quick chill fix

Last Friday night after my shift, I decided to come home not only to be in my cousin's wedding but also to hear stories from my big sis' travel to Fermosa. When I asked her if I could come home, she replied a big YES! So there, I packed my bag and went to the bus station at 1:30am, Pangasinan-bound. I arrived at home at around 5:30 but no chance for me to doze off. My big sis already made her travel plan to Baguio and that is in 2 hours. Okay, so that meant breakfast and no bed.hahaha

She chose Baguio because it is a bit cooler there. True enough, the past few days have been extremely hot you could tell like you are being baked in an oven though not really. Plus, it could be a bit booorrriing to just stay home, do nothing and just endure the heat.

So we all prepped up for the trip, mom, dad, big sis et moi. After almost 2 hours of zigzaggy ride, we finally felt the change of temperature. We finally reached Baguio City.

Our first stop: O' Mai Khan, an all-you-can-eat Mongolian buffet.

Big sis has been to this place before but not for the rest of us. But I have tried eating such unlimited Mongolian foodie from Sweet Inspiration, a resto across Ateneo, where I work. Hence, I could make some comparisons.

We were given each a bowl to fill with veggies and spices of our choice. I was looking for some sauce recipe suggestions but there wasn't any. It was really a DIY mixing of ingredients into your bowl.

After choosing my type of Mongolian bowl -- spicy one for sure -- it was then brought to this man in charge of grilling all the mixes together. Spicy mixes are separated from the non-spicy ones.Vegan bowls were cooked in a different area as well.

And voila! My Mongolian bowl! It was not as good as the ones I had in Sweet Inspi but it

was anyway, edible. I wish the nuts were a bit chunky. If there were some noodles to it or if we were given more detailed sauce suggestions, it could have been perfect.

My mom had a very good appetite that day that she also ordered some tempura. But the thing with it was the shrimps were grinded, mixed with some flour then made into this battered foodie. So faux tempura!

After our meal, big sis asked the staff which dessert they recommend. Then they served us O' Mai Khan's blueberry cheesecake. The cake is not so sweet, the texture is just right and the sourness of the blueberries blends in just perfectly.

Snappie shottie with the family :)

We also checked the Safari Lodge and had some snapshots with an elephant head, hunted by the place's founder.

Then, we were off to Botanical Garden, mom's haven! The moment we set foot in this area, my mom couldn't wait to get some cuttings and seeds of plants that caught her eyes. And as the mommy's girl that I am, I sneaked and took some from the garden. So sneaky me! ;) 

Aside from the plants, there were also other attractions in the place such as a tradional house in the Mt. Province, a not so happy-looking brown horse and a lovely stone artwork.

I thought my sneaky stint was over, but not really. Mom saw a flowery vine she would want to have cuttings of it. So then, time to transform one more time and one last time I hope. ;)

 

The sneaky me is tired...but still smiley.

Time for some merienda! Big sis brought us to Choco-Late de Batirol. Both mom and dad liked the place they want to put up something similar in our hometown. Why not? I would love to also have a chill area where my mom could put some plants, simple lounge area to serve some yummy foodie and not to forget, some jazzy, bozza nova music. I'd love that.

So happy to see how they made the famous chocolate de batirol right in front of my eyes.

Pretty interesting! Mom didn't fancy the taste though.

Our final stop was the ever famous Burnham Park. Ate reminisced how she spent her time here when was still studying in college. A hot cup of binatog (white corn kernel with milk and sugar) plus the soothing air in the park = problem solved.

I thought mom's craving for plants ended at the Botanical Garden, but when we strolled around the park and reached the orchidarium, she bought six plants at once. Oh dear, that's my mom and her love for anything from the Kingdom Vegetabilia.

                                                            *****
wander:

O’ Mai Khan

Upper Session Road (Engineer’s Hill)

Baguio City, Philippines

Safari Lodge

191 Leonard Wood Roads,

Baguio City

Chocolate de Batirol

Igorot Garden, Gate 2, Camp John Hay

wonder:

Travelling with the family is one opportunity to get to know each other. Looking forward to another let's-hit-the-road experience with them. :)