Closed - Mile High Outlet shops in Baguio

What was the Mile High Outlet shops at Camp John Hay in Baguio City closed. I just found out for myself while taking my morning walk last week. Here are some photos of what was a shopping and dining option in Baguio.

What was once a vibrant commercial area is now like a ghost town.

Mile High used to be lined with shops and restaurants that people go to and out of their way as this is located in Camp John Hay.

The place is practically deserted and cordoned off. The van's driver probably is resting here after a long drive and waiting for his passengers who could be having breakfast somewhere.

Took this photo of one of the horses headed to the horseback riding area beside our hotel

I assume there is another one like this somewhere in the city. Down the road from the place is a techno hub that also has restaurants and shops. It's a newer place with familiar restaurants and shops. Mile High probably was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.There are many other options so its closure is not a total loss.

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Max's food items at the supermarket - Max's, Yellow Cab, Pancake House, Teriyaki Boy and Dencio's

The Covid-19 pandemic really affected the food scene and many established restaurants' products have found their way to supermarket shelves and freezers. Among those I've seen available are Cibo and Shakey's products like their pizzas. Leveling-up is Max's food group, which includes the flagship Max's Restaurant, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza and Teriyaki Boy. There's an entire freezer section at the supermarket near our home that's assigned for their products.

This freezer contains items from Max's Group including Max's (Fried Chicken), Yellow Cab Pizza (toaster oven pizza), Pancake House (spaghetti and tapa), Teriyaki Boy (teriyako chicken) and Dencio's (sisig).

Other items I've seen at the supermarket are frozen pizza from Cibo and mojos from Shakey's. At one time, I recall there were even frozen fries from McDonald's and Jollibee's burger patties and Chickenjoy. Will these be temporary or perhaps mainstays at the supermarkets or groceries? Perhaps that will be up to the demand for these items. For now, at least you can buy these and enjoy them at home. Of course, there's the assumption you can cook or heat them in ways that they will come out as if they were cooked at the restaurants.

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Coffee choices at the supermarket

The recent trip to the supermarket allowed me to get a few photos of local coffee being sold in beans, ground or instant form. I just wanted to show that there are so many to choose from among the many brands and blends from locally grown coffee. I think we have gone a long way in as far as coffee is concerned and this is something that should be pursued and promoted with or without government help.

Among the local brands are Kickstart, Healthy You, Artisans and Bo's Coffee

There is also Blue Notes coffee nestled here among the instant coffee jars that include Nescafe, Key Coffee and UCC coffee. The latter two are Japanese brands; both having a chain of coffee shops in Japan even before the arrival of Starbucks there.

More local coffee in Silcafe (from Silang, Cavite), Cafe de Lipa (from Lipa, Batangas), and Gourmet Farms (also from Silang, Cavite but usually attributed to nearby Tagaytay, Cavite). These areas in Cavite and Batangas produce some of the best coffee in the country. Batangas, of course, is famous for its Barako blend of coffee that's perfect for morning cups. 

Not in the photos are other local coffee like those from the Cordilleras, Rizal province and Mindanao. These also grow high quality coffee in these regions/provinces. I will try to take a few photos of these brands in the next trip.

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Turkish lamps from the Arab Quarter, SG

The recent trip to Singapore allowed us to go back to some of our haunts including the Arab Quarter. Among the shops we went to were those selling Persian carpets and rugs from that region including Afghanistan. But the objective was really to pick up one or two lamps from the Turkish lantern shops in the area.

An assortment of lamps - it was quite a challenge to choose lamps among those on display but we were able to get a couple.

One of the lamps we bought was installed at our lanai. This one was a glass mosaic.

The other lamp is beneath one of our balconies and above a favorite seating area. The glass panels are brought together by a decorative brass case. When lighted, the design gives off that burst on top.

Our only regret was not being able to get a couple more lamps as well as a rug or two. We almost got one rug but thought the purchase would hurt our budget. We were also shopping for Christmas presents and the really nice rugs cost a lot. More on this in a future post.

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Saturday Bazaar at The Rocks, Sydney

It's Saturday and a month ago, I had a great one going around Sydney with a good friend. One of the highlights of that trip to Australia was the opportunity to walk around a great city. It helped that the weather was also quite splendid that July 29 and it wasn't difficult to go around to enjoy the outdoors. After our trip to Cockatoo Island, we walked around The Rocks and chanced upon the outdoor bazaar in the area. We decided to check out the shops at the bazaar and I ended up getting a few items here and there including some artwork from a local artist, which I will post about soon. Here are a few photos I took of the bazaar.

People were enjoying the good weather

These sausages were really good!

