baler etc. He was blown away actually, loved it. But he did like things rather rustic- Baguio wasn't much his scene, too bourgeois.

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## MarilynMonroe

Jollibee's.. :Smile: 

Great trip report, happy times, Katie. 

Baguio City is a place I'd like to visit sometime. I have a dear friend that is very special to me that works in Baguio. I have heard that he is now working there and left San Jose city where he went to school. We wrote letters back and forth for years when he was a student, but I have lost track of him over time, sadly.

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## katie23

Time to revisit this thread, post more pics and reminisce happier times. I've been watching travel shows and some travel vlogs of people that I sometimes "follow", since armchair travelling is all ww can do at the moment.

@marilyn - depending on the demographic, Jollibee can be a treat (for lower classes) or for a regular meal. When my niece & nephew were little, I'd sometimes take them to Jollibee as a treat - we didn't want them to grow up on French fries & other junk food.

Baguio was supposed to hold the annual Flower Festival during the last weekend of February. Because of the COVID threat, the local govt postponed it to end of March. Luzon island has been on lockdown since mid-March, so I doubt that the festival will ever happen. Even if the lockdown ends, there's talk of a soft quarantine until June or July. There's also talk of postponing the start of the schoolyear to July or August - depending on the recommendations of the committee. K12 schools usually start in June and end in March/ early April. For the current schoolyear, the kids' grades were computed based on what their grades were already. Most schools just lacked the final exams, since the schoolyear was nearly over. 

Angeles city, as well as other cities, is now deserted. Walking Street (with all the bars and restos) is closed - you can't even go for a stroll. There's a checkpoint and the authorities won't allow you to enter.

When travel is permitted again, I'd like to go back to Baguio and hike to Mount Ulap, which is 1 hour away from it (it's at Itogon town). I've hiked it before, but the views are scenic and I'd like to hike it with the BF. I also want to visit Batad and Banaue for the rice terraces. I've seen rice terraces in my other hikes, but Banaue's are more spectacular - and they were used in that final scene with Thanos in Marvel movies Infinity Wars.

Anyway, those are my thoughts at the moment. Pics on next post.

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## katie23

More of Sagada pics

Ladies selling their wares


Very colorful store

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## katie23

There are hanging coffins on those limestone cliffs


Four years ago, this metal barrier wasn't there. Cheers!

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## katie23

Passed by a small house selling vegs. The canine reminded me of Dan, Mendip's dog.  :Smile:  



Chooks to go

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## katie23

Some street scenes

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## katie23

Food Pics

Lunch at Lemon Pie House



Chow-chow pup not included in menu  :Smile:

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## katie23

Dinner at Sagada Tavern



Spring rolls (lumpia) 


Pork sisig


Pancit canton (egg noodles)

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## katie23

The next day, it was time to return to Baguio (6H ride)

Said goodbye to husky Dakota & her pups


Vicinity of bus station

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## Topper

Nice Katie!  Thanks!

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## katie23

Pit stop in Atok town

Take note of the name of the petrol station  :Wink: 

^Petron is owned by San Miguel Corp (yes, the beer company)



Vegs to be transported to Baguio city

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## katie23

@topper - cheers! 

++++++
On the way back to Baguio, we were held up by traffic. Stayed gridlocked ~45 minutes, since they made it a 1-way street. The govt's "Build build build" program is indeed underway. The BF calls it "borrow borrow borrow" program. Funds were borrowed from China. Heh...









Many ppl went down to stretch their legs. Bus interior.

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## katie23

Thanks for the greets & greens!

+++++

Baguio is the nearest city in the area, and where sone colleges/ universities are located. There are no tertiary schools in Sagada or nearby towns - students have to go to Baguio or La Trinidad for higher education.

I noticed that kids/ teens in Sagada were all slim/fit. Probably due to the fact that they have to walk several hilly meters/kilometers to reach the nearest school. I saw a kid (maybe in 1st grade) walking home, alone, for lunch break.

Anyway, here are pics of the digs in Baguio. It was an apartment-style place, relatively near Burham park. I chose it since I wanted a place with kitchenette. It was small but functional; OK for 2 nights stay. 









Turned out that we didn't use the rice cooker or mini stove, but we did use the kettle for coffee and the kitchen area for a few drinks (soju) after dinner.  :Smile:

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## katie23

Dinner that night was at a Korean BBQ place. It was near our digs - we were travel weary and didnt want to venture far for food. What was supposed to be a 6H journey turned out to be ~8H due to traffic.

Anyway, here was dinner



All you can eat for P259 (~5 USD), not bad




That's not me, but I've blurred due to privacy issues. 





^vicinity of Korean resto & our digs

Accdg to our taxi driver, there are many Koreans in Baguio. They probably like the cooler temps. This was the resto - a bit of "hole in the wall", but food was good. It's owned by a Korean woman and staffed by Filipinos.

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## katie23

Jollibee breakfast that morning.  :Very Happy: 






^ladies selling fruits outside Jollibee

I think when this lockdown is over, I'll have a Jollibee meal, just for a sense of normality.  :Smile: 

Net is acting up... More pics next time... 

We went to Tam-Awan Cultural Village later that day...

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## MarilynMonroe

> Time to revisit this thread, post more pics and reminisce happier times. I've been watching travel shows and some travel vlogs of people that I sometimes "follow", since armchair travelling is all ww can do at the moment.
> 
> @marilyn - depending on the demographic, Jollibee can be a treat (for lower classes) or for a regular meal. When my niece & nephew were little, I'd sometimes take them to Jollibee as a treat - we didn't want them to grow up on French fries & other junk food.
> 
> Baguio was supposed to hold the annual Flower Festival during the last weekend of February. Because of the COVID threat, the local govt postponed it to end of March. Luzon island has been on lockdown since mid-March, so I doubt that the festival will ever happen. Even if the lockdown ends, there's talk of a soft quarantine until June or July. There's also talk of postponing the start of the schoolyear to July or August - depending on the recommendations of the committee. K12 schools usually start in June and end in March/ early April. For the current schoolyear, the kids' grades were computed based on what their grades were already. Most schools just lacked the final exams, since the schoolyear was nearly over. 
> 
> Angeles city, as well as other cities, is now deserted. Walking Street (with all the bars and restos) is closed - you can't even go for a stroll. There's a checkpoint and the authorities won't allow you to enter.
> 
> When travel is permitted again, I'd like to go back to Baguio and hike to Mount Ulap, which is 1 hour away from it (it's at Itogon town). I've hiked it before, but the views are scenic and I'd like to hike it with the BF. I also want to visit Batad and Banaue for the rice terraces. I've seen rice terraces in my other hikes, but Banaue's are more spectacular - and they were used in that final scene with Thanos in Marvel movies Infinity Wars.
> ...


Nice! Good to have goals and dreams for the future! I used to give some extra money to my friend's father who is principal of the school I told you about in San Jose who bought Jollibee's for all the children that are part of this EAC (Educate A Child) program I am part of. They were super excited to get it as it was a huge treat for them.   :Smile: 

This is the website if you are at all interested or anyone else for that matter in sponsoring a child to attend school in the future. I personally know that all the money goes directly to the child's education and transportation to school.
https://www.helpeac.com/?fbclid=IwAR...oFo20X8WXqU57M

Great pics as usual!

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## OhOh

> The BF calls it "borrow borrow borrow" program. Funds were borrowed from China. Heh...


Your previous landlord didn't see any value in improving the lot of the natives. Too busy raping the countries ASSets.

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