How do I describe 2016? It was generous, exciting and exhausting. The last may seem a surprising addition but it “came with the territory,” so to speak—and I’m not complaining.

Off the bucket list is Kyoto. The photo of geisha’s walking the streets of the city was on my vision board for years, so was the Jidai Matsuri festival and the autumn season in Japan. I got to tick off three items from my bucket list.

Geisha spotting at Gion, Kyoto. One off the bucket list

Five days in the city was too short with a heavy concentration of Unesco World Heritage Sites, but good enough to know that I should revisit the city.

In Kyoto, stay at the New Gingkaku Inn. It’s affordable and very conveniently located a few steps away from the Kyoto station. The train station is a depot for buses for the city’s tourist attractions.

The few remaining days in Japan allowed me to visit another new place, Karuizawa in Nagano, to chase the autumn leaves (I came too early in the season to catch the red and gold foliage).

Went chasing fall at Karuizawa in Nagano

In Tokyo, I was able to visit a few more sites I missed on my previous visit.

Caught Maman, the giant spider by Louise Bourgeois, in Roppogi Hills this time. Saw it first in Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Perhaps, the best lesson Japan has taught me was to maximize the Japan Rail Pass. It doesn’t come cheap so the more bullet train rides to faraway destinations you can do so. Short, quick visits to places are not just my kind of thing though. Do I compromise?

Taipei may not be on my list, but PAL’s seat sale was too hard to resist.

My first sunset in Taipei with the iconic tower, Taipei 101 jutting off from the city landscape.

Once under the Japanese rule, the Chinese city still has the vibe of Japan—clean, safe, commuter friendly and inexpensive. The city is vibrant and a foodie’s haunt. Taipei is worth a revisit.

In Taipei, stay at W Taipei and Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel. W is contemporary chic and Shangri-La is Oriental sophistication, each is an experience in itself.

Oriental luxe at Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei

While in these hotels, take time to dine under the Michelin stars. Yen, W’s Chinese resto, has a chef who earned a Michelin-starred culinary experience from Japan, and Shangri-La’s ibuki by Takagi Kazuo is Taiwan’s first Japanese restaurant to operate in concordance with Michelin standards.

Addictive little things- Steamed Abalone Siew Mai by a chef with a Michelin star restaurant expeirence

Believe it or not, it’s been seven years since my most recent visit to Hong Kong. Its face hasn’t change much but it has become one of the most expensive cities to shop and dine at.

Hong Kong is transforming/repurposing its old quarters and turning it into new destination spots, a formula that can keep the city exciting.

Back in Hong Kong after 9 years. The view from my Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel room

In Hong Kong, enjoy the changing scenery of the iconic Victoria Harbour in comforts of your own room at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel or the Shangri-La Kowloon Hotel.

This view of Hon Kong's iconic harbour from my room at the Shangri-La Kowloon

Spoil yourself. In these hotels, go for the continental club floor room and enjoy the club amenities.

Spoil yourself more and dine at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Kowloon’s Michelin starred restaurant, and Cucina, Marco Polo’s amazing Italian resto.

Cucina's bestseller- slow cooked Wagyu beef cheeks

Another destination I haven’t seen in years was Baguio. The weekend visit with friends was for food tripping. It was worth every calorie ingested.

How long has it been since the last visit. Baguio this year for food tripping with friends

Bangkok’s charm is unending. Twice a year, there’s always a new find and the most recent ones discovered were a three food places in three hotels are great at pampering its guests: Punjab, an Indian restaurant at Radisson Suites Sukhumvit 13; Eat Well Café, a healthy hub at Well Hotel Sukhumvit 20; and the afternoon tea nibbles at The House at Sathorn of W Bangkok.

Tandoori Jheenga at Punjab

Catching the Loi Krathong festival on the super moon phenomenon was magical, and I finally was able to visit the Jim Thompson Museum after many attempts on my countless visits to the city.

Like they say, it comes in three’s. Third on the B destination list is Boracay. I still consider it my island home no matter how busy it has turned to be. It’s a matter of locating your ideal lounging spots along the white stretches, and enjoy the sun, sand and surf.

To enjoy Boracay even on the busiest season, look for your spot

For a touch of Davao in Boracay, the home I stay may soon be on the B&B list and Hoy Panga! has risen quite quickly on the most popular restaurants list in the island.

Hoy Panga!'s Sizzling Tuna Sisig is a must try

I should say, along with the happy (and extremely tired) feet is a happy tummy, with all the new dining places I was able to try this 2016.

My gratitude is extended to Philippine Airlines, with special mention to the office of its president. The Business Class upgrades made the journey to and from Taipei and Japan very comfortable.

How to reach a destination in comfort. Get a business class seat aboard Philippine Airlines

What’s in 2017? There are a few more photos of destinations on my vision board. I’m keeping my calendar open and wait where the generous Universe is taking me.

Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com & www.jeepneyjinggoy.com.

Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.

The lion's bust c.2016

MY FIRST trip to the summer capital was during my college days. It was the semestral break of my second year in Mapua Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture. If my parents did take me to Baguio in my younger years, my memory bank retained no data of it. So, let me consider the October 19, 1982 trip as my first.

Midnight run. MIT-AR students on sem break on board the Pantranco bus to Baguio c.1982

It was around midnight when my classmates gathered at Pantranco, the bus line company at the corner of Quezon Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. It was not too far from where I stayed, in Project 7.

The bus fare to Baguio on a non-air conditioned bus then was only P45 one way, and with an assigned seat number at that. It was orderly back then. I guess it’s first come, first served on a non-aircon bus these days.








It was a five-hour drive to the Cordilleras. The bus ride with a bunch of excited college adolescents on an unescorted road trip was energy-filled, to say the least. Like kids on a sugar high. What else can you expect?

We stayed in an old house along Session Road, which seemed haunted (because I suddenly had an eruption of acne immediately after the trip. “Nabuyagan,” as it’s called), but we survived for a couple of nights—that and the ice-cold water to bathe with. Yes, there was no water heater.

Camp John Hay c.1982

Baguio then was so refreshingly green and spacious, and not as busy as it is today. The air had no scent of smoke emission, the vegetation on the hills were verdant, Hyatt Terraces was the chicest hotel and the Gold Mine discotheque was the place to be seen.








If I remember it correctly, we hired a jeepney to take us around the city to see the sights—Camp John Hay, The Mansion, Mines View Park, Burnham Park, etc.

Mines View Park c.1982

Mine's View Park c.2016

Where we ate is a blur. Except for an old photo of classmates drinking beer in a hut, I have no idea where we had our meals.

Burnham Park c.1982

Each time I get to visit Baguio, it’s always the fond memories of my first trip that flashed in my mind. And the recollection always makes me smile. Yes, those were the days.

The Mansion's gate c.1982

The Mansion's grounds c.2016

Just like in the recent trip I made to Baguio with friends. Although it was clearly identified as a food trip, I am glad there was one foreign guest who was seeing the place for the first time.

The Baguio Cathedral

I didn’t mind visiting the attractions again, but I can’t help compare how it was back then.

Of course, the place adapted to progress, it’s certainly getting busier by the season, especially with the addition of newer establishments like the BenCab Museum and specialty restaurants. Baguio is busier and certainly got exciting as a destination.

PMA gate

The public market today

Perhaps what connects me of the old Baguio is Camp John Hay. The place had its share of development but on a very controlled level. I love how it has preserved the vibe of the past. It’s tranquility in the midst of the pine tree forest, a world apart away from the bustle of the nearby city center.

*****

IT HAS been four years since I last stepped foot on the pine needle carpeted paths of the country’s summer capital.

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