There were also buskers around and their music was a welcome background to our walk around

We had our lunch under the bridge near some of the tents selling really good food. We had sausages and some soda though we were tempted to also try out the pasta offered by another tent.

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Pangasinan souvenirs

A trip out of Manila would not be complete without getting pasalubong or souvenirs. We were early enough to reach the visitor center (pasalubong center) at Lingayen beach. You can have a snack or meal here as there is an eatery inside the center.

T-shirts are among the more popular souvenir items with designs featuring Pangasinan towns and attractions like Dagupan, Hundred Islands, etc.

There are many shops at the visitor center selling typical souvenirs like handicrafts, magnets, pins, mugs and others that might catch a tourist's fancy.

Locally-made crafts on display

Map of Pangasinan showing attractions and landmarks in each town

Items for sale include furniture like this chair and the bar set beside it.

More handicrafts at the visitor center

We got ourselves a few shirts and and refrigerator magnets to take home. There are many other items including bottled and dried food and preserves, vases, magazine racks, boxes, etc. that may be of interest to many other people. We thought the prices were okay and competitive compared to what you can get at other souvenir shops or even the market.

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On wine and chocolates

I mentioned in previous articles that I liked to browse the wines and chocolates at shops like Santis. I discovered another shop on an overnight in Alabang where I attended a conference. I have heard and read about Bacchus but haven't been to their shop until last July. And so seeing their shop nearby our hotel led me to some wine tasting that concluded in my purchasing 3 bottles of wine and several bars of chocolates.

A bag full of wines and chocolates from my Bacchus 'expedition'

This was the featured wine that day at the shop and I consumed more than enough to decide to get a bottle for consumption at home.

I will write about the wines and the chocolates soon as each deserve a separate post. We recently opened the bottle of Mantellasi in the preceding photo and it was as good as I remember when I sampled a couple of glasses at the wine shop. The write-up for this wine will probably go first among the others.

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Fruits and vegetables shopping in Baguio

A trip to Baguio won't be complete without buying vegetables and fruits there. Baguio's location is very strategic as vegetables and fruits, primarily from the neighboring towns in Benguet Province pass through the city en route to other provinces and Metro Manila. Produce from neighboring provinces in the region (Cordillera Autonomous Region or CAR) and those in Regions 1 (Ilocos) and 2 (Cagayan) also find their way to Baguio where there is demand for them but with much less escalation in prices.

I used to go to the Baguio Public Market to get vegetables and fruits. But the last few trips I found it better not to brave the crowded market and purchase items instead from the roadside shops you will find along Marcos Highway. There are many farms along this major road and many of the shops are owned by farmers selling their own products. You can get veggies and fruits for significantly less than the prices in Metro Manila with less of the hassle when you shop at the market. And you get to buy directly from the farmers (hint: they have smaller shops along the road usually near their homes).

Roadside shops along Marcos Highway have all the vegetables and fruits you'll probably be buying for personal consumption or to give away as pasalubong to family and friends.

The produce at the shops seem to come straight out of the popular folk song "Bahay Kubo."

There are also other items on sale at these shops including the popular brooms. Most of these aren't made in Baguio though the city's name is on the brooms. There are also peanut brittle, strawberry jam, ube jam, chocolate crinkles and other stuff for those who want to do last minute souvenir shopping or perhaps add to the stash they already got earlier just so they're sure they have enough pasalubong.

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Shopping at the airport

Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport's (NAIA) has four passenger terminals. Of these, Terminal 3 is the largest and the building space has not been fully utilized. Due to the legal issues surrounding its construction, it took so much time for the terminal to be developed so it could be to its full potential. Last week, when I fetched my father who was flying in from Iloilo, I had more than enough time (his flight was delayed by more than 2 hours) to go around and see the new additions to the airport. These included new restaurants and shops at the south wing of the airport. Among the more conspicuous and the newest addition to the terminal's shopping options is Kiss & Fly.

Kiss & Fly is found at the departure level (3rd level) of the passenger Terminal 3.

The interior looks like a department store from the outside.

There's a Starbucks at one of the entrances. I think this is the second Starbucks at NAIA as there is already one at Terminal 1.

Racks of clothing items from top brands like Lacoste and Burberry are in the Kiss & Fly store. Tommy Hilfiger and Eden Park have their own stores inside.

You can now practically do your shopping at Terminal 3. There are many stores selling clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, electronics and toys. The only thing lacking perhaps is a supermarket but then there are at least 3 convenience stores inside that could provide what the other shops couldn't in terms of food and other items. Of course, there are duty free shops in the terminal, and if you are qualified, many shops offer duty free prices when you present your travel documents. So there is no excuse for not being able to get a souvenir for your loved ones or significant others, especially if you are arriving at Terminal 3.

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