My First Trip to the Philippines - Part 2

So the next day we went to the bus terminal on Clark and got the next bus out going there. The bus used was one of the blue military buses, for those of you that know what they look like, but the driver was Filipino. I swear that this guy’s previous job was driving a rabbit bus. He was speeding around curves, dodging in and out of traffic and just overall basically just wanted to get there as fast as possible. The only time that he slowed down, except through some of the small towns, was when we started going up the mountain.
Now back in those days there was no railing on the side of those curves. Once we got up to where we could look out the window and see the valley far below (Kennon Road), the bus got awfully quiet. Hardly a word was spoken until we made it to the top. At one time going up, there was another bus coming down. Now the road there is not the widest that was ever built. It looked like it was just barely wide enough to let 2 buses pass each other, I was just glad that we were the bus on the inside. In the past, I have heard and read about buses that have actually gone over the side, so you can believe that I was quiet to not disturb the bus driver. Obviously, we made it, but I was thinking that we still have to come down this mountain too. I hope that no bus will pass us because we will be on the outside coming down.
The bus went straight to the Camp John Hay registration office, we registered and we got a nice little 1 bedroom bungalow to stay in. Up in the mountains it gets a little chilly at night, so they had fireplaces in the living rooms. Plenty of wood, at least more than we would be using, was already chopped and stacked. There are a couple of things I remember well about Camp John Hay and a couple that I remember a little about.
One thing that I found out, and it’s still true to this day, is that they had the best water pressure I have ever experienced. I would take a couple of showers per day and stay in there until I wrinkled. We were there for 3 days and I took 5 showers, but I got started late the first day. Lita had to make me get out of the shower a couple of times. It was just so warm, so nice and such continuous water power.
In the evenings we went to a restaurant there called The Lone Star Steakhouse. Which, according to this website, is still there. We both ordered steaks and they were delicious. Just me being me, I asked the waiter if they happen to have any Lone Star beer. You know, Lone Star Steakhouse, Lone Star Beer. I wasn’t really expecting the answer to be “Yes”, but it was. Although Lone Star claims to be the National Beer of Texas, I’m not a big fan of it, but since I asked about it, I got one. I was glad it was in the bottle because I can’t stand the stuff from a can. The rest of the meal was very good. If it really is still there, I’d like to go back.
The second day we were there we went downtown. It was not as crowded as it is these days, so we looked around at a few stores and bought a few souvenirs. One of the places we went was the strawberry farm. It is located in La Trinidad, Benguet a few kilometers away from downtown Baguio. I believe it is the only place in the Philippines that grows strawberries because of the cooler weather. The thing that sticks in my mind the most about this place, beside the rows and rows of strawberries, is a sign. The sign, placed on the edge of the strawberry field, said, in English, “Please Do Not Urinate Here”. I thought it was funny and I took a picture of it, but I can’t seem to find it or another picture of the sign on the Internet. I didn’t realize at the time that ‘free peeing’ was a nationwide thing (even after the trip to Manila). We didn’t buy any strawberries or any of the jam they were selling. There were all kinds of things for sale there.
After the strawberry farm we went to Lourdes Grotto, in the downtown area. It is a very long staircase that goes up to a shrine. On the way up, Lita got tired and decided that she wasn’t going to go anymore. I went ahead to the top, just to say that I did, but hurried back down to make sure she was alright. I found her with some gypsy looking ladies. For some reason, it’s good luck to have your picture taken with them. I’m thinking that maybe those gypsy women are the ones that started that humor.
The final full day we were there I made it out to the 9 hole golf course. Now I’m not much of a golfer, I’m more of a goofer, but I like to get out there sometimes to hit the ball around to see how many I can keep on the fairway. There is/was one hole there call Cardiac hill, I believe it’s the 3rd hole. From the tee, you have to hit the ball up this very steep hill. If you do not make it to the top of the hill, the ball will roll all the way back down, and then some. It’s the only thing I really remember about that golf course and I think I finally got up there on the 4th try. It’s also a hard hill to climb if you are not in shape and I never use a cart. Part of the reason I am out there is to get exercise and a cart is just defeating the purpose. I don’t even remember what my final score was, but it wasn’t par, I can tell you that.
So our last night in the cottage, we took our shower and ate at the steakhouse before finally giving up and going to sleep. The next day neither one of us wanted to leave, but we only had a week, and we had to get back to Okinawa.
On the way back down the mountain, our full bus was quiet again. We did have a bus come the other way, but thankfully we did not topple over the edge. The bus driver once again drove like a madman all the way back to Clark.
Once at Clark, we got a flight out that same day and made it back to Okinawa in one piece. It was definitely an adventure that we will never forget. Camp John Hay is now run by the Philippines and not the US. Although it is still nice there, it will never the same.