Back in my happy place

Last weekend, I was back in my happy place, Baguio City, this time with my cousins Risa Baltazar Nepomuceno and Dondi Baltazar. Risa and Dondi (and their siblings Maya, Milen, Yappi and Bindoy) are the children of Tessie Daza Baltazar, the sister of my late father, and her husband, the late Armando Baltazar.

Aside from being my first cousins, they were also my next-door neighbors in the Daza compound, where we stayed until we all got married and moved out. When we were growing up, Tito Balty was vice president of PCI Bank, and one of his perks was the use of the bank’s staff house in Baguio City. So whenever the Baltazars would hie off to Baguio for a summer vacation, they’d invite me to tag along.

Dondi, who is just a year older than me, was my tormentor when we were growing up. He bullied me and we fought like cats and dogs. But as soon as we got to high school, he became my protector, filtering and approving my suitors, and even accompanying me to parties. To this day, I run to him for love advice, especially when I need an objective male perspective.

Risa, on the other hand, was my constant movie and lunch date pre-pandemic. She is also my prayer warrior and we share stories about work and our children since we’re both single moms.

Risa and Dondi are executive vice presidents in two of the country’s leading banks, and thus highly stressed and in periodic need of rest and relaxation. When Dondi (whom I haven’t seen for over a year because of the pandemic) invited Risa and I to spend the weekend at his vacation home in Baguio City, we immediately said yes.

After downloading the app and testing negative for our antigen swab tests two days before, we were all set. We left Dondi’s house in Makati at 2:30 p.m. on June 18, and used the Skyway from Magallanes that leads to NLEX, SCTEX, TPLEX and Marcos Highway.

The author with her cousins Dondi Baltazar and Risa Nepomuceno enjoying dinner at Lemon and Olives in Baguio City.

Throughout the ride, we reminisced about the memorable summers we spent in Baguio City, such as our trips to the market to buy souvenirs like rabbit’s foot, boar’s tooth and silver trinkets or PX items; our boat rides at Burnham Park, where we rented two boats, one for the girls and another one for the boys, and the water fights where we’d use the paddles to wet the other boat’s occupants until all of us were soaking wet.

Because we were always on a budget, we would rent a horse for an hour but took turns riding it for 15 minutes each. Despite the meager allowances our parents gave us, we were all happy back then just being together and sharing what we had with one another.

By 6:15 p.m., we were at Lemon and Olives, our favorite Mediterranean restaurant in the City of Pines. The fresh, cool mountain air welcomed us as soon as we alighted from the car. Over dinner, while enjoying our hummus, Greek Salad and lamb chops, we talked about our retirement plans.

Dondi was convincing Risa and I to retire in Baguio, having made up his mind many years ago that he would retire there. He cited the following for his decision: 1.) Baguio is just three and a half hours away from Manila; 2.) The weather is cool all year-round; 3.) Fresh vegetables abound; 4.) The lower cost of living there compared to Metro Manila; 5.) The abundance of good restaurants from low-end to high-end; and 6.) Baguio is only two hours away from the beaches of La Union. Before dinner was over, Risa and I were sold on the idea.

When we arrived at Dondi’s house afterwards, he proudly showed us the strong and fast wi-fi that was installed so that he can work from home and his two boys can continue with their online classes if the pandemic continues.

The following day, Risa and I discussed how nice it would be if we both found a house we could share to keep each other company. She even came up with a witty name for it: The Home for the Ageless. All day Saturday, our activities played out like a preview of what was to come when we retired.

We did everything at a leisurely pace, with no deadlines to chase and no Zoom meetings to attend, just chill time. Risa and I even managed to book a massage at 4 p.m. at the Baguio Country Club while Dondi patiently waited for us in the veranda reading a book. We capped our stay at the club with an early dinner.

We were back at Dondi’s home at 8 p.m. and enjoyed a bottle of wine while watching our favorite K-drama on Netflix. We called it a night at 11 p.m. because Dondi wanted to leave for Manila at 7 a.m. the next day so that he would be in time for lunch to celebrate Father’s Day with his family.

It was a very short weekend respite but worth every minute. Spending precious time and building happy memories in our senior years with the people we love truly make life more enjoyable and worth living.