June 16,
2006
The Drive
Up
Before 5AM most of the
Baguio Runners namely Jojo and Rey in Jojo's Fortuner, Zaffy and
my self in our Miata reg-magged Miata, Keith in his striped
Miata , ChitoF and Marcel in ChitoF's Number 2, Ezra in his tan-topped Miata,
and Collins and Ven in Collins' sleep-deprived Miata assembled at Caltex Julia
Vargas and took-off at a little past 5AM. BTW, Collins has been to almost every
Baguio Run as a passenger and has, for first time, brought his Miata. The drive
on the NLEX was smooth as usual. Dale joined us at end of the expressway and
Alfie caught up shortly thereafter. From this point on, we would be taking what
has come to be known as the Ozaeta Route. It is a longer but non-stop route
that bypasses the congested towns on the way up to Baguio. Every now and then there would be
picture-taking stops as many in the group were photo enthusiasts.
Breakfast at the
Residence Bless Buan (AKA Bernard Brown)
Just when everyone's
stomach started making noises, we reached the residence of Bless in Tarlac
wherein he had graciously prepared an Authentic Kapampangan-flavored breakfast
consisting of Tilapia, Carabao Tapa, Longaniza, Fried Rice, Scrambled Eggs for
us. Thanks again, Bless/Bernard. BTW, what's there story behind "Bernard Brown"
anyway?
The Record
Blast
From Tarlac, the next
stop was Villa Cordillera at Baguio Country Club. It was a leisurely drive all
the way up to the foot of Marcos Highway . The arrangement was as follows:
Jojo, Keith, Dale, Ezra, Collins, ChitoF, Zaffy, and finally Alfie. Alfie was
appearing and disappearing from our rear-view mirror and before we could radio
him. Here he was blasting past us and all the other Miatas (and Fortuner) with a
whining supercharger and a rumbling exhaust. Keith followed and the group was
split into 4 – the first 2 Supers (Alfie and Keith), the next 2 Supers (Dale and
Ezra), the Fortuner, and the 3 NA's. Upon reaching the top of Marcos Highway (first Petron), I got a call from
Alfie asking me where we were. I replied and very excitedly asked him where they
were and what they clocked. He said they were waiting at the second Petron and
that they clocked in a lightning-fast 20 min. I repeat, 20 min.! To give you an
idea of how fast that was, it took the NA's 35 min. In that same time the first
2 Supers would have reached the top and gone back down again. Amazing!
Congratulations Alf and Keith! That's definitely a new record!
Villa
Cordillera
Villa Cordillera is a new
facility of Baguio Country Club which opened just this June. I would say that we
were the ones who baptized it. It is dormitory-style and consists of 4 levels
from the top. There's parking for about 8 cars. We got the level second from the
top and had it all to ourselves. There are around 4 big rooms and a common area
per floor. The place also has a nice view of the golf course. Jojo, Rey, ChitoF,
Marcel stayed in their own rooms at the Country Club while the rest stayed here.
The 1st
Afternoon
Wasting no time at all,
the golfers, Jojo, JR, ChitoF, Keith, went straight to the golf course to play
as many holes as sunlight would permit. Believe it or not, they haven't even had
lunch at that point? It was a very close match of high/low
and after completing the first nine by around 4PM, they decided to finally have
lunch as their stomach were already calling to them and Jojo had to catch a
meeting.
Meanwhile, the rest of
the group hung out at the Filling Station to grab a bite of Hotshots burgers.
Except for being too far, the Filling Station is an ideal Miata Club Friday
Night venue. There are different kind s of food and drinks to choose from and
there are chairs and table just by the cars. It was also at the Filling Station
where they discovered Strawberries and Cream, the latest addiction of the Club
and most especially Doc Dale's. Everyone just had to have their sinful special.
I forget the name but here's what it's like: 10 small, fresh, sweet Baguio
Strawberries around a large scoop of vanilla ice cream w/ a lone strawberry on
top, in a tall, chalice-like glass with, of course, cannot-do-without Chocolate
Syrup and Whipped Cream.
Rey just relaxed and
enjoyed the Baguio air reading a book in his room.
Before dinner, Ezra was already able to post a short report on the list thru his
celfone using Smart's New Mobile Broadband Connection.
The 1st
Night
After dinner, we went to
an open-air place near the Filling Station. It had wooden chairs, tables, and
swings – a very nice place to relax in. Over hot chocolate, we exchanged stories
until about midnight. It was Ven's treat, BTW. Thank
You, Ven. Everyone was off to bed afterwards while Ven had to catch the
4AM bus back to Manila to make his photography
class.
July 17,
2006
